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Birds attacking hanging baskets

JenKentJenKent Posts: 53
in Plants
Has anyone else been experiencing birds pecking in their hanging baskets?  For the first time ever I have had to cover my hanging baskets with chicken wire.  I planted them up a few days ago and went back to water them after a day of warm sun and lo-and-behold the trailing fuchsias, busy lizzies and erigeron had leaves and buds missing.  The fuchsias were pecked down to all but a few short stems.  Fortunately, there are a few new shoots left unharmed so, hopefully, they will recover.  I put the night camera out near a pot containing erigeron and the culprit that got those was a magpie.  I haven't found anything buried in the pot, so I assume it was looking for insects or it likes erigeron leaves! As to the hanging baskets, I have no idea what has taken a liking to them.  It's really annoying when you've spent a tidy sum on the plants and taken the time to plant them up.  I wonder which birds like to eat new leaves and buds or are they just pecking in the compost and the plants happen to be in the way?

Posts

  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    To me, it'll be a bit late but many baskets are lined with nice fibrous material that keeps the soil/peat in the basket, but allows efficient drainage.  That CAN provide excellent nest building material although, as I say, nests should be built by now.
  • Red mapleRed maple Posts: 1,138
    I had a starling pulling at my pansy plants in my hanging basket the other day. I had to rescue one that had been thrown onto the ground and re-plant it - I think it has taken, and will survive the assault. They are busy best building at the moment, so may be in search of things to line their nests. I also saw sparrows tugging at some lavender leaves and assume they were doing that for the same reason.
  • JenKentJenKent Posts: 53
    I've had two more baskets attacked. They are not the coco liners which the birds like to pull at - they are plastic lined.  Fortunately the plants were not disturbed but the soil was on the ground beneath the basket, which is why I noticed it had been disturbed. However, I had covered two urns with fleece tied with string to cover up some busy lizzies and some trailing plants and whatever is pecking had pecked a hole in the fleece and managed to break a couple of lizzie stems.  They are determined little blighters!  So I've now put a stick in the middle of the urn and put the fleece back over it like a tent. I've removed a couple of baskets to a safer place until the plants are bigger and hopefully the birds will have given up by then!
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    Sparrows and blackbirds pulled out newly planted pansies in pots.
    Had to keep replanting them.
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