There is one tiny patch of our garden which an aggressive blackbird has
an obsession with! Early every morning he comes and digs away. You can
see his beak-marks in the earth. Maybe he has learnt that the spot, for
some reason, is rich in worms.

Anyway, he is dislodging little alpines and covering others with the
earth that he flings out of the way.

I'm wondering, is there any spray that I could saturate this small area
with so that he'll either get a whiff of it or a taste of it and bugger
off? I don't want to harm the little fella, but I do want to deter him
from constantly wrecking this particular patch of garden!

I find "Slug Clear" spray brilliant for keeping the slugs away from
certain areas. I don't suppose there's a "Bird Clear"?! :-)

Eddy.

www.shanklinmanormews.co.uk
"Eddy" wrote in message
...
There is one tiny patch of our garden which an aggressive blackbird has
an obsession with! Early every morning he comes and digs away. You can
see his beak-marks in the earth. Maybe he has learnt that the spot, for
some reason, is rich in worms.

Anyway, he is dislodging little alpines and covering others with the
earth that he flings out of the way.

I'm wondering, is there any spray that I could saturate this small area
with so that he'll either get a whiff of it or a taste of it and bugger
off? I don't want to harm the little fella, but I do want to deter him
from constantly wrecking this particular patch of garden!

I find "Slug Clear" spray brilliant for keeping the slugs away from
certain areas. I don't suppose there's a "Bird Clear"?! :-)

Eddy.


Try putting some apple down. We find that Blackbirds love apple and this
might distract him from digging. Don't laugh, but they do prefer Cox's
rather than Breaburn of Bramley!!! Cut it into quarters and put it where he
digs. It's not unsightly.

--
Mike

The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rneba.org.uk
Luxury Self Catering on the Isle of Wight?

On Jul 25, 9:02*am, Eddy
wrote:

I'm wondering, is there any spray that I could saturate this small area
with so that he'll either get a whiff of it or a taste of it and bugger
off? *I don't want to harm the little fella, but I do want to deter him
from constantly wrecking this particular patch of garden!

I find "Slug Clear" spray brilliant for keeping the slugs away from
certain areas. *I don't suppose there's a "Bird Clear"?! * :-)

Now look here, mate, humans may think they are the most important
species on the Earth, but for heaven's sake can't you learn to share?

"Eddy" wrote in message
...
There is one tiny patch of our garden which an aggressive blackbird has
an obsession with! Early every morning he comes and digs away. You can
see his beak-marks in the earth. Maybe he has learnt that the spot, for
some reason, is rich in worms.

Anyway, he is dislodging little alpines and covering others with the
earth that he flings out of the way.

I'm wondering, is there any spray that I could saturate this small area
with so that he'll either get a whiff of it or a taste of it and bugger
off? I don't want to harm the little fella, but I do want to deter him
from constantly wrecking this particular patch of garden!

I find "Slug Clear" spray brilliant for keeping the slugs away from
certain areas. I don't suppose there's a "Bird Clear"?! :-)

Eddy.


12 bore

On Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:02:34 +0100, Eddy wrote
(in article ):

There is one tiny patch of our garden which an aggressive blackbird has
an obsession with! Early every morning he comes and digs away. You can
see his beak-marks in the earth. Maybe he has learnt that the spot, for
some reason, is rich in worms.

Anyway, he is dislodging little alpines and covering others with the
earth that he flings out of the way.

I'm wondering, is there any spray that I could saturate this small area
with so that he'll either get a whiff of it or a taste of it and bugger
off? I don't want to harm the little fella, but I do want to deter him
from constantly wrecking this particular patch of garden!


Could you surround the little alpines with pebbles - at least until they are
more established?

--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
Posted through uk.rec.gardening

'Mike' wrote:
Try putting some apple down. We find that Blackbirds love apple and this
might distract him from digging. Don't laugh, but they do prefer Cox's
rather than Breaburn of Bramley!!! Cut it into quarters and put it where he
digs. It's not unsightly.

Well, that's a constructive idea! Thanks.

Eddy.

Martin wrote:
It's marketed as pussy cat.

Hee, hee. And we have a good supply of that particular product. The
thing is, for their own safety, we keep that cats indoors at night.
They go out only after we have got up . . . which is not as early as the
blackbirds are about their business!

Eddy.

Sally Thompson wrote:

Could you surround the little alpines with pebbles - at least until they are
more established?

Or put some permeable weed membrane around the alpines with some pebbles
on top of that. The blackbird would soon discover there is nothing worth
digging for any more.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

On Sat, 25 Jul 2009 01:45:47 -0700 (PDT), moghouse wrote:

Now look here, mate, humans may think they are the most important
species on the Earth, but for heaven's sake can't you learn to share?

Some people are *very* precious about their gardens but I don't think
this is the case here.

Try some fine branching birch twigs stuck in the ground every 6 to 8"
or fine dark coloured string/cotten thread tied between sticks a few
inches above the ground.

