bloody blackbirds

[-db-]

Does anybody have any remedies for keeping blackbirds off the garden?
They scratch up the mulch, bury the seedlings, pull the seedlings up.
Tried bird net byt they just get underneath. Would love to stand sentry
with a shotgun but I don't think the neighbours would approve nor am I
keen on adding lead to the soil....

[Rod Out back]

"-db-" > wrote in message
...
> Does anybody have any remedies for keeping blackbirds off the garden?
> They scratch up the mulch, bury the seedlings, pull the seedlings up.
> Tried bird net byt they just get underneath. Would love to stand sentry
> with a shotgun but I don't think the neighbours would approve nor am I
> keen on adding lead to the soil....

There is now steel shot available, if you dont want the lead issue... ;-)

There is also a stuff caled Bird-frite available in 12 gauge, which fires a
flash-bang sort of round to scare them. Not likely to improve neighbour
relations over a standard shotgun round, though...

With your netting, what if you join a layer of it thats laid out on the
ground around the edge of the bed? So your vertical wall of mesh ends up
with a flat section laying along the ground. I use this setup to keep
goannas out of a cage. The dont see they need to go back to the edge of the
netting to dig underneath to get inside. I regularly fidn them out at the
point where the floor mesh meets the wall mesh, and trying like hell to dig
through it.

This really only works for individual beds, though. What sort of blackbird?
A crow, or something smaller?

Just a thought...

Cheers,

Rod.......Out Back

[Amy Lou]

"-db-" > wrote in message
...
> Does anybody have any remedies for keeping blackbirds off the garden? They
> scratch up the mulch, bury the seedlings, pull the seedlings up. Tried
> bird net byt they just get underneath.

Peg the netting to the ground with tent pegs or bricks.

Amy

[nome]

On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 00:53:12 +0000, -db- wrote:

> Does anybody have any remedies for keeping blackbirds off the garden?
> They scratch up the mulch, bury the seedlings, pull the seedlings up.
> Tried bird net byt they just get underneath. Would love to stand sentry
> with a shotgun but I don't think the neighbours would approve nor am I
> keen on adding lead to the soil....

I have used old cd´s, draw two eyes on each side with a texta pen and
hang with a thin tread, it spins in the wind. It works quite well however
you nead to keep moving them around as they get use to them. Also putting
mouse traps in there favourite diging spots works nothing like the sound
of a trap going off to give you a lift :)

HTH

[-db-]

Rod Out back wrote:
> "-db-" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Does anybody have any remedies for keeping blackbirds off the garden?
>>They scratch up the mulch, bury the seedlings, pull the seedlings up.
>>Tried bird net byt they just get underneath. Would love to stand sentry
>>with a shotgun but I don't think the neighbours would approve nor am I
>>keen on adding lead to the soil....
>
>
> There is now steel shot available, if you dont want the lead issue... ;-)

Thanks for that. Magnesium based shot might be good - help boot the
trace element in the soil. Flamability might be an issue :)
>
> There is also a stuff caled Bird-frite available in 12 gauge, which fires a
> flash-bang sort of round to scare them. Not likely to improve neighbour
> relations over a standard shotgun round, though...

Might make a change from the sounds of hoons in their commodores...
>
> With your netting, what if you join a layer of it thats laid out on the
> ground around the edge of the bed? So your vertical wall of mesh ends up
> with a flat section laying along the ground. I use this setup to keep
> goannas out of a cage. The dont see they need to go back to the edge of the
> netting to dig underneath to get inside. I regularly fidn them out at the
> point where the floor mesh meets the wall mesh, and trying like hell to dig
> through it.
>

Thanks

> This really only works for individual beds, though. What sort of blackbird?
> A crow, or something smaller?

Just the common import garden variety blackbird you find in Victoria.
There are plenty of crows around but they don't make a nuisance of
themselves.

cheers
-db-

[-db-]

nome wrote:

> On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 00:53:12 +0000, -db- wrote:
>
>
>>Does anybody have any remedies for keeping blackbirds off the garden?
>>They scratch up the mulch, bury the seedlings, pull the seedlings up.
>>Tried bird net byt they just get underneath. Would love to stand sentry
>>with a shotgun but I don't think the neighbours would approve nor am I
>>keen on adding lead to the soil....
>
>
> I have used old cd´s, draw two eyes on each side with a texta pen and
> hang with a thin tread, it spins in the wind. It works quite well however
> you nead to keep moving them around as they get use to them.

finally a use for that Shannon Noll CD!


> Also putting
> mouse traps in there favourite diging spots works nothing like the sound
> of a trap going off to give you a lift :)

Yep, this could be very satifying.

thanks
-db-
>
> HTH
yes it has

[Rod Out back]

"-db-" > wrote in message
...
> Rod Out back wrote:

<Stuff Deleted Here>

> > With your netting, what if you join a layer of it thats laid out on the
> > ground around the edge of the bed? So your vertical wall of mesh ends up
> > with a flat section laying along the ground. I use this setup to keep
> > goannas out of a cage. The dont see they need to go back to the edge of
the
> > netting to dig underneath to get inside. I regularly fidn them out at
the
> > point where the floor mesh meets the wall mesh, and trying like hell to
dig
> > through it.
> >
>
> Thanks
>
> > This really only works for individual beds, though. What sort of
blackbird?
> > A crow, or something smaller?
>
> Just the common import garden variety blackbird you find in Victoria.
> There are plenty of crows around but they don't make a nuisance of
> themselves.
>
> cheers
> -db-

I forgot to say, I use a thing called a Gerrard Ring Fastener to join the
netting reasonably quickly. It is like a pair of pliers, but with a
magazine that takes a stick of C-shaped lengths of wire. Closing the pliers
crushes the end one around whatever you are trying to join. The pliers are
about $80, but not sure what the fasteners are worth. It makes life a lot
easier joining lots of netting. Plan B would be a bundle of Zip-Ties, if you
can find some outdoor ones.

Also, think about folding the ground netting up onto the wall netting, so
the join isnt at ground level. this will make it harder for anything trying
to dig (probably a bit hard for a bird...).

Reason I asked about the blackbird is that the only black ones we get are
crows. I didnt think crows would be doing that sort of behaviour, but I saw
fields full of them digging up grubs in Tasmania last year, so I wondered...

Another thought would be some of that hot-foot stuff that is to keep birds
from roosting in shed rooves. However, I dont know what effect it might have
on the soil. I understand it uses a chilli base to irritate the bird.
Maybe you could try some chilli paste around the bottom of your exisiting
netting??

Cheers,

Rod.......Out Back

[Lushy]

I have a simular problem with them in a largely mulch and drought proof
garden, the dogs chase them out of the garden but they still manage to turn
the mulch and fling it on the pathways, if only they would just turn the
mulch DoH!
Lushy Mornington Peninaula
"-db-" > wrote in message
...
> Does anybody have any remedies for keeping blackbirds off the garden?
> They scratch up the mulch, bury the seedlings, pull the seedlings up.
> Tried bird net byt they just get underneath. Would love to stand sentry
> with a shotgun but I don't think the neighbours would approve nor am I
> keen on adding lead to the soil....