Building owners, Facility Managers, and HVAC technicians know the struggles of roof access during seagull nesting season are real. Like any parent, seagulls will stop at nothing to protect their babies. And rightly so. But even just poking your head above the roof hatch can lead to a minor cranial hemorrhage, as in this story from a few years ago.
Did you know that seagulls are federally protected?
Though it seems the screeching french fry thieves are the furthest thing from endangered, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 has made it illegal to mess with them, their eggs or nests in any way.
For years, our technicians have tried (and failed) to come up with a successful strategy to work on rooftop HVAC units safely while vicious mommy and daddy gulls violently defend the area around their nests with beak and claw. Example of failed attempt #1 here.
Today one clever tech finally turned the tide in the war on technicians and scored our first victory! The answer?
If you can’t beat them, JOIN THEM!
Be the Seagull!
Our very good-natured technician Joe agreed to assist another tech, who was being attacked. His genius solution of not only becoming a man-sized seagull himself, but also fashioning a faux flying seagull-on-a-stick to distract the other seagulls, was a tremendous success!
Though we’ve tried similar techniques before of the Tyvek suit and hardhat with limited success, Joe’s very creative addition of both the seagull-on-a-stick and the utilization of the highly reflective silver tape both on the stick as well as his hardhat make for an extremely effective gull deterrent. The verdict, “It’s hot in the suit, but it’s better than getting pecked in the head repeatedly.”
Now let’s see Joe in action*:
*No techs (or gulls) were harmed in the making of this film.
A big thank you to Joe for paving the way for safer Spring Maintenance visits for all technicians!!
To schedule your seagull friendly Cooling Maintenance, call us TODAY at 508-763-3738 or visit us on the web at www.advanceair.net.