We have a Davis Vantage Pro weather station in our garden which worked
very well until recently. Birds, including Ring Doves, have taken to
perching on the rain collection funnel. Birds, doing what birds do
naturally, are blocking the hole in the bottom, no pun intended, of the
funnel. As you will guess, this is playing havoc with our rainfall
readings.

Has anyone got a way out of this problem short of shooting the birds?
!!!!!!!

We do like having birds in our garden but we also like having a weather
station!

TIA
--
Susie Thompson, Isle of Arran
SPAM BLOCK IN OPERATION! Replace "deadspam.com" with "arrandragons.co.uk" to
reply by e-mail.

SusieThompson wrote:

We have a Davis Vantage Pro weather station in our garden which worked
very well until recently. Birds, including Ring Doves, have taken to
perching on the rain collection funnel. Birds, doing what birds do
naturally, are blocking the hole in the bottom, no pun intended, of the
funnel. As you will guess, this is playing havoc with our rainfall
readings.

Has anyone got a way out of this problem short of shooting the birds?
!!!!!!!

We do like having birds in our garden but we also like having a weather
station!

TIA

A cat??? Or one of these stick on plastic hawk things. Depends whether
you want to have birds or not....

Ring (collared? barbary??) doves are not the most bright of creatures
and may be easily deterred by a polythene kestrel outline whilst the
local bluetit and greenfinch population will have seen it all before...

You could also try uk.rec.birdwatching for advice but there are more
trolls in there than in The Hobbit (:

Les

--
Les Crossan,
Wallsend, Tyne & Wear
54.95N 1.5W
Home of the Wallsend StormCam and the Backup USW FAQ -
www.uksevereweather.org.uk

On Thu, 4 Aug 2005 18:55:36 +0100, SusieThompson wrote:

Birds, including Ring Doves, have taken to perching on the rain
collection funnel. Birds, doing what birds do naturally, are
blocking the hole in the bottom, no pun intended, of the
funnel.

A dome of wire mesh over the top. Hum might make rain drops hitting it
run down the mesh and outside the funnel. Putting the edge of the mesh
inside the funnel might mean that a drop that would have missed the
funnel now hits the wire and runs inside. Donno if these effects would
be significant with say 1" chicken wire mesh.

4 to 6 4" long stiff vertical wires around the circumference. Harder
to fix than a bit of chicken wire inside the funnel.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

"Les Crossan" wrote in
message . uk...


SusieThompson wrote:

We have a Davis Vantage Pro weather station in our garden which worked
very well until recently. Birds, including Ring Doves, have taken to
perching on the rain collection funnel. Birds, doing what birds do
naturally, are blocking the hole in the bottom, no pun intended, of the
funnel. As you will guess, this is playing havoc with our rainfall
readings.

Has anyone got a way out of this problem short of shooting the birds?
!!!!!!!

We do like having birds in our garden but we also like having a weather
station!

TIA

A cat??? Or one of these stick on plastic hawk things. Depends whether you
want to have birds or not....

Ring (collared? barbary??) doves are not the most bright of creatures and
may be easily deterred by a polythene kestrel outline whilst the local
bluetit and greenfinch population will have seen it all before...

You could also try uk.rec.birdwatching for advice but there are more
trolls in there than in The Hobbit (:

Les

--
Les Crossan,
Wallsend, Tyne & Wear
54.95N 1.5W
Home of the Wallsend StormCam and the Backup USW FAQ -
www.uksevereweather.org.uk

I have 4 cable ties sticking up to solve the problem held in place by some
black tape. I use the same method on the boat to stop gulls sittong on top
of the mast.
Steve


--
The UK SpeedTrap Guide" @ www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk
The UK Weather Guide" @ www.ukstorms.com

Not a problem I have experienced and we have plenty of Collared Doves in the
garden. One of these was perched on the windvane today which was the first
time I have seen it happen.

Perhaps you should provide an alternative perch nearby which is more
comfortable.

Alan

In message , Alan Gardiner
writes
Not a problem I have experienced and we have plenty of Collared Doves in the
garden. One of these was perched on the windvane today which was the first
time I have seen it happen.

Perhaps you should provide an alternative perch nearby which is more
comfortable.

Alan


I should add to my original posting that, as well as the Collared Doves,
Chaffinches, Sparrows, Greenfinches, Robins, Great Tits - need I go on
with my list - perch on our weather station. A week ago or so we had
four or five starlings perched up on the wind vane up on the roof. They
made it bounce around more than somewhat. Not too sure what that does
for recording ;-))

I think the vertical wires fixed around the funnel might be a good idea.
We'll try that. However, we have acrobatic blue tits in the vicinity.
I suppose the larger the bird, the larger the problem. A Herring Gull
tried landing on the bird table roof the other day without very much
success. Thank heavens the funnel isn't suitable for birds with webbed
feet!.

Susie
--
Susie Thompson, Isle of Arran
SPAM BLOCK IN OPERATION! Replace "deadspam.com" with "arrandragons.co.uk" to
reply by e-mail.

"SusieThompson" wrote in message
...
In message , Alan Gardiner
writes
Not a problem I have experienced and we have plenty of Collared Doves in
the
garden. One of these was perched on the windvane today which was the first
time I have seen it happen.

Perhaps you should provide an alternative perch nearby which is more
comfortable.

Alan


I should add to my original posting that, as well as the Collared Doves,
Chaffinches, Sparrows, Greenfinches, Robins, Great Tits - need I go on
with my list - perch on our weather station. A week ago or so we had four
or five starlings perched up on the wind vane up on the roof. They made
it bounce around more than somewhat. Not too sure what that does for
recording ;-))


Maybe this product could be adapted ...
http://www.catscat.com.au/

Geoff

I think the vertical wires fixed around the funnel might be a good idea.
We'll try that. However, we have acrobatic blue tits in the vicinity. I
suppose the larger the bird, the larger the problem. A Herring Gull tried
landing on the bird table roof the other day without very much success.
Thank heavens the funnel isn't suitable for birds with webbed feet!.

Susie
--
Susie Thompson, Isle of Arran
SPAM BLOCK IN OPERATION! Replace "deadspam.com" with "arrandragons.co.uk"
to
reply by e-mail.

On Thu, 4 Aug 2005 18:55:36 +0100, SusieThompson
wrote:



Has anyone got a way out of this problem short of shooting the birds?
!!!!!!!

Strap on with tape a row of robust and sharp tooth picks
Cheers Robin

In message , Robin Nicholson
writes
On Thu, 4 Aug 2005 18:55:36 +0100, SusieThompson
wrote:



Has anyone got a way out of this problem short of shooting the birds?
!!!!!!!

Strap on with tape a row of robust and sharp tooth picks
Cheers Robin
Robin

I have a pot of cocktail sticks in the drawer. Will construct the
fortifications later this morning and let you know later how your idea
works.

Just hope the birds don't like cocktails :-)))


Susie
--
Susie Thompson, Isle of Arran
SPAM BLOCK IN OPERATION! Replace "deadspam.com" with "arrandragons.co.uk" to
reply by e-mail.

"SusieThompson" wrote in message
news
In message , Robin Nicholson
writes
On Thu, 4 Aug 2005 18:55:36 +0100, SusieThompson
wrote:



Has anyone got a way out of this problem short of shooting the birds?
!!!!!!!

Strap on with tape a row of robust and sharp tooth picks
Cheers Robin
Robin

I have a pot of cocktail sticks in the drawer. Will construct the
fortifications later this morning and let you know later how your idea
works.

Just hope the birds don't like cocktails :-)))


Susie

Susie

You will attract woodpeckers.

Regards, Roger