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Pigeons
Help!!!!
A deterrent for pigeons please I have lost rows of brassicas after netting then letting them see the air Anyon any great ideas Cheers Rich |
Pigeons
Just keep them netted, right down to the ground, it's a flaming nuisance but
seems the only way unless someone comes up with a good answer Robert wrote in message ... : Help!!!! : A deterrent for pigeons please I have lost rows of brassicas after : netting then letting them see the air : Anyon any great ideas : Cheers : Rich |
Pigeons
Just keep them netted, right down to the ground, it's a flaming nuisance
but seems the only way unless someone comes up with a good answer Seconded! Mine are still covered, I just loosen the netting periodically to allow for growth. Taking the netting off is just like saying "Come on in boys - brassicas for breakfast!" I've also found that a close knit net also helps to minimise cabbage white butterflies laying their eggs and the associated green munchers. On the down side though, it deters blackbirds and other useful birds from eating slugs. Can never win! -- Drakanthus. (Spam filter: Include the word VB anywhere in the subject line or emails will never reach me.) |
Pigeons
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Pigeons
Pigeons are certainly selective in their feeding.
When I was market gardening we used to grow a number of varieties of winter cabbage, Hard white, pickling, Savoy, January King, and a couple of other varieties. We planted 4 rows to a bed by machine, 1 & 3 down and 2 & 4 on the way back, so when we finished one variety we just started the next so the varieties were mixed, and not in fixed blocks. We found the pigeons would start with January king and go for all those before moving on to their next choice. the last to be eaten was the hard white. I wish I could grow cabbage,etc here, but I have a neighbour who had Fantail'. which have crossed with wild pigeons, so are not saleable, the flock is now over 60 strong,and these live less than 200 yds from me. I have grown Kohlrabi and they don't go for that. -- David Hill Abacus nurseries www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk |
Pigeons
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Pigeons
Richard wrote in message ... Help!!!! A deterrent for pigeons please I have lost rows of brassicas after netting then letting them see the air Anyon any great ideas Well we used to net but it's such a pain putting it on and then trying to weed etc, so we now just hang old CR-Roms around the brassica plot off tall canes pushed in at an angle and those discs flashing in the light seem to deter the pests. Old video tape strung around also has the same effect as it twists and turns in the breeze. I might add that we have a plague of feral pigeons (and collared doves) around our site as they find easy pickings at the Swan Sanctuary next door. -- Bob www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in Runnymede fighting for it's existence. |
Pigeons
Well we used to net but it's such a pain putting it on and then trying to
weed etc, so we now just hang old CR-Roms around the brassica plot off tall canes pushed in at an angle and those discs flashing in the light seem to deter the pests. Bob Ahhh! A use at last for all those junk mail AOL disks! -- Drakanthus. (Spam filter: Include the word VB anywhere in the subject line or emails will never reach me.) |
Pigeons
"Drakanthus" wrote in message Well we used to net but it's such a pain putting it on and then trying to weed etc, so we now just hang old CR-Roms around the brassica plot off tall canes pushed in at an angle and those discs flashing in the light seem to deter the pests. Bob Ahhh! A use at last for all those junk mail AOL disks! Yep, that's the ones. :-) -- Bob www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in Runnymede fighting for it's existence. |
Pigeons
"Sue & Bob Hobden" wrote in message ... "Drakanthus" wrote in message Well we used to net but it's such a pain putting it on and then trying to weed etc, so we now just hang old CR-Roms around the brassica plot off tall canes pushed in at an angle and those discs flashing in the light seem to deter the pests. Bob Ahhh! A use at last for all those junk mail AOL disks! Yep, that's the ones. :-) -- Bob www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in Runnymede fighting for it's existence. Several neighbours in Devon use old CDs. I tried them last year and they seem to work. It may be the direct reflected image as much as the flashing. An old couple where we used to live in Cheshire used 2 litre transparent pop bottles half filled with water to deterr rabbits. When laid on its side the bottle gives a magnified reflected image of objects moving near it. This could be alarming for a creature wary of predators. May be reflective discs with a good mirror surface have the same effect. Apparently reflective discs are being used in Australia to deterr Australian crows-(a different species ours may be smarter) from nesting on the top of telegraph posts. regards David T. |
Pigeons
Sue & Bob Hobden wrote: Richard wrote in message ... Help!!!! A deterrent for pigeons please I have lost rows of brassicas after netting then letting them see the air Anyon any great ideas We often found little piles of pigeon feathers in our garden and thought it to be the work of the local fox community. Until that is one damp sunday afternoon We were loafing in our back room reading when there was quite a bang on the glass of the patio door. Pigeons and Collared Doves used our TV mast as a perch and sheltered in our apple tree or next door's conifers so it was not unusual to see them flapping around. "Silly pigeon it's flown it's flown into the window" exclaimed my wife. We got up to see a pigeon on the patio frantically heaving but being firmly held down by what proved to a Sparrow Hawk. The force and speed of the bird of prey hitting the window must with the pigeon must ahve quite considerable Upon seeing us at the window the Hawk took off, still holding the pigeon, skimmimg down the garden a few yards to the shelter of a shrub. There it continued to hold down the pigeon until all movement had stopped. This took a few minuets, I guess the bird must have died from either shock or asphyxiation. The Hawk then proceeded to eat until just a few feathers remained. The whole event took about 45 mins or so. We felt it hard luck for pigeon but also privildged to see something so amazing. We now notice less pigeons and doves in the garden than of old. So how do you encourage Hawks into the natural course of things. We live in surban Surrey but have quite a bit of open countruy around. Pam and Derek Banks |
Pigeons
