Take thy beak from out my cover, and take thy form from off my pool
May 12, 2005 5:38 AM Subscribe
How do I keep birds off my pool's solar cover?
All the time pecking, pecking, pecking. I don't mind if they take the occasional splash to cool off. But I have to replace the cover every year because their beaks pop the bubbles. And then there's the daily bird-crap hose-off...
Has anybody fought this battle and won?
All the time pecking, pecking, pecking. I don't mind if they take the occasional splash to cool off. But I have to replace the cover every year because their beaks pop the bubbles. And then there's the daily bird-crap hose-off...
Has anybody fought this battle and won?
I second the plastic owl. I have seen them used successfully to deter birds in two circumstances. And when I say success, I mean they were 100% successful, as birds wanted nothing to do with the awnings the plastic owls perched on.
posted by samuelad at 6:01 AM on May 12, 2005
posted by samuelad at 6:01 AM on May 12, 2005
If you do get a plastic owl get one that moves. Either hang it from a string or get the kind with the rotating base or head. That'll be much more likely to fool a bird than something completely stationary.
posted by Kellydamnit at 8:44 AM on May 12, 2005
posted by Kellydamnit at 8:44 AM on May 12, 2005
Rubber snakes might do the trick.
I remember having a problem with squirrels which was solved by a device called A Squirrel Spinner. It's essentially a piece of wood with a counterweight that you attach to a tree by it's axle. On one end, you impale an ear of corn. The squirrels are attracted to it but when they leap onto the end of the spinner with the corn attached, the momentum causes the entire device to spin. Not only was it hilarious, but they eventually stopped coming around.
You could get a plastic owl or rubber snakes. Or you could just distract them from what they're after. Put a birdbath or a birdfeeder on your property so they don't gravitate to your pool. Draw them away from your pool, the way the corn did to the squirrel. Better yet, put some birdseed on your neighbors pool.
You could also get an air-rifle. My uncle used to have problems with some sort of large rodent that dug up his garden. He just started shooting it/them with an air rifle and the problem quickly stopped. It's non-lethal. But he was shooting 7lb groundhogs. The only draw back to that is that you've got to be there for it to work. Also, it may puncture your pool cover.
posted by Jon-o at 10:31 AM on May 12, 2005
I remember having a problem with squirrels which was solved by a device called A Squirrel Spinner. It's essentially a piece of wood with a counterweight that you attach to a tree by it's axle. On one end, you impale an ear of corn. The squirrels are attracted to it but when they leap onto the end of the spinner with the corn attached, the momentum causes the entire device to spin. Not only was it hilarious, but they eventually stopped coming around.
You could get a plastic owl or rubber snakes. Or you could just distract them from what they're after. Put a birdbath or a birdfeeder on your property so they don't gravitate to your pool. Draw them away from your pool, the way the corn did to the squirrel. Better yet, put some birdseed on your neighbors pool.
You could also get an air-rifle. My uncle used to have problems with some sort of large rodent that dug up his garden. He just started shooting it/them with an air rifle and the problem quickly stopped. It's non-lethal. But he was shooting 7lb groundhogs. The only draw back to that is that you've got to be there for it to work. Also, it may puncture your pool cover.
posted by Jon-o at 10:31 AM on May 12, 2005
Its fascinating to know that birds too like to pop bubble plastic. I suspect an instinct tells them they should break through to the water, as if it were ice. With that idea, I suspect a birdbath might really help.
posted by Goofyy at 11:18 AM on May 12, 2005
posted by Goofyy at 11:18 AM on May 12, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
Option 2) Put something with a decent bouyancy (like an inner tube) in the water before putting down the tarp, it'll stop the water from accumulating, although it'll probably affect the effectiveness of the solar tarp.
posted by furtive at 5:46 AM on May 12, 2005