"Alan Holmes" wrote after

"Bob Hobden" wrote

"Phil L" wrote...
My sprouts are being eaten and are showing signs of severe distress
(wilting despite prolific watering)...the leaves were becoming covered
in holes, so I obviously checked for caterpillars and butterfly eggs, of
which there was no sign so I sprinkled slug pellets in the beilief that
it was slugs and/or snails, all this was about 3 weeks ago and I've
checked them every day since and squashed all eggs and caterpillars as
they have arrived but the leaves are still disappearing fast, there are
no aphids or any other visible pests, but I noticed cherry stones on the
soil and so I have come to the conclusion that it could be birds of some
kind? - do birds eat sprout leaves, if so which ones and how do I stop
them?
Pigeons do, and some, they leave the leaves looking like a skeleton with
all the soft green flesh pecked away but the hard stalky bits still
there. Not holes usually.

One method of detering pidgeons is to have something bright red nearby,
pidgeons do not like red things apparently.

And it does work, I had some trouble last year and put some red plastic
tops from jars, they didn't come near the things again.


That explains why our neighbour has just put up a bright red scarecrow. :-)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK