Nowt to do with gardening, but I know there are helpful bird lovers
here. A pair of swallow have surveyed my garage and decided it would
make a good home. I have no problem with that except I cannot leave my
garage door open all the time as I have a lot of equipment there, if it
was just the car I could cope.

For several days now as soon as I open my garage door, in they go, while
I am working in there, hammering, sawing, whatever, they continue to fly
in and out. Now I am concerned that they are wasting good nest building
time, how is the best way to encourage them to look elsewhere?
TIA

In message , Broadback
writes
Nowt to do with gardening, but I know there are helpful bird lovers
here. A pair of swallow have surveyed my garage and decided it would
make a good home. I have no problem with that except I cannot leave my
garage door open all the time as I have a lot of equipment there, if it
was just the car I could cope.

For several days now as soon as I open my garage door, in they go,
while I am working in there, hammering, sawing, whatever, they continue
to fly in and out. Now I am concerned that they are wasting good nest
building time, how is the best way to encourage them to look elsewhere?
TIA

Try uk.rec.birdwatching -

--
Klara, Gatwick basin

--
purebred poultry
www.geocities.com/fenlandfowl
"Broadback" wrote in message
...
Nowt to do with gardening, but I know there are helpful bird lovers
here. A pair of swallow have surveyed my garage and decided it would
make a good home. I have no problem with that except I cannot leave my
garage door open all the time as I have a lot of equipment there, if it
was just the car I could cope.

For several days now as soon as I open my garage door, in they go, while
I am working in there, hammering, sawing, whatever, they continue to fly
in and out. Now I am concerned that they are wasting good nest building
time, how is the best way to encourage them to look elsewhere?
TIA

Keep the door shut. Hang some unwanted CDs up and they will twirl and flash
in the breeze, scaring the birds off.

Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message
from Broadback contains these words:


Nowt to do with gardening, but I know there are helpful bird lovers
here. A pair of swallow have surveyed my garage and decided it would
make a good home. I have no problem with that except I cannot leave my
garage door open all the time as I have a lot of equipment there, if it
was just the car I could cope.


For several days now as soon as I open my garage door, in they go, while
I am working in there, hammering, sawing, whatever, they continue to fly
in and out. Now I am concerned that they are wasting good nest building
time, how is the best way to encourage them to look elsewhere?


Get them out and keep the door shut while you're either in or out of
the garage. They'll get the message eventually and build somewhere else.
Or, if you have an opening window that's too small for thieves, you
could leave that open. But be warned, if you let them nest they and the
babies make a lot of droppings mess.
At our last house we had a high apex ceiling above open beams. I
usually left the back door open all day in good weather. One evening I
came in late from gardening all day and found swallows had started a
nest in the dining room and were camped out for the night on the beams..
I managed to evict them so they rehoused themselves in the summerhouse,
which didn't have a door so I couldn't exclude them. Then they wouldn't
let us in :-(

Janet.
if you can tell me how to encourage birds which will eat my slugs I
don't care how off topic you may be you're welcome in my book.

The message
from sam contains these words:

if you can tell me how to encourage birds which will eat my slugs I
don't care how off topic you may be you're welcome in my book.

You want one fo those flat ones you find on the road, but inflated. For
a bird, it doesn't fly very well, except as a frisbee.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from Malcolm contains these words:

Ducks adore slugs. Unfortunately, they eat other things, too!

Frogs, goldfish, newts, water-boatmen, caddis fly larvae, bread,
earthworms, beetles, snails, - the list is endless.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from Malcolm contains these words:
In article , Jaques
d'Alltrades writes
The message
from Malcolm contains these words:

Ducks adore slugs. Unfortunately, they eat other things, too!

Frogs, goldfish, newts, water-boatmen, caddis fly larvae, bread,
earthworms, beetles, snails, - the list is endless.

And you didn't even mention plants!

