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Help - How Do I Scare Off An Indian Myna


shirra
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Misha is an indoor dog who likes to occasionally hang out on the deck and watch the world go by.

For the last 2 days our peace has been shattered by a persistent Indian Myna who keeps dive bombing and screeching at Misha.

Yesterday afternoon I 'lost it' and greatly amused my neighbours by standing guard with an upturned straw broom hoping to whack the bird to kingdom come :o Needless to say it was a waste of time and energy.

Years ago an Indian Myna speared my cat in the eye and I would hate it if the same happened to Misha. Naturally she looks up at the bird because of the screeching as it dive bombs.

I would get rid of the Myna's nest if I could find it, but it is too well hidden. I'm thinking it might be best to rig something to scare the bird off. The deck is partly roofed and I could hang things from the edge of the ceiling, but what to use?

I thought of making some big blackbirds out of cardboard but they wouldn't last if/when it rains.

Any suggestions for a quick and easy solution?

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Can you string a bit of shadecloth up as a temporary physical barrier?

Otherwise I don't know, Mynas don't swoop here, any bird that does is at risk of being caught by the dogs and I think the birds have figured that out after a few casualties.

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Yes KC, definitely an Indian Myna! AKA the 'rat of the skies' :)

Sooo looks like I need to get creative with hanging something durable but cheap. Probably not a good look especially as the deck is at the front of the house, but surely it will only be for a few weeks?

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It sounds more like a Noisy Myna the Indian Myna are just generally thieving pests! As for a Noisy Myna, I'd agree in trying to put up some sort of barrier. Noisy Myna's are a native species, so really they're the good guys! And they seem to only swoop seasonally, so if you can put up a barrier for a while the problem should go away in the not too distant future.

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A bird kept dive-bombing little Lily next door .... when she was in the back garden. Her family were worried about her eyes being injured, too.

Someone told her dad to get rubber snakes from the joke shop & hang them from the clothes hoist, tree branches & edge of the deck. Shall never know if it would work, because he was still searching for some rubber snakes when the bird just didn't come back. Lily's dad reckons maybe the bird was a mind-reader. :)

Edited by mita
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Can you string a bit of shadecloth up as a temporary physical barrier?

Otherwise I don't know, Mynas don't swoop here, any bird that does is at risk of being caught by the dogs and I think the birds have figured that out after a few casualties.

Same here, Maddie just snaps the Myna's out of the air mid flight.

Do rubber snakes work for all birds, I know someone who uses them to keep the ducks off the verandah.

Edited by HazyWal
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Are you rural or suburban? If rural, an air rifle (an air pistol would be even better) is a wonderful investment...

The Indian Mynahs here are terrible for bombing everything smaller than a Great Dane - and their fights with each other on my front lawn are epic... I actually have to go out and chase them off, they get that bloody noisy!

T.

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Can you string a bit of shadecloth up as a temporary physical barrier?

Otherwise I don't know, Mynas don't swoop here, any bird that does is at risk of being caught by the dogs and I think the birds have figured that out after a few casualties.

Same here, Maddie just snaps the Myna's out of the air mid flight.

Do rubber snakes work for all birds, I know someone who uses them to keep the ducks off the verandah.

Can I borrow Maddie?? I have a persistent pair of nesting Indian Mynahs that have cost me a fortune in pest control ...

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Pickles tries so hard to catch them... but is a little too uncoordinated to get it just right... lol! The other dogs aren't bothered by them at all, they just duck under the onslaught and keep on doing whatever they are doing - which is usually going potty - my yard is seriously only ever used as a toilet, then they come back inside and drape themselves over the furniture... lazy buggers!

T.

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I hung lightweight scarves from some existing cuphooks! They fluttered and flapped beautifully, but it got too hot to let Misha out onto the deck, so I don't know if they will work.

Hopefully the temperature will drop soon and Misha will take up her post on the deck.

The scarves should stop the swooping but probably won't stop the bird from screeching from the bottlebrush tree adjacent to the deck.

Does anyone know where to buy large black plastic birds that hang and sway in the breeze? I know I've seen them somewhere but can't remember where.

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Are you rural or suburban? If rural, an air rifle (an air pistol would be even better) is a wonderful investment...

The Indian Mynahs here are terrible for bombing everything smaller than a Great Dane - and their fights with each other on my front lawn are epic... I actually have to go out and chase them off, they get that bloody noisy!

T.

They dive bomb my Great Dane.

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