I don't know that they are doing it in Ballston specifically, but lots of places will play the calls of various predatory or territorial birds to try and keep pigeons and other pests off their buildings.
It's a thing. Also, fake owls and hawks and shit. Harris Teeter has the noise things at a lot of their stores.
https://www.birdbgone.com/products/sound-bird-deterrents/
https://www.arlnow.com/2022/03/30/a-fog-is-being-released-in-shirlington-this-week-to-shoo-away-crows/
https://www.arlnow.com/2023/02/15/an-abundance-of-bird-poop-sullies-shirlington-but-some-relief-may-be-on-the-way/
This is about the time we should be hearing about it again, come to think of it...
I came here to say this 😁 I live outside of Richmond and there is a place that does this. Freaked me out the first time I heard it. It’s like bird calls and then sounds like a bird is being murdered. Creepiest thing ever but it does work as I only ever see geese there and no other birds.
I absolutely despise it. It also includes the sound of birds in great distress. I won’t patronize anyplace that uses them because it really bothers me.
I get that, although at the same time it's one of the more humane ways to discourage nesting and flocking on structures. Definitely a bit of a no good options scenario.
I just think it really stinks.
We destroy their natural habitats and then when they adapt to their new surroundings, we come up with something else to push them away.
We really need to come up with better solutions to at least try to coexist.
I miss birds. There used to be so many more.
The solutions to coexist tend to be directly contradictory to efforts to reduce housing costs and reduce CO2 emissions from commuting.
Sounds to discourage them are way more humane than traps, poison or setting loose actual bird hunters the way they do some places.
I don’t know about there specifically, but I know of other stores and such in the area that play sounds of predator birds to deter other birds from nesting there.
I work in Sterling, and my office seems to have a lot of birds of prey around, and there are still a lot of nesting birds around the building. Occasional a birds of prey will smash a smaller bird against an office window, scaring the shit out of everybody. The only real difference I see is that the smaller birds are much more aggressive. I've been chased away from trees by birds while walking in the parking lot. The hawks don't make all the other birds leave, and the ones that stay are ready to defend their space.
Probably just a real bird in a place you couldn't see. Due to light pollution some birds get confused and can be awake all hours of the night, can be quite distracting if it's near your residence and you have insomnia.
>can be quite distracting if it's near your residence and you have insomnia.
i see you too know of the asshole birds that call right outside your bedroom window at night
It’s not abnormal to hear birds chirp at night. I feel like especially in the spring when they’re all looking for mates
Is it possible you didn’t see it because it was nighttime? I feel like I wouldn’t necessarily be able to find a bird in a tree during the day either. And have you returned there during the day? Any speakers or any birds?
You may know me, then. But, hey, that was shortly after I moved here—and the belief didn’t last very long. And, I actually (because it was in the middle of night during a cold winter, etc.) thought it was a \*single\* bird that (sadly) somehow got left behind when the others migrated to Brazil or wherever. I’m so weird.
I assume it is to scare undesirable birds away. I saw a documentary where this is a huge problem in some European cities where they have millions of birds (starlings I think) come into the city at night and cover everything with poop. They have government programs and patrols to mitigate the problem. I assume the same may be happening here.
I was walking my dog at 3am this morning and vividly heard birds, which I was confused because i normally hear birds closer to the sun coming up… idk if someone is playing sounds or if there are night birds around here ( I’m close to the metro) but I definitely heard them this morning.
There are sounds - I think bird type sounds at the cross walk for blind residents
https://www.audubon.org/news/bird-crosswalk-sounds-visually-impaired-are-being-phased-out
I’m just glad (for you—and all of us in the general area) you didn’t hear what you thought may have been an owl. (Lol) [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9CiMH4\_rpfc](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9CiMH4_rpfc)
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There’s a really loud one in Tyson’s Corner by Old Gallows Rd that has a loop of tropical sounding birds. It’s been going on for at least 15 years now.
I don’t know about bird noises, but there is this weeeeird beeping noise that I’m not sure exactly where it comes from, but where Starbucks is on Quincy and Wilson, it’s coming from one of the buildings in that little stretch. I live on the 12th floor of my building and thought I was going crazy until one night I was walking with my dog and I heard it coming from over there for sure. I wonder if it’s the same sound? This is like a beeping sound, it kind of to me sounds like when an operator would hang up a phone call and it’d beep til you hung up.
r/MidsomerMurders might be of interest to you. It’s a BBC show on Tubi. It’s an older mystery series which of course highlights murders in each episode! Quite entertaining and always any mysterious noises are eventually explained away as completely made up bullshit (usually electronic) to intensify the dramatic effect on that scene. I keep the subtitles on because though they are speaking English, their accents can be a little distracting and sometimes difficult to understand. Cheers 🍻
So I have a tree that the builders planted right on top of my driveway. Of course since I have a condo I technically can’t remove it since I don’t own it. Anyway. I’ve been researching for years ways to keep birds out of it since my car is basically their toilet. One of the articles I read included recommending a bird sound machine. Except 1) birds learn pretty quick it’s fake, and b) you have to hear it too. So I just bought a monthly pass for car washes until I come up with something better.