"Derek wrote in message ((snip)) We got up to see a pigeon on the patio frantically heaving but being firmly held down by what proved to a Sparrow Hawk. The force and speed of the bird of prey hitting the window must with the pigeon must ahve quite considerable Upon seeing us at the window the Hawk took off, still holding the pigeon, skimmimg down the garden a few yards to the shelter of a shrub. There it continued to hold down the pigeon until all movement had stopped. This took a few minuets, I guess the bird must have died from either shock or asphyxiation. The Hawk then proceeded to eat until just a few feathers remained. The whole event took about 45 mins or so. We felt it hard luck for pigeon but also privildged to see something so amazing. We now notice less pigeons and doves in the garden than of old. So how do you encourage Hawks into the natural course of things. We live in surban Surrey but have quite a bit of open countruy around. Having pigeons and collared doves around in numbers is enough encouragement. There are usually lots around our allotment site due to locals feeding them and easy pickings at the Swan Sanctuary but every few weeks they disappear for a few days because the hawks have moved in. We even had a Goshawk around our site last year. I've actually had a hawk hit a pigeon right over my head, thought it was snowing :-) the Hawk landed with it a few yards away but flew off presumably when it realised I was so close, the pigeon eventually flew off too. -- Bob (in N. Surrey) www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in Runnymede fighting for it's existence. |
Pigeons
"Derek Banks" wrote in message ... Sue & Bob Hobden wrote: Richard wrote in message ... Help!!!! A deterrent for pigeons please I have lost rows of brassicas after netting then letting them see the air Anyon any great ideas We often found little piles of pigeon feathers in our garden and thought it to be the work of the local fox community. Until that is one damp sunday afternoon We were loafing in our back room reading when there was quite a bang on the glass of the patio door. Pigeons and Collared Doves used our TV mast as a perch and sheltered in our apple tree or next door's conifers so it was not unusual to see them flapping around. "Silly pigeon it's flown it's flown into the window" exclaimed my wife. We got up to see a pigeon on the patio frantically heaving but being firmly held down by what proved to a Sparrow Hawk. The force and speed of the bird of prey hitting the window must with the pigeon must ahve quite considerable Upon seeing us at the window the Hawk took off, still holding the pigeon, skimmimg down the garden a few yards to the shelter of a shrub. There it continued to hold down the pigeon until all movement had stopped. This took a few minuets, I guess the bird must have died from either shock or asphyxiation. The Hawk then proceeded to eat until just a few feathers remained. The whole event took about 45 mins or so. We felt it hard luck for pigeon but also privildged to see something so amazing. We now notice less pigeons and doves in the garden than of old. So how do you encourage Hawks into the natural course of things. We live in surban Surrey but have quite a bit of open countruy around. Pam and Derek Banks Sparrow Hawks and peregrines 'work' our and neighbours' gardens in Devon. Typically a raptor seems to reside for about 1 week then moves on. I understand a pair of sparrow hawks have a territory of about 1 square mile. They lurk in ambush and dash through branches to catch smaller birds up to collared dove size. When a raptor is around we usually find a new heap of pigeon feathers somewhere in the garden each day. I've seen a several sparrow hawk attacks on smaller birds and all were unsuccessful-and I guess the hawk moves around when the local population becomes clued up. If the small birds spot the hawk in ambush position alarm calls from blackbirds , finches and tits spread all around the garden and continue until it moves away. Collared doves are much more wary when a hawk has been around for a few days. Raptors need a prey population to survive-unlike cats. |
Pigeons
"Sue & Bob Hobden" wrote in message ... "Drakanthus" wrote in message Well we used to net but it's such a pain putting it on and then trying to weed etc, so we now just hang old CR-Roms around the brassica plot off tall canes pushed in at an angle and those discs flashing in the light seem to deter the pests. Bob Ahhh! A use at last for all those junk mail AOL disks! Yep, that's the ones. :-) -- Bob www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in Runnymede fighting for it's existence. Several neighbours in Devon use old CDs. I tried them last year and they seem to work. It may be the direct reflected image as much as the flashing. An old couple where we used to live in Cheshire used 2 litre transparent pop bottles half filled with water to deterr rabbits. When laid on its side the bottle gives a magnified reflected image of objects moving near it. This could be alarming for a creature wary of predators. May be reflective discs with a good mirror surface have the same effect. Apparently reflective discs are being used in Australia to deterr Australian crows-(a different species ours may be smarter) from nesting on the top of telegraph posts. regards David T. |
Pigeons
Sue & Bob Hobden wrote: Richard wrote in message ... Help!!!! A deterrent for pigeons please I have lost rows of brassicas after netting then letting them see the air Anyon any great ideas We often found little piles of pigeon feathers in our garden and thought it to be the work of the local fox community. Until that is one damp sunday afternoon We were loafing in our back room reading when there was quite a bang on the glass of the patio door. Pigeons and Collared Doves used our TV mast as a perch and sheltered in our apple tree or next door's conifers so it was not unusual to see them flapping around. "Silly pigeon it's flown it's flown into the window" exclaimed my wife. We got up to see a pigeon on the patio frantically heaving but being firmly held down by what proved to a Sparrow Hawk. The force and speed of the bird of prey hitting the window must with the pigeon must ahve quite considerable Upon seeing us at the window the Hawk took off, still holding the pigeon, skimmimg down the garden a few yards to the shelter of a shrub. There it continued to hold down the pigeon until all movement had stopped. This took a few minuets, I guess the bird must have died from either shock or asphyxiation. The Hawk then proceeded to eat until just a few feathers remained. The whole event took about 45 mins or so. We felt it hard luck for pigeon but also privildged to see something so amazing. We now notice less pigeons and doves in the garden than of old. So how do you encourage Hawks into the natural course of things. We live in surban Surrey but have quite a bit of open countruy around. Pam and Derek Banks |
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