Jane Ransom wrote:

In article dN0tc.43$NF6.21@newsfe2-win, Bob Holly
writes

Does anyone have any good tips for persuading blackbirds not to throw bark
mulch over the lawn when foraging in the borders?


Nope - unless you can face suspending models of sparrowhawks all over
your garden!!!!!!


With a large garden and a lot of formal beds, the benefits of weed
supression are being offset by the time needed to clear up each day.


Get used to it and be thankful that you have lots of birds in your
garden. Let's face it, it doesn't take long to use a soft brush on the
lawn to sweep the bark mulch back on to the borders, does it? !!!!!

They certainly make a mess on my lawn and drive throwing the bark
chippings about, can't get it all off the lawn, the lawnmower lets me
know what's left! :-( I thought that I would line the edges with lawn
edging, reckon that would work?



--
Please only reply to Newsgroup as emails
to this address are deleted on arrival.

Jane,

I've seen blackbirds in my parents garden eating both slugs and using anvil
stones to each snails. My parents have very sandy soil and worms are often
deep down so perhaps it might be more correct to say that blackbirds prefer
not to eat slugs but will if that's all that's around.

My own garden is clay, normally quite damp and with worms near the surface.
I see blackbirds pulling worms all the time but they've never gone for
either the slugs all snails as far as I can see. My wife wishes they would
because she likes hostas!

Paul DS.

In article , Jane Ransom
writes
In article , Malcolm
writes

In article , Jane Ransom
writes
In article , Paul
D.Smith writes
Sounds like your blackbirds are searching for slugs

No, no, no - blackbirds do not eat slugs!!
They are just searching for worms and insects.

Hey, why not give blackbirds the credit that is their due?!

They certainly do eat slugs

Perhaps you could let the people who compiled the 'cd rom guide to
British birds' and the Readers Digest who compiled the 'book of British
birds' then!!!!!!

I once went through them to see what birds ate slugs.
There were only 7 -

Starling, partridge, corncrake, stone curlew, spotted crake, black
tailed godwit and moorhen.

Well, I'm astonished that no member of the thrush family is mentioned.
But of course that just goes to show you can't trust what you read in
bird books :-))

But if you do (!), then as well as the book on thrushes that I quoted,
slugs are mentioned as blackbird food in the 7-volume (and *very*
authoritative) 'Birds of the Western Palearctic'. They are also
mentioned as being eaten "in abundance" in 'The Blackbird' (Hillstead
1945).


--
Malcolm

In article , Broadback
writes
Jane Ransom wrote:

In article dN0tc.43$NF6.21@newsfe2-win, Bob Holly
writes

Does anyone have any good tips for persuading blackbirds not to throw
bark
mulch over the lawn when foraging in the borders?
Nope - unless you can face suspending models of sparrowhawks all
over
your garden!!!!!!

With a large garden and a lot of formal beds, the benefits of weed
supression are being offset by the time needed to clear up each day.
Get used to it and be thankful that you have lots of birds in your
garden. Let's face it, it doesn't take long to use a soft brush on the
lawn to sweep the bark mulch back on to the borders, does it? !!!!!

They certainly make a mess on my lawn and drive throwing the bark
chippings about, can't get it all off the lawn, the lawnmower lets me
know what's left! :-( I thought that I would line the edges with lawn
edging, reckon that would work?

It'll probably just encourage them to give them an obstacle to throw the
mulch over. Much more fun!

--
Malcolm

In article , Neil Jones neil@the-
joneses.org.uk writes

You might want to come and tell the blackbirds in my garden - I have
observed them eating slugs on many occasions :-)

While I have watched a thrush eating a snail, I have never seen any bird
eat a slug (((((((

Perhaps there is enough stuff that they like in our garden so that they
don't need to resort to slugs )))))))))))
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason, put ransoms
at jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see

"Malcolm" wrote in message
...

In article , Jane Ransom
writes
In article , Malcolm
writes

In article , Jane Ransom
writes
In article ,
Paul
D.Smith writes
Sounds like your blackbirds are searching for slugs

No, no, no - blackbirds do not eat slugs!!
They are just searching for worms and insects.

Hey, why not give blackbirds the credit that is their due?!

They certainly do eat slugs

Perhaps you could let the people who compiled the 'cd rom guide to
British birds' and the Readers Digest who compiled the 'book of
British
birds' then!!!!!!

I once went through them to see what birds ate slugs.
There were only 7 -

Starling, partridge, corncrake, stone curlew, spotted crake, black
tailed godwit and moorhen.

Well, I'm astonished that no member of the thrush family is
mentioned.
But of course that just goes to show you can't trust what you read
in
bird books :-))

But if you do (!), then as well as the book on thrushes that I
quoted,
slugs are mentioned as blackbird food in the 7-volume (and *very*
authoritative) 'Birds of the Western Palearctic'. They are also
mentioned as being eaten "in abundance" in 'The Blackbird'
(Hillstead
1945).

I have watched both male and female blackbirds catching and eating
slugs in the garden. I have also on various occasions watched a
thrush beating a snail on a stone to crack the shell before extracting
the snail for eating.

Franz

Lets just say that the blackbirds turn over the mulch looking for food.
In so doing they also stop any weed seed taking rot in the mulch.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

The message
from "David Hill" contains these
words:

Lets just say that the blackbirds turn over the mulch looking for food.
In so doing they also stop any weed seed taking rot in the mulch.

