About Me

Tags

Latest Posts

Search

Birds Dive-Bombing You From Your Boat Canopy Cover? Here's What You Need To Know

by Amanda Phillips

If a small bird or two dove at you while you were walking near your boat lift canopy, there's no doubt you were ducking for cover—and not underneath the canopy. Barn swallows build nests anywhere there are covered ledges, including underneath boat lift canopies. They are very protective of their nests, which is why they dive-bomb anyone or anything that gets too close. In addition to worrying about an aerial attack every time you near your boat lift canopy, there are a few other things to be concerned about. Here's what you need to know. 

Know the Risks 

Bird droppings are corrosive, which can lead to dangerous conditions on your boat. The white liquid contains uric acid, which can eat away at some of the materials on your boat and cause metals to corrode. If, by chance, you notice bird droppings directly on the motor, you'll want to be sure to have a mechanic inspect the motor before you start your boat up, especially if it's been a while since you've been in your boat. 

Droppings also cause health problems. The slippery white goo can cause you to lose your footing if you aren't careful and lead to slip-and-fall injuries. The droppings can also contain a fungus that can make you sick with histaplasmosis if you breathe the fungus into your lungs. 

Get Rid of Droppings 

To clean the droppings, simply swab the deck. Obviously, you'll want to wear shoes with rubber soles to give you a good grip. Due to the health risks that are involved, you'll want to cover your mouth with a mask so you don't breathe in any fungal spores from the bird droppings while cleaning your boat. 

Keep them Out 

You can remove the nests from the canopy, but that will not keep the birds from returning to build new nests in the future. Instead, you'll need to eliminate areas where the birds can perch and nest underneath the canopy. This can be done by attaching chicken wire to the canopy to close in any areas that create a ledge. Chicken wire is ideal for this because it will collapse when the canopy is closed up. 

Another thing you can do is to place decoys of creatures that they will instinctively avoid, such as an owl and a snake. These can be as simple as plastic sculptures to robotic devices that replicate the movements of the creatures they resemble. 

For more information and tips for your boat lift canopy itself, contact canopy companies, like Waterway Boat Lift Covers.

Share