Did you guys not have birds in your home countries?
Not those Myna birds in the photo which are the most common kind here. We did have pigeons, but they tended to stay in downtown areas with buildings and parks... rarely saw them in the residential areas where I lived. I don't mind other birds as they don't seem to make the mess those two do.
Besides, I legally owned a shotgun in my home country...
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
Back home, on the kent coast, there is a company called "Gullguard", which specialises in the prevention of allowing gulls to perch etc on roofs. They do this by affixing 1 or 2 wires, suspended 4-6 inches above the apex of the roof and similarly above the chimney stack.
This method seems to work quite well, unlike one other "scarecrow" method I have seen on a neighbour's house. The occupant cemented a large statue of an owl onto the apex of his roof. The gulls use this as a perch and crap all over it!
How about those Nok Kawows? Within the last three weeks they have become a plague here to rival those in the Bible. Piercing, endless screech often starting at 3:30 AM and they seem not to rest .. .ever. Not near the house . . but that screech a half KM away is near enough to drive a person crazy. I understand that they are nasty birds as well . . .laying eggs in other birds nests. We cant explain why the sudden increase in numbers and as they are not near the house we cant do much but hope they eventually move on. (We have thought of an air rifle though.)
If it´s pigeons, give up! We´ve had them in our gutters ever since we moved in to the house and we´ve tried everything. After climbing on ladders and removing the nests several times we decided to take action.... First we tried the rubber snakes, three of them, fixed them with steel wire. The second day only one was left. I guess they got mad and just carried them away. Next we applied small canvas bags filled with cheap tobacco drenched in cheap moonshine whiskey. Nothing happened. Now, when we get enough crazy from the cooing and tip-toeing in the gutters we throw firecrackers (like small hand grenades). The loud bang scare them away but after about 15 minutes they´re back again, Pheuuw!!!
I know what you mean LolaB. I've never seen one and have no idea what they look like but those are always in the distance around out house shouting kaaawoow. At first they were so consistent I thought it was someone's alarm going off, but I really don't mind them as they don't come to the house and crap and make a mess of the dog food. Noise I can handle... at least their noise is better that the loudspeaker noise we have to listen to from the local Thais.
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
Here's the wikipedia on Ka-Wow (Asian Koel). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Koel
Despite being a large bird it is really hard to get a good look at them as they skulk about and I've never seen one sit out in the open, they are always in a Mango tree, Bamboo or other dense bush.
It's coming into breeding season for them, hence the increase in Ka-Wowing.
Not trying to be inhumane or anything, but would it be possible in the area concerned to suspend any netting??
If one/two/some birds were snagged in the netting and gave off the relevant distress signals it may ward off other birds..? (Just a thought).
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
I used decoys in Bangkok to stop pigeons partying on my terrace. Pigeons are frightened of owls so we bought a couple of plastic owls (in Canada but maybe found here too - Chatuchak?) and placed them where they would be visible from a distance. We also copied from the web and enlarged greatly, pix of owl eyes and posted them on the terrace. Both worked. And I'm told that fake birds of prey keep most birds away. More here: http://www.ehow.com/video_4757324_get-rid-pigeons.html
Frank . .that is an interesting article. I read up on them in my Birds of Southeast Asia too. But neither suggests a way to get rid of them.
As for their skulking . . .this merry band around here obviously hasn't read the books! They are very visible . . .right out in the open, they love the dead tree across the road and whenever we can hear them, we can see them. We are in an inhabited area near the sea too with no forests nearby.
We tried a fake hawk. No effect. I wonder about a fake owl.
But knowing that they are in breeding season gives us some hope that the screams will taper off.
Maybe it's not the Koel you have then, maybe it's the Coucal. It's a similar size, looks like a European Magpie but it's black and brown rather than black and white, they are happier out in the open. I'm sure Thai's call them Ka-Wow as well, in fact I think Thai's call just about any bird around that size with a long tail Nok Ka-Wow.
Here's a Coucal link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Coucal
These ones make eerie, increasing in volume, woop-woop-woop noises that end in a noise that sounds a bit like a scream from a little child.
Maybe it's not the Koel you have then, maybe it's the Coucal. It's a similar size, looks like a European Magpie but it's black and brown rather than black and white, they are happier out in the open. I'm sure Thai's call them Ka-Wow as well, in fact I think Thai's call just about any bird around that size with a long tail Nok Ka-Wow.
Here's a Coucal link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Coucal
These ones make eerie, increasing in volume, woop-woop-woop noises that end in a noise that sounds a bit like a scream from a little child.
I think that I would have to agree. They have been annoying me here for more than 20 years, and I have yet to see one.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