Quite. As they endlessly turn over the mulch here, they are doing the
same job as turning a compost heap..letting in air and rain and
encouraging its decomposition which in turn encourages more worm
activity, to our mutual benefit.

Janet.

On Wed, 26 May 2004 13:17:36 +0100, "Bob Holly"
wrote:

Does anyone have any good tips for persuading blackbirds not to throw bark
mulch over the lawn when foraging in the borders?
With a large garden and a lot of formal beds, the benefits of weed
supression are being offset by the time needed to clear up each day.
Any suggestions will be gratefully received.

Bob Holly


We had the same problem but they were doing it on the drive. I had to
go out and give them a stern telling off so that they would stand the
other way round.

Seriously though we bought some black netting and have spread it over
the mulching borders, about 18" wide. This has all but put a stop to
it. We get just a bit from a particularly energetic bird who manages
to reach the drive from well into the border. It's not a problem now.

The netting is about 1/2" square, and you have to look hard to see it.
I anchored it with hooks made from some redundant old wire that was
lying about.
John
In limine sapientiae

On 29/5/04 10:41 am, in article ,
"John Edgar" wrote:

snip
Seriously though we bought some black netting and have spread it over
the mulching borders, about 18" wide. This has all but put a stop to
it. We get just a bit from a particularly energetic bird who manages
to reach the drive from well into the border. It's not a problem now.

The netting is about 1/2" square, and you have to look hard to see it.
I anchored it with hooks made from some redundant old wire that was
lying about.

And you will quite possibly have trapped, injured and dead birds in the
netting. All because some mulch gets thrown around? The blackbirds are
searching for and eating pests that will attack the very plants you are
trying to protect. Does a perfectly tidy, manicured, practically hoovered
garden make up for more pests and dead birds? ;-)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds after garden to email me)

"John Edgar" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 26 May 2004 13:17:36 +0100, "Bob Holly"

wrote:

Does anyone have any good tips for persuading blackbirds not to
throw bark
mulch over the lawn when foraging in the borders?
With a large garden and a lot of formal beds, the benefits of weed
supression are being offset by the time needed to clear up each
day.
Any suggestions will be gratefully received.

Bob Holly


We had the same problem but they were doing it on the drive. I had
to
go out and give them a stern telling off so that they would stand
the
other way round.

Seriously though we bought some black netting and have spread it
over
the mulching borders, about 18" wide. This has all but put a stop to
it. We get just a bit from a particularly energetic bird who manages
to reach the drive from well into the border. It's not a problem
now.

The netting is about 1/2" square, and you have to look hard to see
it.
I anchored it with hooks made from some redundant old wire that was
lying about.

Just in case you don't know, allowing birds to be trapped in
micronetting is illegal. Judging by your description, yout netting
falls into that category.

Franz

And you will quite possibly have trapped, injured and dead birds in the
netting. All because some mulch gets thrown around? The blackbirds are
searching for and eating pests that will attack the very plants you are
trying to protect. Does a perfectly tidy, manicured, practically hoovered
garden make up for more pests and dead birds? ;-)


Frankly I think this is a bit of an over-reaction. Firstly I have seen
no dead birds anywhere. Secondly the netting is only about 12" to 18"
wide - it is just where the mulch comes up to the drive. They have the
rest of the beds to go over at their own will and pleasure which they
do extensively. I don't care 2 hoots what they do there and they are
welcome to find whatever they want.
John
In limine sapientiae

Just in case you don't know, allowing birds to be trapped in
micronetting is illegal. Judging by your description, yout netting
falls into that category.

Franz

I don't think it is micro netting. It was described as fruit netting.
No birds have become trapped. They simply do not go on it or over it
which is the plan. They have the rest of the beds to muck about in
which is what they do and I am quite happy abbout that.
John
In limine sapientiae

On 30/5/04 9:31 am, in article ,
"John Edgar" wrote:



And you will quite possibly have trapped, injured and dead birds in the
netting. All because some mulch gets thrown around? The blackbirds are
searching for and eating pests that will attack the very plants you are
trying to protect. Does a perfectly tidy, manicured, practically hoovered
garden make up for more pests and dead birds? ;-)


Frankly I think this is a bit of an over-reaction. Firstly I have seen
no dead birds anywhere. Secondly the netting is only about 12" to 18"
wide - it is just where the mulch comes up to the drive. They have the
rest of the beds to go over at their own will and pleasure which they
do extensively. I don't care 2 hoots what they do there and they are
welcome to find whatever they want.
John
In limine sapientiae

You may not like my remarks or those of others who have said the same but
that doesn't make them incorrect. Birds DO get trapped in such netting,
panic and die. Things that they eat which are pests to your plants will live
in that mulch and you won't have the benefit of your pest controllers.
I had fishing line - not netting - stretched around the perimeter of a pond
to deter herons. I rescued two blackbirds just from that single line
because they'd managed to get a foot or wing across it somehow.
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds after garden to email me)

"John Edgar" wrote in message
...


Just in case you don't know, allowing birds to be trapped in
micronetting is illegal. Judging by your description, yout netting
falls into that category.

Franz

I don't think it is micro netting. It was described as fruit
netting.

This does not sound like fruit netting :-
"The netting is about 1/2" square, and you have to look hard to see
it."

No birds have become trapped. They simply do not go on it or over it
which is the plan. They have the rest of the beds to muck about in
which is what they do and I am quite happy abbout that.

Franz