Seagull deterrent ideas?

[Alan Gomes]

I just finished a lovely week on a mooring up at King Harbor in Redondo Beach. Spent the time working aboard on a writing project and also visiting a friend who has a Ranger Tug in the nearby marina. The trip was great with one significant exception: the seagulls and the prolific amount of crap they deposited on my inflatable.

For whatever reason, they did not bother the boat itself much. I'm sure my mainsail cover would have been toast were it not for the lazy jack lines that kept them from perching on it. But the inflatable was an altogether different matter. I had to clean off the deposits about twice a day, and it was bothersome.

This is not a problem I have on my many trips to Catalina, but it is here.

Do any of you have any suggestions for some kind of seagull deterrent that: (1) might actually work; and (2) would be simple enough to deploy and take down when not needed? A few people I ran this by suggested some kind of cover for the inflatable, but that doesn't seem too workable to me, granting the hassle of taking it on and off, as well as the fact that then I'd have a crap-filled cover to clean. Some kind of evil-looking owl statue that they will probably just mock by pooping on it? I dunno. No other genius solutions come to my mind right off, but maybe some of you have some bright ideas.

 

[KS Dave]

Perhaps learning falconry and acquiring a bird would meet your criteria? You'd have less seagulls, a sailing companion, and a new hobby, to boot!

 

[Alan Gomes]

Perhaps learning falconry and acquiring a bird would meet your criteria? You'd have less seagulls, a sailing companion, and a new hobby, to boot!

Interesting idea, Dave. But then, I'd have a bird housed on my boat that would also have toileting needs.

Actually--and this is the honest truth--there is a guy whom the City of Avalon hires to fly his trained hawk to rid the area of seagulls! I'm absolutely serious. I met this guy in June of 2023. His name is Dave and he attends the church of my (now-deceased) friend Ron, who was one of the supervisors at the Avalon Harbor Patrol. Avalon has a water quality problem and the seagulls contribute to the poop that pollutes the water. They are also a nuisance for the tourists. Talking to him was very interesting as well as seeing his bird in action. I'm providing a photo below.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Just last night I noticed a curiosity on the radar disc of a trawler. It was a plush animal that looked somewhat like a crouching cat, slightly larger than life size. The tail was articulated so it wagged in the wind (or waves, I 'spect). I can only assume it works because why else would you leave something that goofy on your otherwise very seamanlike vessel.

 

[Alan Gomes]

Just last night I noticed a curiosity on the radar disc of a trawler. It was a plush animal that looked somewhat like a crouching cat, slightly larger than life size. The tail was articulated so it wagged in the wind (or waves, I 'spect). I can only assume it works because why else would you leave something that goofy on your otherwise very seamanlike vessel.

Hmmmm...if it actually worked I'd be open to trying something like that.

 

[bgary]

There was a story back in the day (perhaps apocryphal) about a Southern California marina manager who bought a bunch of rubber snakes and spread them around the docks and walkways. Not sure what effect that had on the people in the marina, but I'd heard it was pretty good at helping the birds decide to go "somewhere else"


(of course, the rest of the story is that the manager of Ala Wai marina in Honolulu heard this and decided to give it a try. Bought cases of rubber snakes and spread them around the marina... and then was dismayed to watch the birds having a great time playing with them. It took a bird-expert to explain to him that - since there are no natural snakes in Hawaii - the birds "didn't know they were supposed to be afraid of snakes")

 

[Alan Gomes]

I should have done this first, but on a lark (pun intended) I thought I'd see what I'd get when I typed in "seagull deterrent for boats" in an Amazon search.

Shazam! A bunch of stuff comes up. The dead seagull decoy looks interesting (with a puny rating of 3.9)....And then there are a variety of spikes and whirling contrivances. (Would need to be careful with the former on an inflatable.)

What do you think? Do any of these solutions look promising?

 

[ConchyDug]

I have a 12" disco ball I hang from the boom. Works ok for gulls and egrets, but the osprey is undeterred.

 

[Alan Gomes]

I have a 12" disco ball I hang from the boom. Works ok for gulls and egrets, but the osprey is undeterred.

Something like that might be worth a try. I'd have to figure out a way of mounting it on the inflatable. I noticed there are also reflective tapes that I guess work on the same principle. I wonder how that works at night, though. They really did a number on my inflatable while I was asleep!

 

[Kenneth K]

These are about $1 apiece in packs of 10-12 on Amazon (search "pinwheel"). Birds don't like the motion or the shiny reflectivity. Easy to insert the sticks in holes, under straps, etc.

 

[Alan Gomes]

These are about $1 apiece in packs of 10-12 on Amazon (search "pinwheel"). Birds don't like the motion or the shiny reflectivity. Easy to insert the sticks in holes, under straps, etc.

View attachment 50898

Brilliant!

 

[bsangs]

Just last night I noticed a curiosity on the radar disc of a trawler. It was a plush animal that looked somewhat like a crouching cat, slightly larger than life size. The tail was articulated so it wagged in the wind (or waves, I 'spect). I can only assume it works because why else would you leave something that goofy on your otherwise very seamanlike vessel.

What color was that trawler, Jeff? We had a trawler moored next to us on our recent trip out in that area with that exact same thing you described on the radar disc. I laughed hard when I saw it.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

What color was that trawler, Jeff? We had a trawler moored next to us on our recent trip out in that area with that exact same thing you described on the radar disc. I laughed hard when I saw it.

Maroon hull, creamy tan topsides. It sure tickled my funny bone.

 

[Prairie Schooner]

Alan,
Turns out it's an honest-to-goodness legit thing.

 

[bsangs]

Alan,
Turns out it's an honest-to-goodness legit thing.


View attachment 50899

That's the one!

 

[bertboyer]

At our marina in Portland we had a similar problem until they put a fake owl on the doc and the seagulls don't go near it!
Amazon has lots of different types...

 

[Alan Gomes]

At our marina in Portland we had a similar problem until they put a fake owl on the doc and the seagulls don't go near it!
Amazon has lots of different types...
View attachment 50903

So this one actually seems to be effective? That could be an option.

 

[bgary]

fake owl on the doc and the seagulls don't go near it! Amazon has lots of different types...

West Marine (at least the Port Townsend store) also carries those. But I bet they're a lot more affordable at Amazon...

Search Products | West Marine

Search West Marine's massive catalog of products ranging from boat parts & supplies, fishing gear & equipment, apparel, paddling and much more!

www.westmarine.com

 

[Bolo]

On a related problem, I sometimes have birds building nests inside my main sail bag (with lazy jacks) attached to the boom. Seems that I can’t zipper it all up enough to stop the birds from making a nursery. Then later I have problems with mud wasps. So the best idea seems to discourage them from making my sail bag a home so I thought of throwing a hand full of moth balls into the bag. Haven’t tried it yet and not sure if it would even work. Would keep the moths out but I’m not having problems with them!

 

[Loren Beach]

Those mud wasp nests are a constant problem in our area, too....