Birds on a wire - over our cars

[Invisible Man]

Our power is supplied by overhead cable.

There used to be 2 relatively thin wires. Recently these were replaced with one thicker one by EDF's contractors.

The cable hangs across our block paved front which is the only place we can park our cars.

Now the cable is thicker the local birds seem to think it is a great place to perch and do what birds do as they take off - on our cars.

Any ideas?

Hawk look a like?

Cable is about 16 feet up. Shooting them would not amuse the neighbours. Taking my angle grinder to the cable would mean no power.

TIA for any replies.

Helpful ones would be really good. Amusing ones might take my mind off it.

[Adrian]

Invisible Man gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Sounds like an excuse to buy a generator. Or a petrol angle-grinder.

[Dave Liquorice]

Might work, for a while. cable ties every few inches sticking upwards will work but possibly hard to attach in the middel of the span. How about another wire or thick string attached so that it follows the catenary of the power cable but an inch or so above it. The birds won't like to land on that and it will put them off landing on the cable, in theory...

[Adrian C]

This will look fantastic on top of your electricity pole

The "Hawkeye Bird Scarer"

[Steve Walker]

Build a solar powered model cablecar to run up and down it?

SteveW

[cynic]

Ignore the neighbours and shoot them when no one is about anyway

[Matty F]

Smear some kind of paste that doesn't set, on the wire over the cars, but something that doesn't damage the wire insulation. e.g. something like vaseline.

[OG]

Ignore,

or wash car more often.

It's only a machine.

[Roger Dewhurst]

Helium filled balloons with large eyes painted on them.

R

[Roger Dewhurst]

Long bamboos with a light plastic cup at each end. Supported in the middle from the cable. The device spins slowly in the wind.

R

[Matty F]

1. Get tubing such as used in a garden watering system. Slit the tube and put it over the wire in short sections. It will rotate when the birds alight and they won't be able to hold on.
2. Wind electrical tape on the wire with the sticky side out.

[Owain]

Tarpaulin over the cars?

Owain

[spamlet]

Hang up another wire away from your cars. Hang a peanut feeder from it. Most of the birds will soon prefer that wire.

Draw a line on the ground under your wire: don't park on that bit.

Alternatively, ask EDF to put the wire in a round plastic conduit. We have one taking the power to our garage and I've never seen a bird try to perch on it.

S

[Him & Her]

Fly paper or double sided tape. After a week or two all the corpse's and bodyless little legs will send a message :-)

[Adrian]

cynic gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Then, when all the neighbours are dead, you can get rid of the birds without any objections.

[Andy Dingley]

back garden, freshly erected yesterday. That is part of my workshop, but sadly despite appearances the turbine isn't on top of them.

[cynic]

Correct!

[Adrian C]

An initial source of food [1][5] on a nearby tray to attract the pigeons [4]. In a James Bond vs. Blofeld type of way, the tray occasionally parts to reveal the volcano[2] bubbling underneath. A cover closes above to stop the Pigeons taking flight and they will be cooked [3]

Result - no more pigeons.[4][5]

[1] - Food would have to be replenished initially until the cooking system works. [2] - If no volcano readily to hand (and Iceland wants to keep theirs), substitute the exhaust stream from a remotely triggered jet engine. Most UK Airports have a few that are not being used at present. [3] - might smell a bit [4] [4] - however with success, the smell of burnt pigeon would discourage further pigeons visiting [5] [5] - succesfully with no more pigeons, food replenishments can be reduced.

[Invisible Man]

1. We are just outside the village conservation area but visible from it. I don't think a volcano or a jet engine would go down too well.
2. Not many pigeons around here
3. There are lots of bird lovers around here
4. Volcano or jet engine might also damage the cars

Perhaps I ought to put the TV aerial back so they can perch on that and shit all over the patio furniture like they used to.

[Dave Starling]

I have got one of those Hawkeyes thanks to blackbirds snacking on strawberries in my garden last summer. Didn't see *any* birds whatsoever in mine or adjoining gardens since it was put onto a 6ft pole at ground level :-S All the blackberries were left alone which was somewhat of a mixed blessing as those that I didn't collect just rotted over winter. As a bonus, the local cats didn't make much of a mess in the garden either.

Bought it from a local farm shop for about =A315 and it was the red one.

Dave.