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Anyone have suggestions to keep birds from crapping on your car?

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INTELBYTES Donating Member (881 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 04:03 PM
Original message
Anyone have suggestions to keep birds from crapping on your car?
Short of chopping down the nice oak trees hanging over my driveway, I need some way of keeping the pigeons and doves from roosting above my truck. Every morning my truck is decorated with bird crap. For a Texan, that's a mighty big offense.

Anyone know of a way you can get rid of the these flying rodents?

:freak:
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nothingshocksmeanymore Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 04:07 PM
Response to Original message
1. I can only suggest a cover
We had a similar problem with my building and these fellas came out and set spikes that kept them from roosting without harming the birds..but under a tree, I think your only option is to cut the tree or use a plastic or washable canvas cover.
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rogerashton Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 04:08 PM
Response to Original message
2. Don't let the birds in your garage.
n/t
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Robb Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 04:09 PM
Response to Original message
3. My dad swears
...that those big rubber owls you can buy in marine hardware shops work to repel all manner of flying things. Maybe get a couple and stick 'em in the tree. If nothing else, it'll give you something to talk about with the neighbors. :)
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SOteric Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 04:21 PM
Response to Reply #3
6. He's right. They do.
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frylock Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 04:26 PM
Response to Reply #3
8. do not waste your money on a plastic owl..
I bought one because I had a pair of doves that would nest in my hanging plants every spring. I got rid of all my plants (which were pretty much dead from the damn doves) and a ladder they perched on. They would crap over everything. I bought one of those owls, and they just laughed the thing off the patio. The gas station down the road has two on the cover over the gas pumps, to keep the pigeons away. There are typically 20-30 pigeons socializing with the fake owls. Get a cat instead.
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INTELBYTES Donating Member (881 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 05:28 PM
Response to Reply #3
12. We got the plastic owl already.
I think they are use to seeing it by now though. They have crapped all over it as well.
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Dimsdale Donating Member (466 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 04:11 PM
Response to Original message
4. Not that this is practical for you..
but the maintainence guys where I work have set speakers on the roof through which they play recorded hawk calls. No pidgeons, doves or anything else. If you've no neighbors nearby, could work for you. Probably easier to just park elsewhere.
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mmm Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 04:13 PM
Response to Original message
5. In France some vineyards string bird netting over, and above, the vines
I have seen air filled owl replicas stationed around the perimeters
of tennis courts to chase birds away.

You could put a big fence around the yard and let
three caracals roam around. They are beautiful cats.
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Cleita Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 04:24 PM
Response to Original message
7. Find another place to park that isn't under a tree or wire.
eom
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DonP Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 04:55 PM
Response to Original message
9. #6 Birdshot? ntxt
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solinvictus Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 05:16 PM
Response to Original message
10. Maybe a large plastic owl
Garden centers make large plastic owls to ward off pest birds.
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peterh Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 05:17 PM
Response to Original message
11. Yeah….go to this site…
http://24.237.160.4/files/humor/Videos/

And click on “Final Bird.mpg”……but, don’t ask me how to incorporate it into your car :silly:
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this_side_up Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 06:37 PM
Response to Original message
13.  buy some huge
balloon eyes.

Gardening catalogs sell them; don't know about stores.
Check out Burpee and Parks web sites or some of
the organic gardening web sites


They have the equivalent of a huge iris and concentric
rings around the iris. Reportedly keeps the birds
away.

Since they are balloons, hanging them so that they
would sway with the breeze would be a good idea.
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Darth_Kitten Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 06:39 PM
Response to Original message
14. Sorry
I'm trying to figure out how not to let them crap on the sofa! :evilgrin:
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put out Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 07:01 PM
Response to Reply #14
15. I'm trying not to wake the nappers here, thanks for making me laugh.
I was going to suggest shaking one's fist at the sky, in silent fury. Then go wipe the shit off the car.
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Darth_Kitten Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 07:46 PM
Response to Reply #15
18. You're welcome!
I did something right today! ;)
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amazona Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 07:32 PM
Response to Original message
16. depends on the species
If they are Rock Doves (feral pigeons) or Eurasian Collared-Doves, they are not protected species, and birdshot could be your answer if you are allowed to fire it off in your neighborhood. You can hire services to remove the Rock Doves etc. for a price...but they will be replaced by others.

Mourning Doves are game birds and can only be shot in season with the proper licenses.

I believe some of your other doves like Inca Dove can never be shot.

My personal choice would be to either use a tarp or park elsewhere. Actually, my personal choice is to ignore the bird crap unless it gets ridiculous (such as I have parked under a huge gathering of Pelicans -- those birds can really crap) but I drive old cars. To protect your truck's finish, you would need to wash it regularly if you don't want to go with the tarp.

Plastic owls do not work in Louisiana, and I would be astounded if they worked for more than a few days in Texas.

A friend controls but not completely eliminates the Rock Doves on his historic old home by having cats on the upper level porch where they can (sometimes) catch the pigeons but this is problematical -- cats kill fledglings of protected species, not just pigeons, and anyway they can't really put much of a dent in the pigeon population. I also heard of such cats falling and injuring themselves -- though this has never occurred with my friend's cats.

In the end, my friend chose to erect a carport for the protection of his vehicles.

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radwriter0555 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 07:37 PM
Response to Original message
17. Hose the tree down every day. Get a high pressure nozzle to put
on your hose and blast it as often as you can, morning, noon and night. Nail the lil suckers with the water as much as possible, aim it right at em.

In less than a week, with diligence, they'll be gone for good.
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SheilaT Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 09:33 PM
Response to Original message
19. You're not going to like
any of the really good solutions.

1. Don't own a car. This probably isn't a real option for you.

2. Cut down the trees. Seems a little drastic.

3. Park somewhere else. Surely this is an option.
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radwriter0555 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 09:41 PM
Response to Reply #19
20. The solution is the hose. It works like a charm and without fail.
simple as that.
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LibertyorDeath Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 09:50 PM
Response to Original message
21. Yes wait till they're asleep they have to sleep sometime
then creep up on them with a large caliber gun it's a slow process
but very satisfying.
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Darth_Kitten Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Dec-26-03 11:01 PM
Response to Original message
22. seriously though.....two words....
birdie diapers :evilgrin: ;)
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