Anti Bird Repellent Sounds
DIY making bird traps
Battling with the mynas that come into my home and won't leave
The common myna that is found in Singapore and other parts of Asia. (Photo: Unsplash/Vivek Doshi)
It started rather innocuously. At first, there was a tentative peek through the grille in the yard. Then a longer sitting on the ledge. And then the audacious fly in to look for food – in the bin, on the countertop, in the dog’s bowl.
When I first spotted them some months ago, I went into quite an unnecessary frenzy – which involved some shouting, brandishing of a broom and cussing. Since I have been working from home, I have noticed the increased frequency with which these pesky birds have been coming into my home. And I began to wonder – have they always been coming in, just that no one was around to notice them?
It’s quite unlikely because one thing about these mynas – they poo everywhere. Even if they are in for less than a minute, there are droppings to show evidence of their exact flight path. So this is most certainly new. First, I had to figure out what to do. Who better than Internet people with real world wisdom?
5 DIY Ways to Keep Birds Away
Some birds are beautiful and fun to watch while others can be downright annoying and destructive. While birds aren’t typically considered a nuisance pest, they can become a problem when their nests obstruct important areas in your house, their droppings carry transmittable diseases, or they get into your attic or chimney.
Understanding what nuisance birds are attracted to is the first step in helping to prevent them. Pest birds such as crows, pigeons, sparrows, robins, and starlings are attracted to food sources they can find around your home (insects, earthworms, corn, seeds, and rotten fruits and vegetables). Woodpeckers are also a common nuisance bird and will drill into your trees in search of carpenter ants, beetles, and other wood-boring insects.
Birds can be attracted to pet food which is often left outside all day for them to feast on. Birds also require water to survive and will use your fountain, water feature, or any other standing water on your property as a birdbath. While professional bird control is always an option, there are some bird prevention tips you can use at home to help keep birds away. Here are 5 of our favorite DIY bird repellent methods:
- Modify Their Habitats
- Aluminum Foil
- Fishing Wire
- Baking Soda
- Predator Decoys
How To Get Rid Of Birds Flying Into Your Windows, For Every Exasperated HDB Dweller
Like the famous uwu-emitting koel birds that wake you up with their high-pitched repetitive screams in the morning, other birds like the mynah or house crow can become huge annoyances – especially when they enter your home. These little buggers are the ones that strut their stuff like peacocks near hawker centres and HDB void decks, scavenging for food.
If you’re one of the unlucky ones who has had some of these pests enter your apartment, here are six bird control trips to safely get back at these pesky birds and prevent them from coming into your home ever again. This guide also comes in handy if you live on a lower floor and are at a higher risk of birds swooping in. You never know when you’ll be getting an unwanted, winged visitor. Check these out:
- Hang old CDs by your windows
- Buy “scarecrows” from as low as $2
- Install a window mesh
- Change your window grills
- Don’t leave your food lying about
- Opt for food waste bins with lids
Myna - An intelligent bird
The myna (also known as mynah) is a bird of the starling family (Sturnidae). This is a group of passerine birds which are native to southern Asia, especially India. Several species have been introduced to areas like North America, Australia, South Africa, Fiji and New Zealand, especially the common myna which is often regarded as an invasive species. Often known as "Selarang" in Singapore, due to their high population located at the area.
Mynas are not a natural group; instead, the term myna is used for any starling in the Indian subcontinent, regardless of their relationships. This range was colonized twice during the evolution of starlings, first by rather ancestral starlings related to the coleto and Aplonis lineages, and millions of years later by birds related to the common starling and wattled starling's ancestors. These two groups of mynas can be distinguished in the more terrestrial adaptions of the latter, which usually also have less glossy plumage except on the heads and longer tails. The Bali myna which is nearly extinct in the wild is highly distinctive.
Some mynas are considered talking birds, for their ability to reproduce sounds, including human speech, when in captivity. "Myna" is derived from the Hindi language mainā which itself is derived from Sanskrit madanā.
NParks to euthanise crows following spate of attacks in Bishan
The National Parks Board (NParks) said that it is working with Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council (BTPTC) to remove crow nests, prune trees and conduct crow trapping after a spate of crow attacks.
In response to a Stomp query, Dr Adrian Loo, group director of wildlife management at NParks said that they have been monitoring the area around Block 110 Bishan Street 12 for crow nests since Feb 7. The trapped birds will be euthanised.
In an earlier Stomp report, a Stomper shared a video of a man being attacked by a crow while walking near Block 110 on Sunday afternoon (Feb 12). The Stomper said that crows have been attacking residents without provocation for over a week.
Crows Smarter Than You Think
Crows, ravens, and jays belong to the Corvidae family of birds. Throughout history, people have marveled at the intelligence of these birds. They are so smart, we might find them a bit creepy. It doesn't help that a group of crows is called a "murder," that they are viewed by some as harbingers of death, or that the birds are clever enough to steal trinkets and food. A crow's brain is only about the size of a human thumb, so how smart could they be?
While a crow's brain may seem small in comparison to a human brain, what matters is the size of the brain in relation to the size of the animal. Relative to its body, a crow's brain and a primate brain are comparable. According to Professor John Marzluff at the University of Washington's Aviation Conservation Lab, a crow is essentially a flying monkey. Whether it's a friendly monkey or more like a fiend from "The Wizard of Oz" depends a lot on what you've done to the crow (or any of its friends).
9 Ways Crows Are Smart:
- As Smart as a 7-Year-Old Child
- They Recognize Human Faces
- They Talk About You to Other Crows
- They Remember What You Did
- They Use Tools and Solve Problems
- Crows Plan for the Future
- They Adapt to New Situations
- They Understand Analogies
- They Can Outsmart Your Pets (Maybe)
