When I was on "A" dock for five years in the late 90's and 2000 I  gave up
and bought a pellet gun...the final solution.

Snakes, owls etc didn't work. One guy had pretty good luck with a large
balloon that looked like an eye hanging down almost on top of his bimini. I
also  saw a fake bird that flapped it's wings in the wind. It seemed to work.
While  trying owls, snakes, etc I got pretty good at casting a fishing
weight over the  beams and then running a nylon cord up over the beam. I used
this to hoist up  the fierce looking creatures.

The oil rigs and platforms use wire ties that point up in the air every 3
or so feet on rails. I put some on my bow rails and the birds stopped
landing.

RC
NT 42
Punta Gorda, FL

We had to replace our our 36 slip covered shed on the Chesapeake last
year and one of the mandates from the condo owners was "no birds". We
did lots of research and came up with nylon netting under the entire
roof to prevent the birds from building nests. It has completely
eliminated the nests and except for some occasional transients we have
no birds. This is not a cheap solution but it is extremely effective.

Now if I could just figure out a way to keep the Mallards off my swim
platform, things would be great.

Frank Burrows  43' Viking  Piney Narrows  Chesapeake Bay