What on earth is doing this?
Dinah
Posts: 294
A sinister something has (following up on my recent sheep raid) been whisking my Lupin and Hellebore yearlings out of their pots and flinging them around, all over my yard. It definitely isn't the sheep, since the gate is now shut, and I have even looked up the trees to see if there are any hiding somewhere.
The pots are recycled yoghurt pots (the larger ones) so it must be something quite unnervingly big to have shaken the roots and the soil out. It hasn't been windy, so that doesn't explain it, and the dog wasn't left out that night. None of the plants have had damage to their foliage, but some have had their roots sort of dug at and spread out. Has anyone else ever seen this sort of thing happen, or better still, know who or what the culprit might be?
Posts
Have you got any oak or chesnut trees in the vicinity? If so I'd suspect jays, investigating suitable places to plant acorns or chesnuts - it's that time of year - they love planting things in pots - if it's them you'll find tree seedlings springing up in your pots next year
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Squirrels burying their winter food?
No Squirrels or jays near as far as I know, the trees that are close to the garden are unfortunately conifers (though I would love to re-plant with oaks or chestnuts).
Perhaps they are not burying, but digging something up? Slugs? Leather-jackets? Oh wow that would be a fantastic creature, worth every plant re-potted!
We have seen pidgeons doing this in our garden. We use to grow veg & after planting seedlings, we saw them walking through & pulling them up. We have also seen rooks doing it. They have done it to young plants I have brought home & left on the patio overnight.
Ah, the rooks! Those are the things doing it then, we do, definitely get rooks visiting - very rarely pidgeons. We have magpies, so they may have a beak in it too. Thanks for that.
Anyone know what they are being attracted by? Is it particular plants or something else that feeds on the plants that they are after? I know that both are omnivores.
The rooks will be after grubs. They can eat thousands in one nesting season. They know there could be worms & other insects under pots, so they just toss them out the way.
Try to put your pots in a more secure area & try to outsmart them. You can hang tin foil dishes, CD's, anything that's noisy. But they soon get used to things, so you have took keep changing tactics. They are very smart.
They don't like dead birds hanging around, (but you can't do that). What you can do at this time of year is buy fake things from halloween displays. If it looks like something dead hanging about they won't go near it.
Also if they see easy food around (songbird food, cat food, dog food, that will also bring them in.
We have used water pistols from the kitchen window. It doesn't hurt them, but they don't like it. They will get fed up with it.
Anything nosy too, something which bangs now and again, a recording of fireworks or a rook distress call. You could probably download something like that from the internet, then keep playing it back.
Just keep outsmarting them. Good luck.
Thank you for all those suggestions LesleyT, I will get the water pistol (Super Soaker) ready, if I need it after I've played Amon Amath out of the window at them Fun Fun Fun
Dinah - If I have the time, I might try the water pistol with the starlings
I'm waging war on the thieving b*****s this year so that the little birds get a chance of some grub!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Death Metal music cleared the garden of birds completely, probably not the best solution for wildlife in general, so Fairygirl, maybe limit it to something without so much growling and manic drums! But wow! The birds certainly know a Viking raid when they hear one coming!
Jo47, I couldn't do anything to frighten rooks like yours, they sound like they should be there and have been there for ever.
Start feeding them, they have been known to bring " presents" as thanks.