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Lawn damage

owd potterowd potter Posts: 979
edited November 2020 in Problem solving
For the past couple months something has been digging holes in my lawn at night.
In the main the holes are 6-8" in diameter and an inch or so deep, with some occasional larger scrapings, always in the centre of the lawn. 
I'm getting a bit tired of refilling these patches.
Any idea what might be causing this and what I might try to discourage whatever it is? 

Just another day at the plant...

Posts

  • owd potterowd potter Posts: 979
    Photo's may help...

    Just another day at the plant...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Any badgers in the area?

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • owd potterowd potter Posts: 979
    Hi @Dovefromabove
    never seen any, nor heard any neighbours mention them, but I can't say definitively that there are not.
    We're semi urban with wild woodlands on the opposite side of the main road at front, fully enclosed at rear by surrounding gardens so no obvious access points to wildlife.
    We get the usual fence jumping foxes & squirrels etc
    This is new and fairly recent activity this year.
    I'm puzzled what it might be   
    Just another day at the plant...
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I wonder if it's just foxes? Has there been any food put on the grass recently?
    I'd have thought badgers would do more damage than that, but they certainly do a fair bit of scraping to see what they can find to eat. Is there no sign of tunnelling to get in or anything like that?
    We have a colony of them not far away, and it isn't where you would expect to see them - a bit of woodland, some open grass, a stream fed pond, large houses, and a main road nearby. I often see them at night, having a shuftie into the gardens through their open gates    ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • bluerigibluerigi Posts: 9
    I'm sure it's either foxes or badgers. Probably you have some leatherjackets or other insects under your lawn and they seem to have an uncanny knack of knowing where to dig.  Once they find a good place they often return so your answer is to eliminate the food source.  It is probably too late for this year but you can take action in the spring. I have regular visits from badgers. They squeeze under small gaps or break fences in order to get where they want to go.  Nothing stops a badger - unless you build a very strong fence which goes very deep into the ground.  Often they just pass through my garden but they can be a real nuisance.  I can't use bonemeal or other animal based fertilisers as it attracts them and they dig up plants to get to the delicious smell ! Get yourself one of those outdoor motion sensor cameras (you can get ones which are quite cheap) which run on batteries and leave it pointing at the lawn. You'll be able to admire the villains at work while you are fast asleep.
  • owd potterowd potter Posts: 979
    @Fairygirl, no foodstuffs ever put out on grass, and I can see no sign of tunneling or holes in fences etc, I have suspected foxes myself and maybe as @bluerigi says, it's likely some irresistible subterranean prey they are seeking.
    I'll look up motion cameras as I'd love to know...
    Thanks all
    Just another day at the plant...
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