--
Cheers
Dave.

www.shanklinmanormews.co.uk
"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 25 Jul 2009 10:13:17 +0100, Eddy
wrote:

Martin wrote:
It's marketed as pussy cat.

Hee, hee. And we have a good supply of that particular product. The
thing is, for their own safety, we keep that cats indoors at night.
They go out only after we have got up . . . which is not as early as the
blackbirds are about their business!

Get a cat flap and the cat will bring you fresh blackbird for breakfast.
Ophelia will provide a recipe for Blackbird Pie.
--

Martin


Well Cat tastes like Rabbit, so how about 'Rabbit Pie'?

I encourage the birds into our gardens, so you know what I would rather
have.

--
Mike

The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rneba.org.uk
Luxury Self Catering on the Isle of Wight?

Easy, give it something to eat in a place where you don't mind it being.
Train it by putting food down in a regular spot, Blackbirds like to feed on
the ground so just put a quarter of an apple down somewhere nearby where the
bird will find it. Once the bird has found the food, do this every day to
start with, then every couple of days, then once a week, the bird will soon
learn a new routine.

I have done this particularly with blackbirds because I like them and with
squirrels. It has got to a point where I can call the squirrels from a
window and a couple come to my back door to be fed. My wife thinks I am a
loonie and walks around the house singing 'If I could talk to the animals'.
I think it's a bit of fun.

--
Mark Hamer
www.another-way.co.uk

I don't want to arrive at my grave in an attractive and well preserved body,
hopefully I will be skidding in
sideways, Gin and Tonic in one hand -- Cigar in the other screaming YAHAAAY!


"Eddy" wrote in message
...
There is one tiny patch of our garden which an aggressive blackbird has
an obsession with! Early every morning he comes and digs away. You can
see his beak-marks in the earth. Maybe he has learnt that the spot, for
some reason, is rich in worms.

Anyway, he is dislodging little alpines and covering others with the
earth that he flings out of the way.

I'm wondering, is there any spray that I could saturate this small area
with so that he'll either get a whiff of it or a taste of it and bugger
off? I don't want to harm the little fella, but I do want to deter him
from constantly wrecking this particular patch of garden!

I find "Slug Clear" spray brilliant for keeping the slugs away from
certain areas. I don't suppose there's a "Bird Clear"?! :-)

Eddy.

Stretch a length of black small-mesh net across the patch. The plants can grow through, but he will avoid entangling his beak.

Try offering him something else to eat as suggested.

On 2009-07-25 10:34:45 +0100, "Dave Liquorice"
said:

On Sat, 25 Jul 2009 01:45:47 -0700 (PDT), moghouse wrote:

Now look here, mate, humans may think they are the most important
species on the Earth, but for heaven's sake can't you learn to share?

Some people are *very* precious about their gardens but I don't think
this is the case here.

Try some fine branching birch twigs stuck in the ground every 6 to 8"
or fine dark coloured string/cotten thread tied between sticks a few
inches above the ground.

Please don't! I had to rescue a terrified bird that had got caught in
a similar arrangement! Put some mealworms down (live ones) in another
area a short distance away and keep doing that until the blackbird
starts foraging there instead. He's probably keeping the alpines clear
of all kinds of nasties you don't want, mind you!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Hamer Family wrote:
Easy, give it something to eat in a place where you don't mind it being.
Train it by putting food down in a regular spot, Blackbirds like to feed on
the ground so just put a quarter of an apple down somewhere nearby where the
bird will find it. Once the bird has found the food, do this every day to
start with, then every couple of days, then once a week, the bird will soon
learn a new routine.

I have done this particularly with blackbirds because I like them and with
squirrels. It has got to a point where I can call the squirrels from a
window and a couple come to my back door to be fed. My wife thinks I am a
loonie and walks around the house singing 'If I could talk to the animals'.
I think it's a bit of fun.

I have a tub with a blueberry in it. Loads of berries, looking forward
to a pie, but they never seemed to ripen. Early one morning I found out
why, a couple of blackbirds were picking the ripe and almost ripe ones
for themselves. So I covered it with netting. The little bs now stand on
the netting and attack the shrub, does not seem to faze them at all.
Guess I will have to make a frame and use that to keep the netting well
above the bush.

--
Please reply to group,emails to designated
address are never read.

Hamer Family wrote:

Easy, give it something to eat in a place where you don't mind it being.
Train it by putting food down in a regular spot, Blackbirds like to feed on
the ground so just put a quarter of an apple down somewhere nearby where the
bird will find it. Once the bird has found the food, do this every day to
start with, then every couple of days, then once a week, the bird will soon
learn a new routine.

I have done this particularly with blackbirds because I like them and with
squirrels. It has got to a point where I can call the squirrels from a
window and a couple come to my back door to be fed. My wife thinks I am a
loonie and walks around the house singing 'If I could talk to the animals'.
I think it's a bit of fun.

Sounds absolutely charming, Mark. I'ld love to see it!

Will get hold of some apples!

Eddy.