Bird Scarers - do they work?

[hartcjhart]

when you moor up take a look at where the birds settle(feathered) the tie place the electric fly swats in the area, they land get a bolt and booger off,also handy if at your house the local cat craps in the garden

 

[Red]

Hello, I have tried most of the bird scarers available and most worked for a while until they either broke, tangled up, went missing or the birds got used to them. The device which we have most success with is an electric fence type of device. We got the idea as we keep some cattle and decided to rig a similar device in the boat. The electric fencer and a roll of special wire came from our local ag retailer. It was simple to rig up around the boat, we have wooden guardrails so easy to clip onto and then fixed some of the wire around the wheelhouse roof. The battery is connected up to the shore power so is charging up all the time. The wire we ordered is black so very difficult to see. It works so well one wonders why no one has done it before. I has taken the pro caution of isolating it so that I do not loose my stern gear and anodes etc.

 

[Hurricane]

Hello, I have tried most of the bird scarers available and most worked for a while until they either broke, tangled up, went missing or the birds got used to them. The device which we have most success with is an electric fence type of device. We got the idea as we keep some cattle and decided to rig a similar device in the boat. The electric fencer and a roll of special wire came from our local ag retailer. It was simple to rig up around the boat, we have wooden guardrails so easy to clip onto and then fixed some of the wire around the wheelhouse roof. The battery is connected up to the shore power so is charging up all the time. The wire we ordered is black so very difficult to see. It works so well one wonders why no one has done it before. I has taken the pro caution of isolating it so that I do not loose my stern gear and anodes etc.

Great idea but I wonder if the high voltages of the electric fence might damage some of the boat's sensitive electronics - GPS - Raydomes - Sat Domes etc

 

[Poignard]

I can't see the point of using owls. I doubt if any seabird is frightened by a plastic replica of a nocturnal landbird that preys on small rodents. You might as well hang a replica of Donald Duck in the rigging.

 

[VicS]

You might as well hang a replica of Donald Duck in the rigging.

Could work you never know

I have had no mice on board my boat since I've had this little fellow:

 

[mad_boater]

Our marina rang me up to tell me they had cable tied a plastic snake to my and other boats.The place they put it wasn't visable enough due to access so I moved it to the top of the radar tower.They also told me they were thinking of having someone with a bird of pray flying round a few days a week.
Nice to think they are taking the problem seriously.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

Gary, you were in long enough to know what bird scaring involves - seriously loud bangs work for a short time (they're back in minutes) - but birds of prey are the only option. With the number of RAF bases shut down in recent years there must be some Bird Scaring Units available at a reasonable rate.