Comments on: Hot or Not? Bird Spike Strips http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/ All tools. All the time. Your source for news, information, and reviews of hand tools, power tools, and tools of all kinds. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:36:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: CJ http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-262514 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:44:00 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-262514 Almost Hot - My University uses these all over campus. If it's a question of do they work or not then yes the work. I have never seen a single pigeon in or around these spikes. So yes they work the problem is the university has some amazingly detailed woodwork/stonework on the out side of buildings, but now every ledge on that beautiful work is covered in GIGANTIC spikes. The work, but they ruin craftsman ship. Almost Hot - My University uses these all over campus. If it’s a question of do they work or not then yes the work. I have never seen a single pigeon in or around these spikes. So yes they work the problem is the university has some amazingly detailed woodwork/stonework on the out side of buildings, but now every ledge on that beautiful work is covered in GIGANTIC spikes.

The work, but they ruin craftsman ship.

]]> by: BIGGEORGE http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-262421 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:37:16 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-262421 I have seen something that looks like like a plastic slinky. I works because pigeons have flat feet not claws and don't like moving surfaces. Wrens might land on it, but anythind bigger wont like it because it gives under their weight. I have seen something that looks like like a plastic slinky.
I works because pigeons have flat feet not claws and don’t like moving surfaces. Wrens might land on it, but anythind bigger
wont like it because it gives under their weight.

]]> by: Aaron http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-261266 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 13:44:33 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-261266 We had a pigeon who regularly nested above our walk way--these did the trick. Sure they just moved along to some other place but it wasn't over where we walked every day. We had a pigeon who regularly nested above our walk way–these did the trick. Sure they just moved along to some other place but it wasn’t over where we walked every day.

]]> by: JetMech2 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-261218 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:39:06 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-261218 As a prior jet engine mechanic, I know all to well how much damage a bird can do to a jet engine and the pain airports go through to keep birds away from airports...especially runways. These spikes are also installed in hangars to prevent larger birds from roosting. Smaller birds like these because the bigger birds can't get to them - or their eggs. But the bigger the bird, the bigger the damage to the engine and possibly the aircraft and its passengers. Take off and landing is definately NOT a good time to have an engine stall due to bird ingestion. Don't be fooled by the size of the engine...these are precision spinning machines and nothing link a compressor wobble to get everyone's adrenaline flowing. As a prior jet engine mechanic, I know all to well how much damage a bird can do to a jet engine and the pain airports go through to keep birds away from airports…especially runways. These spikes are also installed in hangars to prevent larger birds from roosting. Smaller birds like these because the bigger birds can’t get to them - or their eggs. But the bigger the bird, the bigger the damage to the engine and possibly the aircraft and its passengers. Take off and landing is definately NOT a good time to have an engine stall due to bird ingestion. Don’t be fooled by the size of the engine…these are precision spinning machines and nothing link a compressor wobble to get everyone’s adrenaline flowing.

]]> by: Chris http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-261062 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 04:12:40 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-261062 By the way, that other Chris, the one who likes Teacher's dad, is not me. I don't really condone what he (Teacher's dad) did, assuming he knew they were pets, but I don't really condone what his neighbour did either, just as I wouldn't condone letting your dog crap on someone's lawn and not scooping it up. cl By the way, that other Chris, the one who likes Teacher’s dad, is not me. I don’t really condone what he (Teacher’s dad) did, assuming he knew they were pets, but I don’t really condone what his neighbour did either, just as I wouldn’t condone letting your dog crap on someone’s lawn and not scooping it up.

cl

]]> by: Chris http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-261061 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 04:09:10 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-261061 Yeah, pigeons are not only dirty and annoying, but they're stupid as heck. A while back, I had some friends who were leasing an old meat-packing plant downtown and they had a bit of a pigeon problem. We killed of most of them by walking up to the roosts and throwing golf ball-sized rocks at them from 10 or 15 feet away. If you missed, they'd just come back two minutes later (if they even left at all) and give you another clean shot. A BB gun is rather more humane, and a lot easier, but not exactly safe in an urban area. cl Yeah, pigeons are not only dirty and annoying, but they’re stupid as heck. A while back, I had some friends who were leasing an old meat-packing plant downtown and they had a bit of a pigeon problem. We killed of most of them by walking up to the roosts and throwing golf ball-sized rocks at them from 10 or 15 feet away. If you missed, they’d just come back two minutes later (if they even left at all) and give you another clean shot. A BB gun is rather more humane, and a lot easier, but not exactly safe in an urban area.

cl

]]> by: FatalException http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-261059 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 04:06:35 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-261059 From what I remember of the tour, the Pentagon has a wooden owl that overlooks its inner courtyard. Evidently it is very effective in keeping most birds away. From what I remember of the tour, the Pentagon has a wooden owl that overlooks its inner courtyard. Evidently it is very effective in keeping most birds away.

