Bird Guano on Helidecks
Folks, new to this forum, but here goes.
I work for an offshore oil & gas company, Europe based. We have a Normally Unmanned Installation (NUI), and bird guano on the helideck is a MAJOR problem.
We fitted an acoustic bird deterrent but the birds were disco dancing on the helideck a short time afterwards.
The only operator who has claimed to have any success is one that deluges the helideck with water when the birds appear (spotted via CCTV from the mother ship).
I believe a pilot has 'patented' a 'jack in the box' that is supposed to scare them away (cannot see it working).
Just wondering if anyone has come up with any successful means of solving, or even living with, the problem.
We're even thinking of getting a guy offshore with a shotgun to do a limited 'cull'. He vspecialises in scaring them away from land fill sites (dumps), and he uses a combination of shotgun and predatory birds to, as he puts it, 'build an association of mortal danger'. Works onshore, but has its own risks offshore.
Also, you pilots out there, do you have any set procedure for monitoring and avoiding the risk.