Turdstones!! Well thats we call them!

So if I do anything to prevent a mosquito from sucking my blood can I be charged with abusing a mosquito and taken to court.

What about sharks eating seals or worse a human is that called wildlife crime. The shark becomes a murderer

I am all for protecting wildlife and I go to the game parks quite often to see wildlife but where is the limit ?
 
mickywillis said:
Turnstones. Little buggers, poop everywhere on the boat this year. Took 3 hours to clean all the muck off last weekend, back down today and its just as bad!! This year has been really bad for them in Langstone Harbour. Nearly all of the boats on their moorings have been deposited on. When you go out in the tender,you see them congregating on the boats, sitting on the foredeck, along the side decks and on the cockpit coamings.
So what can be done next year to stop them sh*tt*ng all over the boat? What bird scarers do people use? I'm not keen on netting everywhere, just looks messy and is a faff to put on /take off when required.
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You could eff off back to Surrey?
 
rogerthebodger said:
So if I do anything to prevent a mosquito from sucking my blood can I be charged with abusing a mosquito and taken to court.

What about sharks eating seals or worse a human is that called wildlife crime. The shark becomes a murderer

I am all for protecting wildlife and I go to the game parks quite often to see wildlife but where is the limit ?
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. All things come from that faraway place, either originating directly from that governing part which is common to all, or else following from it as consequences. So even the gaping jaws of the lion, deadly poison, and all harmful things like thorns or an oozing bog are products of that awesome and noble source. Do not imagine these things to be alien to that which you revere, but turn your Reason to the source of all things
Marcus Aurelius
 
rogerthebodger said:
So if I do anything to prevent a mosquito from sucking my blood can I be charged with abusing a mosquito and taken to court.

What about sharks eating seals or worse a human is that called wildlife crime. The shark becomes a murderer

I am all for protecting wildlife and I go to the game parks quite often to see wildlife but where is the limit ?
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Apart from wilful cruelty and sheer thoughtlessness, which we naturally deplore, the limit is for me primarily determined by matters of conservation. I don’t believe that turnstone numbers are threatened, but it might be a different matter if it were turtle doves that were being a nuisance. As the Beeb’s recent superb series on Big Cats has shown, the life of any wild creature is essentially one of misery, living in abject fear of either being eaten or starvation almost continuously. Thus, the death of a wild creature could almost be regarded as merciful if it weren’t for the cod-philosophical point that all life is interconnected and that not only our pleasure but our survival depends on a healthy wild.
 
Seriously, if you can't live with the birds in Langstone and Chichester, you may not be welcome.
There's another nice little harbour down the road called Pagham.
You're already not welcome there!

I was not being entirely serious, but there is a large, influential group of people who would be quite happy to send the OP and his boat back to M25-land, maybe he can have a go at Ken Livingstone's pigeons?
Or there's always Port Solent with the Paulsgrove tip gulls.
 
johnalison said:
Apart from wilful cruelty and sheer thoughtlessness, which we naturally deplore, the limit is for me primarily determined by matters of conservation. I don’t believe that turnstone numbers are threatened, but it might be a different matter if it were turtle doves that were being a nuisance. As the Beeb’s recent superb series on Big Cats has shown, the life of any wild creature is essentially one of misery, living in abject fear of either being eaten or starvation almost continuously. Thus, the death of a wild creature could almost be regarded as merciful if it weren’t for the cod-philosophical point that all life is interconnected and that not only our pleasure but our survival depends on a healthy wild.
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I wholehearted agree and I financially support our equivalent to the RSPCA and RSPB which is our SPCA and when I visit any game parks my entry fee goes to directly conversation.

To answer another comment, I do not own or have ever owned a gun or a firearm and would never take one to a game park or other wildlife refuge. I go to support and enjoy the wildlife alive
 
B27 said:
Seriously, if you can't live with the birds in Langstone and Chichester, you may not be welcome.
There's another nice little harbour down the road called Pagham.
You're already not welcome there!

I was not being entirely serious, but there is a large, influential group of people who would be quite happy to send the OP and his boat back to M25-land, maybe he can have a go at Ken Livingstone's pigeons?
Or there's always Port Solent with the Paulsgrove tip gulls.
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Been in Langstone with a boat for18 years now, so bugger off with your officious ramblings. If you read the read the post properly, you'd see I say its the worst its been this year, so yes I am used to it and yes I've coped quite happily previously. BTW Ken Livingstone is NOT the Mayor of London, Epsom isn't in London and where would you suggest I keep my boat in Epsom?? Get your facts straight before you comment..
 
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They’ve recently put new pilings in for our pontoon, which have conical tops. Our lovely cormorants have moved on, along with their massive turds. We have wagtails who roost in our halyard tails. Cumulatively they produce quite a bit, it’s just in small doses.
 
mickywillis said:
Been in Langstone with a boat for18 years now, so bugger off with your officious ramblings. If you read the read the post properly, you'd see I say its the worst its been this year, so yes I am used to it and yes I've coped quite happily previously. BTW Ken Livingstone is NOT the Mayor of London, Epsom isn't in London and where would you suggest I keep my boat in Epsom?? Get your facts straight before you comment..
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The locals may be getting better at training the birds to shit on the DFL boats.
 
Back to the serious questionb posted by OP. The more you use your boat the less likely it will become a home for birds. Areal problem here in spring is gulls building nest in cockpit. But apart from that yes a real mess on cabin top and cockpit seats. Water will soften it after a while but a chisle is needed rfor the hard stuff. One really useful device I have found is an old flannel (face washer) witha hole in one corner and a long cord attached. I throw it overboard to wet it then scrub the mess. Throw it over board to rinse and do the same again. Justs one week from relaunch after winter at home and mess was horrible. Another week and another mess.
So it is all a question of priorities of your effort. If you can find the energy to string wires across over the deck (with old CDs even better) Mount a dummy owl or eagle or lay a rubber snake coiled these will/ may help. Some people have a huge rotating arm with wind cups which protect large flat areas.
Do not use a net. There is nothing so horrible as getting to your boat to find a half dead sea gull with foot trapped in net. Unless you go for very fine net strung very high so sides near vertical.
So it is all matter of setting up detraction after coming back from sailing. My problem is that at that stage all I want to do is get off the boat and go home. So for me I just clean the boat before sailing. (partially clean might be more correct) ol'will
 
I had the same problems in neighbouring Chichester Harbour. It seems to have become much worse in the last eight years or so. I tried many different remedies. Hum lines were very successful for a couple of years but then the birds seem to realise it wasn't an issue and returned. Strips of foil tape blowing in the breeze worked,but again only for a while.

Hanging black rubbish sacks strategically round the boat seemed the most effective. Large black object moving at random helped keep them off.

What annoyed me most was arriving at the boat to be greeted by hostile glares from the resident Turnstones, who would shuffle en mass round the other side, making it very Clear you were unwelcome and they had no intention of leaving!
 
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