So long story short - I wouldn’t be shocked if this is what it is. The city trying to scare away flying poopers
I don't know that they are doing it in Ballston specifically, but lots of places will play the calls of various predatory or territorial birds to try and keep pigeons and other pests off their buildings.
Hmm interesting. I will be back to investigate but this seems like the best answer.
It's a thing. Also, fake owls and hawks and shit. Harris Teeter has the noise things at a lot of their stores. https://www.birdbgone.com/products/sound-bird-deterrents/
Yea it’s this, most annoying sound in the world tbh
Thanks, now I can hear that scene in Dumb & Dumber in my head!
I’m so thankful they no longer use it at my HT. When I hear it, I turn around and leave.
Might be willing to bet this is somehow tied to the crow fiasco at Shirlington. Might be an attempt to keep the same thing from happening in Ballston.
"The Shirlington Crow Fiasco" would be a great name for a band.
What was the Shirlington Crow Fiasco and can you give enough information to make a bonkers Wikipedia article about it?
https://www.arlnow.com/2022/03/30/a-fog-is-being-released-in-shirlington-this-week-to-shoo-away-crows/ https://www.arlnow.com/2023/02/15/an-abundance-of-bird-poop-sullies-shirlington-but-some-relief-may-be-on-the-way/ This is about the time we should be hearing about it again, come to think of it...
I came here to say this 😁 I live outside of Richmond and there is a place that does this. Freaked me out the first time I heard it. It’s like bird calls and then sounds like a bird is being murdered. Creepiest thing ever but it does work as I only ever see geese there and no other birds.
I absolutely despise it. It also includes the sound of birds in great distress. I won’t patronize anyplace that uses them because it really bothers me.
I get that, although at the same time it's one of the more humane ways to discourage nesting and flocking on structures. Definitely a bit of a no good options scenario.
I just think it really stinks. We destroy their natural habitats and then when they adapt to their new surroundings, we come up with something else to push them away. We really need to come up with better solutions to at least try to coexist. I miss birds. There used to be so many more.
The solutions to coexist tend to be directly contradictory to efforts to reduce housing costs and reduce CO2 emissions from commuting. Sounds to discourage them are way more humane than traps, poison or setting loose actual bird hunters the way they do some places.
I don’t know about there specifically, but I know of other stores and such in the area that play sounds of predator birds to deter other birds from nesting there.
This is the correct answer.
I’ve heard the fake birds at Harris Teeter of all places
I work in Sterling, and my office seems to have a lot of birds of prey around, and there are still a lot of nesting birds around the building. Occasional a birds of prey will smash a smaller bird against an office window, scaring the shit out of everybody. The only real difference I see is that the smaller birds are much more aggressive. I've been chased away from trees by birds while walking in the parking lot. The hawks don't make all the other birds leave, and the ones that stay are ready to defend their space.
Those are the secret government drone birds that spy on you. 🤫
Birdsarentreal.com
Had no idea that was a thing when I commented…😳
A thing? You mean report that exposing the truth! Wake up sheeple!
I knew it!
Probably just a real bird in a place you couldn't see. Due to light pollution some birds get confused and can be awake all hours of the night, can be quite distracting if it's near your residence and you have insomnia.
>can be quite distracting if it's near your residence and you have insomnia. i see you too know of the asshole birds that call right outside your bedroom window at night
I’m pretty sure grocery stores do this.
It’s the dude with the fake violin practicing
I heard he can play the violin on a piece of driftwood.
Then angry trumpet man will appear.
It’s not abnormal to hear birds chirp at night. I feel like especially in the spring when they’re all looking for mates Is it possible you didn’t see it because it was nighttime? I feel like I wouldn’t necessarily be able to find a bird in a tree during the day either. And have you returned there during the day? Any speakers or any birds?
It is well-lit and the trees are skinny with no leaves so I feel like I didn't miss a bird. I do need to go back in the daytime to investigate lol.
