Indian Mynas - Be Gone!

BT180

Max Pfaff
Anyone know how to deter Indian Mynas? We have them hanging around our backyard being a pest (which is what they are in Oz). They crap all over the furniture on our veranda, get into the drip tray on the BBQ and chase the native birds away.

We borrowed a fake owl, with big yellow eyes and a wobbly head that moves in the breeze, but they just ignore it. We even had brightly coloured balloons and ribbons strung up outside for my son's b'day party and they just ignored those too when we all went inside.

What else can we try? Would prefer humane suggestions, but understand if the only way to get rid of them is to try and find my slingshot.
 
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Anyone know how to deter Indian Mynas? We have them hanging around our backyard being a pest (which is what they are in Oz). They crap all over the furniture on our veranda, get into the drip tray on the BBQ and chase the native birds away.

We borrowed a fake owl, with big yellow eyes and a wobbly head that moves in the breeze, but they just ignore it. We even had brightly coloured balloons and ribbons strung up outside for my son's b'day party and they just ignored those too when we all went inside.

What else can we try? Would prefer humane suggestions, but understand if the only way to get rid of them is to try and find my slingshot.
try growing a beard, Indian Mynas won't stand for it.
 

moorey

call me Mia
Indian minors or Indian Miners?...of Indian minor miners? Just get them a taxi licence, and you'll never see them again :noidea:
 

dain2772

Likes Bikes and Dirt
use the slingshot, but hit things (trees, furniture, ground) nearby the birds. they will realise it is an unsafe environment and find somewhere else to hang out. I have seen this technique used with a pellet gun and much more humane than actually shooting the damn things.
 

BT180

Max Pfaff
Just read up on that site from Canberra. Not too sure if I'm up for trapping them and then poisoning them in boxes with exhaust fumes.
 

jumpers

Likes Dirt
Had same issue. I Bought heap toy plastic snakes and put them around my verandah railing. Also hung up some cds....little pricks don't like the reflecting light.

I also couldn't kill them....my jack Russell pup got and killed one other day:thumb:......old guy up road said if I keep dead one laying around (??0 the other wont come. Dead one on the fence now and is detering them
 

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
Anyone know how to deter Indian Mynas? We have them hanging around our backyard being a pest (which is what they are in Oz). They crap all over the furniture on our veranda, get into the drip tray on the BBQ and chase the native birds away.

We borrowed a fake owl, with big yellow eyes and a wobbly head that moves in the breeze, but they just ignore it. We even had brightly coloured balloons and ribbons strung up outside for my son's b'day party and they just ignored those too when we all went inside.

What else can we try? Would prefer humane suggestions, but understand if the only way to get rid of them is to try and find my slingshot.
Do what my mate and I did. Get your shooters licence and get a low powered air rifle.
Get down low in your back yard and pick them off one by one.
Get as low a powered small calibre as possible so that it makes minimal noise, and don't let your neighbours in on it.

This is the most humae thing to do as a clean shot in the chest or head is an instant death. You can then compost the bird.
If you use deterrents like fake owls or high frequency noise genrators all you are doing is encouraging the problem to go elsewhere.
They lay eggs in native birds nests and so are a real ecological nightmare for our native bird species. They really need to be destroyed.

For every Myana bird you send off alive you are potentially detroying dozens of new native birds each year.

I am not pro gun, I am not advocating violence, just a fast and efficient way to ensure they are eradicated on your property.

You can also set traps and gas them. But not sure how you feel about this.
They love dog food so setting a trap and then hooking up to the exhaust of your car is an option, but personally I think that would be a horrible way to go.

(By the way, it's illegal to use a firearm in your yard, so I never said to do any of the above)
 
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harmonix1234

Eats Squid
I also remember seeing on tele a fews back there was a guy in Wollongong who used to trap them and you could call him and he would put a trap in your yard and come and get them and gas them off site.
Not sure if it was a free service or not. Maybe he was in Nowra> Somewhere south coast.
There may be other people doing it in your area.
I think it was part of a Uni study... Maybe. Not very helpful I know.
 

BT180

Max Pfaff
Nah, this is all good and it's food for thought. I don't really fancy killing them myself, whether it be via the car exhaust or shooting them (I'm not going to go and get a firearms licence just to be able to kill birds).

I agree also that if I scare them away then it just moves the same problem elsewhere.

Maybe I can trap them and hand them off to someone from the local council to euthanize? They may have some sort of strategy to get rid of them.
 

harmonix1234

Eats Squid
Nah, this is all good and it's food for thought. I don't really fancy killing them myself, whether it be via the car exhaust or shooting them (I'm not going to go and get a firearms licence just to be able to kill birds).

I agree also that if I scare them away then it just moves the same problem elsewhere.

Maybe I can trap them and hand them off to someone from the local council to euthanize? They may have some sort of strategy to get rid of them.
As mentioned before, you'd have to be able to take them to the vet to get sent to sleep.
The vet would surely support it being such a pest. Good idea I reckon.
 

FTLOW

Likes Bikes
The Government could put a small bounty on their heads as well as toads and kids could fund new bmx builds.
 

BT180

Max Pfaff
What...council actually do something to benefit you? Good luck with that.
I hear ya. The Canberra link mentioned that so it could be worth a shot. I checked local council's website and they only mentioned ways to reduce their impact (although that still is like moving the problem elsewhere, rather an fixing it) - http://www.warringah.nsw.gov.au/environment/species/common-indian-myna



The Government could put a small bounty on their heads as well as toads and kids could fund new bmx builds.

That'd be good - Just like in Rat Bastards!
 

Xavo.au

Likes Bikes and Dirt
old guy up road said if I keep dead one laying around (??0 the other wont come. Dead one on the fence now and is detering them
Out on our place, we had a problem with crows that would come and scare off peacocks, guinea fowls and chickens when they were eating.
I don't know how (I was only a young tucker), but Grandma managed to kill a crow or found a dead one or something, and strung it up on a tree next to the chook pen.

I haven't seen a crow near the shed/house in years (I actually can't recall when I've last heard one there).

Pretty grim, but it did the trick. Although, later on we had problems with Pythons and Goannas breaking into the Chook pen and eating all the eggs. Even after we lifted it off the ground, put mesh down, filled it in with dirt - they still squeezed through gaps somewhere. So Grandma started saving the cracked eggs, filling them with curry powder, pepper and chilli and gluing them back together.
The Goanna got the hint and pissed off, but the Python kept coming back for the Chooks themselves (And Dingoes have since taken all the Guinea Fowls & Peacocks).
 

nathanm

Eats Squid
Indian minors or Indian Miners?...of Indian minor miners? Just get them a taxi licence, and you'll never see them again :noidea:
Moorey, you really are a dickhead. Nice casual racism there.

OP - Just make sure they are common or Indian Miners first, not Noisy miners - http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Manorina-melanocephala

One of my client does put down baits but also take out a lot of starlings and other birds which I then regularly clean out of their gutters. He has also shot a few of them which also has a funny story about him shooting his own garage/car.

Does your local council/wildlife association have some info? Maybe worth contacting them.
 

BT180

Max Pfaff
Yeah, all good with distinguishing the Indian Mynas from the native Noisy Mynas, I'm well aware of the differences.

Can't see anything on the local council website other than preventative measures. Will do some more digging. I'm happy to trap them as long as someone else can dispose of them properly.
 
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