[SCCC] HELP! - Serious Bird Problem on Antennas

[Ray]

Dennis,

Lower your antenna, use a pellet gun and/or sling shot to discourage them.
After you hit a few of them, they'll get the idea that it's not so friendly
on top of these high perches. 

Fortunately, the birds here have not decided to roost permanently on my
antennas. But usually, I don't give them the chance, and believe me, I've
had a lot of them visit here! Perhaps you city slickers don't have this
problem, but us county folk do... BTW, Beeman makes a good .17 cal air
gun... Mine is an older model R7. You can get a good sling shot at Sports
Chalet for about $10.

I was quite surprised about 3 months ago. Looking up one day I saw that six
to eight very large turkey vultures (4-5 ft wing span) had landed on my 20m
yagi. Yes, the elements sagging a lot. I tried the sling shot to scare them
away, but it didn't bother them. So I got out my R7 pellet gun and took aim
at one of them. To my surprise, I nailed him good! He fell 80 ft straight
down to the bottom of my tower. I ran over and looked at him thinking that I
had killed him. I walked away wondering what do I do now??? A few minutes
later my wife yells out: hey husband, there a big bird in the back yard near
your tower. I walked around back to the tower, and sure enough, the vulture
is there sitting up and looking at me! I'm looking back wondering what do I
do? Fortunately, as I walked towards him, he jumped up and flew off to join
his buddies.

The R7 (not Cushcraft) has been handy in reducing the squirrel threat too. I
had no problems with them for nearly 20 years, but over the past few years,
they have been chewing and cutting my Dacron end supports for dipoles, etc.,
and one 20 3el 20m yagi at 20ft. Also, because of this threat, I had to
replace some Philystran on a second tower with steel guy wires. I thought of
replacing only the bottom 5 or 6 feet with steel guy wire, but strange as it
may sound, I've seen these guys actually climb guy wires! The Philystrand
had to go. 

Hope you enjoyed my tales; now go buy a pellet gun!

And to all, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Ray,
N6VR

-----Original Message-----
From: sccc-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:sccc-bounces at contesting.com] On
Behalf Of N6KI Dennis Vernacchia
Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2006 3:36 PM
To: SCCC
Subject: [SCCC] HELP! - Serious Bird Problem on Antennas

HELP !

    I now have a serious problem with dozens of small birds that for the 
past year only
have decided to roost on my 94 ft high 80 mtr antenna. They are pooping 
all over my yard
and now the neighbor on east side is getting bird droppings in his 
swimming pool etc.
and into his yard area if the prevailing wind from west is blowing.
If you go to QRZ.com you can see pix of my antenna system when you look 
up my call.

I have a fake owl at top of mast and another owl at 22ft below on my Yagi.
For years the fake owls seemed to keep most birds away.
These are small birds with a long shrill type of cry.
Any idea how I am going to get them to leave permanently???

For years they would only stop by and perch for a few days a couple 
times a year,
I assume coming and going somewhere but now they are permanent the past 
year it seems.
I guess that means they built their nests somewhere nearby and that the 
local owls have not
driven them off or attacked their nests ( or they owls can not get to 
their nests. )

Any advice appreciated !!

I thought of trying to buy one of those billboard things that looks like 
a dipole and rotates but not
sure I can adapt it to my mast system


73, Dennis N6KI
Sandy Eggo

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