Bird removal

[glennd3]

BB or pellet gun, just saying. Don't shoot your eye out kid!

[KWKloeber]

BTW, nearly every bird is "protected" (to different degrees) not just "endangered" ones (like Osprey.)

I recall when the Yankees' Dave Winfield was arrested on $500 bail in Toronto when his throw hit and killed a Sea Gull at a Blue Jays game!!   
(Yanks won the game)

[Jon W]

mregan, consider bird spikes on top of the mast. My experience has been no birds landing on the boat making a mess since they were installed.

[Jim Hardesty]

mregan,
Erie is on the migration route for purple martins.  A fine bird when there's a few, mess makers when there's hundreds/thousands.  So ther's 2 or 3 weeks that there here in mass. Here are a few ideas.
Drop your jib sheets to the deck or hang them on the bow rail.
Hang caution tape, the thin plastic stuff, on cloth pins above the top lifeline. (a couple of bucks from Home Depot)
Hang party plastic flags (HD or Amazon) from lifeline.
Get the idea.  Try to keep them from perching.
Enjoy the birds while they are here and do the extra cleaning.  I've been entertained on a good sail, lots of wind, boat heeled nicely, out in the lake a few miles, and the purple martins are taking turns landing on the windex and antenna.  They are small, have never damaged things at my masthead.
I think I missed it this year while I was cruising the North Channel.  That works best.
Jim

[mregan]

Put a couple of pieces of reflective tape just above the spreaders.  Couple along the lazy jacks.  Seems to have done the trick.  Although the past couple of weeks I haven't seen the birds.  All used to be perched in 2 trees about 20' from the boat.  Maybe they have migrated on? 

Now I'm just back to washing the usual seagull droppings off the decks.  God knows what these things eat but it stains the decks.