Keep Seagulls Away!

Have you ever gone to the beach or campground and felt like the Seagulls were beyond annoying in trying to get whatever food they could from your table?

They have become extremely used to humans in common picnic areas. As a result, they get very aggressive (and brave) and will take food off picnic tables even while you're sitting at them. I have had Seagulls try to take food off the grill while it was cooking! The nerve!

This Instructable will show you a simple summer hack to keep the Seagulls away from your tables.

Step 1: Materials

This is a MacGyver type project. You can use whatever materials you can find that accomplish the same job. Don't have yard sticks? Use sticks. Don't have cotton string? Use fishing line. Bottom line is use what works for you.

Here is what I used:

• Two metal yard sticks
• Duct Tape
• Two Irwin Quick Grip Clamps (Amazon)
• Cotton string or butchers twine

Step 2: Assemble the Fortress

1. Attach each clamp to diagonally opposite corners of the table
2. Using duct tape, fasten the yard stick to the remaining "bar" from the clamp
3. Tie string through hole in first yard stick (if your yard sticks don't have holes, just tie around the stick or use duck tape to hold in place)
4. Take up majority of slack and tie string to other yard stick (no need to make it really tight)

Step 3: Sit Back and Watch the Birds Drool

This simple string acts as a protective barrier between your food and the birds. I'm no bird guru, but I'm guessing that the birds know something would be directly above them if they tried to fly onto a table. This foils their escape route, and puts them less at ease in attacking your table. A single string is all it takes to make a normally aggressive bird think twice before hunting down your food.

I have tried this on numerous occasions at a local beach that has very bad problems with Seagulls taking food from tables. I purposely left food exposed and on my table to test the project. I sat nearby, but at least 20-30 ft away from my table to observe their reaction. They all stood at close distance, almost to see if the string would go away at any point in time. You can see them in my photo. They never once came close to landing on my table the entire day. My neighbors at the beach were not as fortunate. I can confirm that this really works and it is a great hack to keep your summer more enjoyable at the beach or camping!

Good luck and let me know your results!