Plastic Owls

[Aquaboy]

Can we please clear something up once and for all. Plastic owls not only look stupid on boats, but don't work!!
An owl being land based is not seen as a threat by sea birds.

 

[johnalison]

Not many stones for them to turn eh? Maybe a skua would be better, or a great black-backed gull?

 

[VicS]

Can we please clear something up once and for all. Plastic owls not only look stupid on boats, but don't work!!
An owl being land based is not seen as a threat by sea birds.[

But there are no turnstones on the boom

 

[KompetentKrew]

A friend of mine uses rubber snakes. I have always been sceptical, but can't say I've ever noticed any bird shit on her boat.

 

[V1701]

A friend of mine uses rubber snakes. I have always been sceptical, but can't say I've ever noticed any bird shit on her boat.

Aha, we can say words like shit (and maybe bollocks?) on the new forum! I'm off over to ebay now to sell my plastic owl & see if they've got any rubber snakes...

 

[Wansworth]

Looks to as the plastic owl has them seabirds under control.......is it Boris the Owl?

 

[jwilson]

Can we please clear something up once and for all. Plastic owls not only look stupid on boats, but don't work!!
An owl being land based is not seen as a threat by sea birds.View attachment 82386

In Falmouth they don't work on land either: neighbour fitted one on chimney pot - after a week or two local herring gulls regularly used it as a convenient perch: probably gave a better view of anyone walking along eating a pasty or chips.

 

[rszemeti]

We got some for the pontoon to keep the seagulls off.

They went to extra effort to crap on the owls. Never seen such a mess.

 

[Robin]

A friend of mine uses rubber snakes. I have always been sceptical, but can't say I've ever noticed any bird shit on her boat.

We inherited a snake that rides the radar scanner, works for that

 

[Robin]

Can we please clear something up once and for all. Plastic owls not only look stupid on boats, but don't work!!
An owl being land based is not seen as a threat by sea birds.View attachment 82386

Boat near us has one but in the strong winds it now hangs like a bat beneath the boom.

 

[richardbrennan]

The only thing that seems to work in practice is a hawk. They fly one at Haslar Marina and it has virtually eliminated the starling problem.

 

[maby]

We were skeptical about rubber snakes but, based on recommendations from neighbours in the marina, we gave them a try - and I do have to admit that they do seem to have reduced the fouling.

 

[KompetentKrew]

The only thing that seems to work in practice is a hawk. They fly one at Haslar Marina and it has virtually eliminated the starling problem.

Do you mean visits from the local falconer (google says austringer, actually) or an artificial kite?

This year I've seen one of these flown somewhere, but I can't remember if it was Haslar: https://www.pestfix.co.uk/hawk-kite-bird-scarer-kit.asp

 

[jiris]

I read on some forum (can't dig it out now) strong magnets (neodymium) in the rigging do an excellent job. They apparently play havoc with the bird's navigation system and they trying to avoid a close proximity of them. Quite a few people on that forum supported this theory by a practical experience. As for myself, I never tried ;-).

 

[richardbrennan]

It's very much a real hawk and falconer. A very nice guy and a very handsome bird.

 

[Stemar]

I read on some forum (can't dig it out now) strong magnets (neodymium) in the rigging do an excellent job. They apparently play havoc with the bird's navigation system and they trying to avoid a close proximity of them. Quite a few people on that forum supported this theory by a practical experience. As for myself, I never tried ;-).

Sounds good until you set a compass course SW down the Western Solent and end up on the Beaulieu river

 

[FulmarJeddo]

The biggest problem at our moorings are Starlings, late summer and autumn. The gorge on berries and come out to roost on the boats. My owl on the boom keeps my boat clean, I do get muddy gull foot prints on the sail cover occasionally, but on the whole the partly digested berries end up on other boats.

 

[jiris]

Crossed my mind too ;-). But as it is easy to put the magnets far away from the compass, I can't see it as real issue.

 

[LittleSister]

How big are these rubber snakes?

 

[KompetentKrew]

About 60cm, I guess. My friend's are just like the ones that you used to get from the zoo when you were a kid - I guess they may well have been appropriated from her kids' toy box years ago. I find a wide range on Amazon and eBay from £2.