]]> by: Zathrus http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-261053 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:47:59 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-261053 Not -- as mentioned, they don't work all that well. I saw them all over London when I was there a few months ago and the pigeons didn't roost on them -- they just found <i>different</i> places to roost instead that didn't really improve things any. Oh, and Curtis, that woodpecker wasn't "sharpening his beak", he was marking his territory. They usually use metal gutters for the same reverberation effect, and yeah, it's annoying as hell. Anyway, I agree that pigeons are just rats with wings... I like birds and have had bird feeders many times before (except that the rats with fuzzy tails, er, I mean squirrels, kept eating all the damn food and destroying bird feeders to get to it), but pigeons aren't my idea of interesting. Not — as mentioned, they don’t work all that well. I saw them all over London when I was there a few months ago and the pigeons didn’t roost on them — they just found different places to roost instead that didn’t really improve things any.

Oh, and Curtis, that woodpecker wasn’t “sharpening his beak”, he was marking his territory. They usually use metal gutters for the same reverberation effect, and yeah, it’s annoying as hell.

Anyway, I agree that pigeons are just rats with wings… I like birds and have had bird feeders many times before (except that the rats with fuzzy tails, er, I mean squirrels, kept eating all the damn food and destroying bird feeders to get to it), but pigeons aren’t my idea of interesting.

]]> by: aaron http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-261022 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 02:51:22 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-261022 yeah, those rock pigeons can be annoying/filthy. i once saw one get run over by a bus...made a loud pop. you see these things all over the place near subway and bus stations. It always seemed to me that they worked pretty well. There were lots of pigeons there, but only nesting on bare spaces. yeah, those rock pigeons can be annoying/filthy. i once saw one get run over by a bus…made a loud pop.

you see these things all over the place near subway and bus stations. It always seemed to me that they worked pretty well. There were lots of pigeons there, but only nesting on bare spaces.

]]> by: Chris http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-260975 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 01:07:43 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-260975 I like your dad :) I like your dad :)

]]> by: Teacher http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-260967 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 01:03:12 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-260967 True they are not designed to kill, just keep them from roosting. I hate pigeons. Someone in my dad's neighborhood decided to raise them and keep them as pets. He would turn them loose every other day to fly. They would go to houses that had feeders, run off all the other birds, crap all over everything. Real nice of the neighbor. My dad started shooting them with a .410 shotgun out the kitchen window. True they are not designed to kill, just keep them from roosting. I hate pigeons. Someone in my dad’s neighborhood decided to raise them and keep them as pets. He would turn them loose every other day to fly. They would go to houses that had feeders, run off all the other birds, crap all over everything. Real nice of the neighbor. My dad started shooting them with a .410 shotgun out the kitchen window.

]]> by: NotTheSharpestSpoon http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-260875 Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:19:12 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-260875 I do not think these are designed to destroy the birds (Kill! Kill! Kill!). I think they just keep them from landing and thus shatting all over your head. Plus, if it did stab the bird to death, you would have to go retrieve it from the spike and that would be more disgusting than bird doo doo in your hair. I would think... I do not think these are designed to destroy the birds (Kill! Kill! Kill!). I think they just keep them from landing and thus shatting all over your head. Plus, if it did stab the bird to death, you would have to go retrieve it from the spike and that would be more disgusting than bird doo doo in your hair. I would think…

]]> by: Chris http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-260874 Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:17:39 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-260874 There was an interesting episode of Dirty Jobs recently where Mike was working with a crew of guys cleaning up pigeon poop (which is classified by the EPA as a hazardous substance, by the way) who said these things were basically worthless, and their deterrent of choice was a low-current electrical system that shocked the pigeons' feet when they landed on the ledges. The guy who said that also said that they used to use the spike strips, but after a while the pigeons got good enough to build their nests in the spikes, which had the additional positive effect (for the pigeons) of thwarting most of their few remaining predators. I like birds as much as the next guy -- I also have a bird feeder at home -- but pigeons are winged rats. They're not even native to North America. As far as I'm concerned, we'd be much better off without them here in the US. cl There was an interesting episode of Dirty Jobs recently where Mike was working with a crew of guys cleaning up pigeon poop (which is classified by the EPA as a hazardous substance, by the way) who said these things were basically worthless, and their deterrent of choice was a low-current electrical system that shocked the pigeons’ feet when they landed on the ledges. The guy who said that also said that they used to use the spike strips, but after a while the pigeons got good enough to build their nests in the spikes, which had the additional positive effect (for the pigeons) of thwarting most of their few remaining predators.

I like birds as much as the next guy — I also have a bird feeder at home — but pigeons are winged rats. They’re not even native to North America. As far as I’m concerned, we’d be much better off without them here in the US.

cl

]]> by: Curtis http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-260871 Fri, 21 Mar 2008 22:08:59 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-260871 You may think this is messed up but I really needed some of these a few years back. I had a woodpecker that thought the metal chimney cap on the roof would be a good thing to sharpen his beak on, damn thing drove me insane. Trust me, these exist to fill a need. You may think this is messed up but I really needed some of these a few years back. I had a woodpecker that thought the metal chimney cap on the roof would be a good thing to sharpen his beak on, damn thing drove me insane.

Trust me, these exist to fill a need.

]]> by: eschoendorff http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-260862 Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:47:43 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/21/hot-or-not-bird-spike-strips/#comment-260862 That is seriously messed up. Some mothballs would probably do the trick. But freakin' spikes? For birds????? Then again, I have about four bird feeders in my yard ;) That is seriously messed up. Some mothballs would probably do the trick. But freakin’ spikes? For birds?????

Then again, I have about four bird feeders in my yard ;)

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