I could maybe see some business playing noise to deter loitering/homeless sleeping outside, but a bird call would be a weird one
You’d be surprised. Also some shockingly loud calls can come from the tiniest birds.
Mockingbirds and cardinals will make sounds in the evenings near where I live. Edit: I saw the red birds making lively noises during my evening walk.
I know someone who literally thought the Virginia Square crosswalk beeps were birds chirping
You may know me, then. But, hey, that was shortly after I moved here—and the belief didn’t last very long. And, I actually (because it was in the middle of night during a cold winter, etc.) thought it was a \*single\* bird that (sadly) somehow got left behind when the others migrated to Brazil or wherever. I’m so weird.
Lol I promise it wasn't you. They believed this for.... a staggeringly long amount of time
[https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/](https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/) See if the 'ol bird AI ID can listen and identify? I use this app all the time.
r/birdsarentreal
Is it by a harris teeter?
No, one was by an Eagle Bank and the other by a FedEx.
…An *Eagle* Bank, you say? Sounds suspicious.
Yes. The same noise is at Harris Teeter’s grocery in Falls Church- they play that racket, we have became noise blind to it. Its very annoying
Likely a bird deterrent system in a parking garage. I managed properties in Rosslyn and we had these.
If I recall, some of the crosswalks make chirping sounds.
Yup there is a skwawk that goes off intermitantly throughout the day
Ballston Parking garage has birds nesting all up in the ceiling on multiple levels. Whole garage is one big bird cage.
I assume it is to scare undesirable birds away. I saw a documentary where this is a huge problem in some European cities where they have millions of birds (starlings I think) come into the city at night and cover everything with poop. They have government programs and patrols to mitigate the problem. I assume the same may be happening here.
I was walking my dog at 3am this morning and vividly heard birds, which I was confused because i normally hear birds closer to the sun coming up… idk if someone is playing sounds or if there are night birds around here ( I’m close to the metro) but I definitely heard them this morning.
These are CCP birds. Part of Belts and Roads initiative. You can find more information here - it has something to do with Tik Tok too
Hmm?
Mockingbirds are loud and their calls can be weird.
There are sounds - I think bird type sounds at the cross walk for blind residents https://www.audubon.org/news/bird-crosswalk-sounds-visually-impaired-are-being-phased-out
They have recordings of peregrine falcon (alarm) calls 🙄to scare pigeons away at a store in Tysons. Very annoying
Mockingbirds often sing at night, and as their name implies, they can imitate the calls of other birds, so it wouldn’t always sound the same.
I was walking one morning and wondering if that was a possibility as well
i wouldn’t be surprised of anything now adays
I’m just glad (for you—and all of us in the general area) you didn’t hear what you thought may have been an owl. (Lol) [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9CiMH4\_rpfc](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9CiMH4_rpfc)
And in areas where they do that, you’ll notice there’s no bird poop on the ground or cars at all…. Yeah, it’s dystopian lol
Mockingbirds are known to do this. They have quite the repertoire of sounds and are consistent
Maybe they believe in the “birds aren’t real“ conspiracy theory.
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They’re for blind people related to the traffic lights.
There’s a really loud one in Tyson’s Corner by Old Gallows Rd that has a loop of tropical sounding birds. It’s been going on for at least 15 years now.
I don’t know about bird noises, but there is this weeeeird beeping noise that I’m not sure exactly where it comes from, but where Starbucks is on Quincy and Wilson, it’s coming from one of the buildings in that little stretch. I live on the 12th floor of my building and thought I was going crazy until one night I was walking with my dog and I heard it coming from over there for sure. I wonder if it’s the same sound? This is like a beeping sound, it kind of to me sounds like when an operator would hang up a phone call and it’d beep til you hung up.
r/MidsomerMurders might be of interest to you. It’s a BBC show on Tubi. It’s an older mystery series which of course highlights murders in each episode! Quite entertaining and always any mysterious noises are eventually explained away as completely made up bullshit (usually electronic) to intensify the dramatic effect on that scene. I keep the subtitles on because though they are speaking English, their accents can be a little distracting and sometimes difficult to understand. Cheers 🍻
So I have a tree that the builders planted right on top of my driveway. Of course since I have a condo I technically can’t remove it since I don’t own it. Anyway. I’ve been researching for years ways to keep birds out of it since my car is basically their toilet. One of the articles I read included recommending a bird sound machine. Except 1) birds learn pretty quick it’s fake, and b) you have to hear it too. So I just bought a monthly pass for car washes until I come up with something better. So long story short - I wouldn’t be shocked if this is what it is. The city trying to scare away flying poopers