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How can i stop the Birds Pecking my Hull ?

Greylady2

By Greylady2
in General Boating

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magnetman Veteran II

magnetman

Posted
Posted

Get a piece of chalk, write "Go away" just above the waterline. Problem solved. HTH

Yes I had heard of a similar thing being successful with ants but the language was slightly more forceful.

 

Possibly something more along the lines of "Duck off you fowl birds" might be more effective ?

 

Eta I assume the title of this thread is a joke :unsure:

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Stilllearning Influencer

Stilllearning

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Long ago, on a 30 ft Brumtug , I was moored up in Diglis Basin and had ducks tapping away at the weed on the side of the boat, so after a while I turned the boat round so they could clean the weed off the other side for me. It makes the boat go through the water either faster or more economically (but not both). I too loved lying in bed listening to the sound of ducks cleaning the hull for me, though the first time I heard it I did have to go and look to see what on earth the noise was. The bed was a cross bed in a boatman' cabin, so the pecking was about 2" from my head, and loud!

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Geo Rising Star

Geo

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Posted (edited)

Some funny replys, but it looks like i will just have to accept the tapping on the hull and remember how nice it is to live on the canal. :-)

 

Particularly on a cold frosty winters day when the only easily available food is your hull weed smile.png

 

 

ED spell - the witches brew

Edited by Geo
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Greylady2 Proficient

Greylady2

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Particularly on a cold frosty winters day when the only easily available food is your hull weed :)

 

 

ED spell - the witches brew

 

That's true they do switch to algea when their are no people around throwing bread.

 

I could fit another side hatch on my boat and open up a pe-king chrispy duck take away.

 

All our ducks are sourced locally. :-)

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valrene9600 Experienced

valrene9600

Posted
Posted

This blinking tapping on my fresh blacking is really getting on my nerves, i love wildlife but i worry the bluddy things are going to cause rusty pit holes in my fresh paint.

 

I do not feed any water birds but is their any way of stopping this 5 hour tapping other than me scaring them off with my gob ?

Perhaps you should re-post this into the Friday joke.
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Jennifer McM Experienced

Jennifer McMDonate to Canal World

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Don't mind the ducks sharing the canal with me, but what is driving me stark staring mad is the swan than keeps following me round the boat (outside of course) drumming on the windows with its beak, asking for food! It's driving my dog crackers, he thinks the swan wants to come in! Poor dog's demented, and my nerves are shot! Thought this was really cute at first, have now definitely changed my mind!

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Geo Rising Star

Geo

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Don't mind the ducks sharing the canal with me, but what is driving me stark staring mad is the swan than keeps following me round the boat (outside of course) drumming on the windows with its beak, asking for food! It's driving my dog crackers, he thinks the swan wants to come in! Poor dog's demented, and my nerves are shot! Thought this was really cute at first, have now definitely changed my mind!

 

Seriously,never feed the ducks, swans etc because they remember boats that have fed them and keep coming back to demand that easy supply of food. In a couple of minutes getting food from you they have got food which would take a couple of hours for them to search out and eat naturally.

 

Don't want the tapping don't feed the birds. After a couple of weeks you will go on the they don't feed us list and life will be quieter. :)

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Jennifer McM Experienced

Jennifer McMDonate to Canal World

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Seriously,never feed the ducks, swans etc because they remember boats that have fed them and keep coming back to demand that easy supply of food. In a couple of minutes getting food from you they have got food which would take a couple of hours for them to search out and eat naturally.

 

Don't want the tapping don't feed the birds. After a couple of weeks you will go on the they don't feed us list and life will be quieter. smile.png

Thanks Geo, seems I have to learn the hard way. To think at first I was researching what swans eat, so I could get them the most nutritious food! They're not so 'bird brained'!

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Geo Rising Star

Geo

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Thanks Geo, seems I have to learn the hard way. To think at first I was researching what swans eat, so I could get them the most nutritious food! They're not so 'bird brained'!

 

No they are not 'bird brained' they remember the things they need to where the good nest site is, where there is good food. :) That nice lady in the boat 3rd from the left.

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OldGoat Veteran II

OldGoatDonate to Canal World

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The OP is very lucky it's only ducks. Where we moor we have:-

 

Canada gees who swarm everywhere, poo on the grass, poo on the staging,

Egyptian geese who shout all night - and much louder than the Canucks above - oh and the fly onto the roof and poo there.

Swans tapping at the windows and when I shoo them away the swear at me..

 

Life's a B....

 

(A corollary - some years ago a very nice lady moved in to a house further up the road. Some time later she phone me in a state saying - "There's an huge muddy tractor and trailer outside making an awful mess". To which I replied, well this is a country lane, there are farms around look at the name on your house it's - '**** Manor Farmhouse'. Folks have difficulty in adapting.....)

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Bewildered Proficient

BewilderedDonate to Canal World

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Seriously,never feed the ducks, swans etc because they remember boats that have fed them and keep coming back to demand that easy supply of food. In a couple of minutes getting food from you they have got food which would take a couple of hours for them to search out and eat naturally.

 

Don't want the tapping don't feed the birds. After a couple of weeks you will go on the they don't feed us list and life will be quieter. :)

That's true; we fed a couple of swans back in April when we were in Harefield, they followed us all the way to Macclesfield before we finally managed to give them the slip. We thought we had lost them on several occasions but every few days they would be waiting in ambush. The other half says they are different swans but I know they are not. They have the same long necks, bright yellow bills, beady little eyes and a insatiable appetite for bread which they are prepared to mug you for.

Don't feed swans, they are evil, and better trackers than bloodhounds.

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