Topic: Bird droppings in rain gauge

[Dirigo]

I recall this issue being mentioned in passing, but I can't find it when I do a search.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep birds from landing on the rim of the rain gauge?
Trying to keep the system as clean as possible.
Thanks -
Dana

[SLOweather]

Affix some sort of bristles, wires, or spikes vertically to the rim. Use tape, glue, or maybe big zip ties. Use as few as it takes to keep the birds off, to lessen the interference to your rain totals.

[Dirigo]

Thanks- I'll start looking for the best "spikes"

[capeweather]

Here is another method....



 

[chief-david]

 Thanks for the good laugh after a bad day.

[Cienega32]

That was a joke? I was just about to cut out a gun slot in my wall...

One of the resident geniuses here uses a WalMart stainless strainer - a 5"-er I believe - to ease the debris containment & removal. I bought one but haven't put it in yet. Not much of a bird problem but the wind storms out here wreak some havoc. That little strainer from Davis ended up 100' away from the station.

[ncpilot]

That was a joke? I was just about to cut out a gun slot in my wall...

One of the resident geniuses here uses a WalMart stainless strainer - a 5"-er I believe - to ease the debris containment & removal. I bought one but haven't put it in yet. Not much of a bird problem but the wind storms out here wreak some havoc. That little strainer from Davis ended up 100' away from the station.

You actually found that little piece of black plastic after it has blown out??? Good eyes... unless you're surrounded by cement, then it might not be so hard...

[WeatherBeacon]

That was a joke? I was just about to cut out a gun slot in my wall...

One of the resident geniuses here uses a WalMart stainless strainer - a 5"-er I believe - to ease the debris containment & removal. I bought one but haven't put it in yet. Not much of a bird problem but the wind storms out here wreak some havoc. That little strainer from Davis ended up 100' away from the station.

You actually found that little piece of black plastic after it has blown out??? Good eyes... unless you're surrounded by cement, then it might not be so hard...

I found my little black Davis doohicky about a year after it disappeared. I was playing catch with my son and missed a wild throw that stopped about 15 feet from the garage. I bent down to get the ball, saw a strange small black thing deep in the grass, and guess what it was?

Nevertheless, I'm one of the "geniuses" who placed a sink strainer in my rain collector. My main problem is pine needles and leaves (well, actually wasps, but that's another story ).

Regards,

Kevin...

[Mark / Ohio]

I think my "black doohicky" from Davis is buried in the garden somewhere.  Probably pop to the surface while rototilling right after I replace the weather station with a new model some time.   

[Cienega32]

You actually found that little piece of black plastic after it has blown out??? Good eyes... unless you're surrounded by cement, then it might not be so hard...

Quite by accident. I was working some ground and found it. It wasn't until 2 days later that I realized what it was. I did notice that it was missing some time before that tho'.

[WeatherBeacon]

Here you go, Dirigo:

   http://ambientwxsupport.com/smf/index.php?topic=3375.0

Kevin...

[Dirigo]

Thanks to everyone for their unique input!
Maybe I'll just train my cats to sleep near by the iss.....

[Sigdigit]

I had the same problem this Spring.  Last time I checked the rain bucket, it looked like an unflushed toilet, really disgusting.  Anyway, I got it all cleaned up, tore off a length of black electrical tape long enough to wrap around the circumference of the bucket.  Lay the tape down sticky side up, then lay nails about 1.5 inches apart, perpendicular to the tape with an inch to inch and a half of the pointy ends hanging off the edge of the tape.  Wrap the tape around the top of the bucket with the edge of the tape even with the edge of the bucket.  No more crappy bucket!  Also, I pushed nails through the tape from the sticky side, then applied this "spike strip" to the top edge of the solar panel, because they were sitting here and crapping all over the solar panels.  So far so good!  I'm now running a clean operation....

[spgmjr]

I use reflective tape that scares the birds away.  Works well.  Can get it from any wildbird supply store.

[WeatherBeacon]

I use reflective tape that scares the birds away.  Works well.  Can get it from any wildbird supply store.

Where do you put the tape?

Kevin...

[spgmjr]

I have my ISS mounted on a pole, with the tape attached to the pole above the ISS.  Have multiple pieces of tape, with some that just fly in the wind and another going down to the rain gauge.  Have the tape information now - it's called 'Holographic Scare Tape'  made by Dalen Products, Inc.  I got it from Wild Birds Unlimited.

[Sigdigit]

Obviously you had a problem before applying the tape.  How is the tape so far?  Does it still work when there is no breeze?  So far my nail strips are doing the job.

[spgmjr]

Tape is working fine.  Haven't had issue of droppings since I started using it.  Since the tape is reflective, it will catch sun rays and scare the birds even it no wind.

[planomateo]

i had the same problem, i went and bought some wire from the hardware store, kinda like chicken wire and wrapped it around the rain collector and left about 3 inches extended above the rim, then I cut the excess into spikes.  I zip tied the wired around the rain gauge.  It works ok, but still gets clogged by some round pellets, haven't figured out what they are, but i'm fairly certain its due to birds somehow as there aren't any trees around.

wife laughed and said, i told you to get the fake owl...

[Cienega32]

wife laughed and said, i told you to get the fake owl...

I had a run of pigeons thinking my back shed's overhang was a roosting/nesting area. First thing I did was buy a fake owl. They found it to be a very comfortable perch.

[Anthony]

Might be time to break out the pellet gun.

[Garth Bock]

Was working on a homebrew rain bucket heater but but overdesigned it....



So I am going to use the excess power to electrify the bucket to keep the birds off.....

[mmorris]

O just get one of these

http://www.margosupplies.com/canadian1/scare/zon_mark_iv.htm

[Sigdigit]

There's already enough gunfire in my NJ neighborhood, my neighbors would LOVE that thing!