Snakes on my Antenna

On closer examination I realised it had a few rubber snakes on board. Later I spoke to the owner who said this trick had worked for him for years. the birds kept off his boat and crapped on the others.

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My sister has a friend who was being driven to distraction by birds pecking at their reflections in her windows, so she placed rubber snakes on the windowsills and the birds disappeared.

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In the news on TV in the past few days they have been talking about the massive flocks of cockies hitting country towns and inflicting damage to antennas and coaxial cables.

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In an experiment I have purchased a few rubber snakes and put them on my TV and radio masts to keep the birds away. See photo.

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Some research indicates that local birds soon learn to recognise that rubber snakes never move, while real snakes do. Although that does not explain the success the yachty had with the seagull problem.

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Migratory, visiting birds including the damaging cockies do not get an opportunity to watch the rubber snakes long enough to workout they are not real – or at least that is the theory. I have mounted the snakes on my masts so that their tails hang loose enough to move about in the wind. I hope that movement is enough to deter birds from my antennas and co axial cables.

If you have any experience with bird damage and/or rubber snakes I would be interested to hera from you.

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Peter VK6 PBS