Sorry - and of course, road-rollers, JCBs, cranes, and stuff.

Especially stuff.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Malcolm wrote:
In article , sam
writes
Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message
from Broadback contains these words:

Nowt to do with gardening, but I know there are helpful bird lovers
here. A pair of swallow have surveyed my garage and decided it
would make a good home. I have no problem with that except I
cannot leave my garage door open all the time as I have a lot of
equipment there, if it was just the car I could cope.

For several days now as soon as I open my garage door, in they go,
while I am working in there, hammering, sawing, whatever, they
continue to fly in and out. Now I am concerned that they are
wasting good nest building time, how is the best way to encourage
them to look elsewhere?
Get them out and keep the door shut while you're either in or
out of
the garage. They'll get the message eventually and build somewhere
else. Or, if you have an opening window that's too small for
thieves, you could leave that open. But be warned, if you let them
nest they and the babies make a lot of droppings mess. At our
last house we had a high apex ceiling above open beams. I
usually left the back door open all day in good weather. One
evening I came in late from gardening all day and found swallows
had started a nest in the dining room and were camped out for the
night on the beams.. I managed to evict them so they rehoused
themselves in the summerhouse, which didn't have a door so I
couldn't exclude them. Then they wouldn't let us in :-(
Janet.

if you can tell me how to encourage birds which will eat my slugs I
don't care how off topic you may be you're welcome in my book.

Ducks adore slugs. Unfortunately, they eat other things, too!

Like what? You seem to imply they will eat prized plants. I keep runner duck
s and they are more interested in the slugs and snails, even big ones, than
any plants.

--�
purebred poultry
www.geocities.com/fenlandfowl

Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:
The message
from Malcolm contains these words:

Ducks adore slugs. Unfortunately, they eat other things, too!

Frogs, goldfish, newts, water-boatmen, caddis fly larvae, bread,
earthworms, beetles, snails, - the list is endless.

An adult frog might be too big for a normal domestic duck. I have never had
any ducks which ate any of my goldfish. They should not be allowed access to
an ornamental pond in any case.
On balance, I would say that a couple of small ducks would be of more
benefit than detriment to a garden.

--�
purebred poultry
www.geocities.com/fenlandfowl

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
An adult frog might be too big for a normal domestic duck.

I've often seen both ducks and hens catch and eat adult frogs. A couple
of birds squabbling over the same delicacy will peck a big frog to bits
very fast.

Janet
an adult frog would definately be more than my little call ducks or even my
runner ducks could manage.They do like large snails however and gobble them
whole :0)
Since my main snail problem is in the front garden and I cannot put the
ducks there I go snail picking when I'm bored and ferry them to the waiting
ducks.

"Malcolm" wrote in message
...
Like what? You seem to imply they will eat prized plants. I keep runner
duck
s and they are more interested in the slugs and snails, even big ones,
than
any plants.

They fond of some plants, especially the softer-leaved ones. Try them on
a row of young lettuces. Or rather, don't!
my animals are not allowed anywhere near my veggie plot. I would be happy
to let them in with other plants though.

The message
from "pammyT" fenlandfowl @talktalk.net contains these words:
Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:
The message
from Malcolm contains these words:

Ducks adore slugs. Unfortunately, they eat other things, too!

Frogs, goldfish, newts, water-boatmen, caddis fly larvae, bread,
earthworms, beetles, snails, - the list is endless.

An adult frog might be too big for a normal domestic duck. I have never had
any ducks which ate any of my goldfish. They should not be allowed access to
an ornamental pond in any case.
On balance, I would say that a couple of small ducks would be of more
benefit than detriment to a garden.

I've kept a wide range of poultry on a smallholding, and of the ducks,
callducks, Indian Runners, mallard and Muscovies.

The mallard especially will eat frogs and goldfish. I though one of them
was ill one day, it was rhtyhmically gulping. Then I saw the legs slowly
disappearing into either side of its bill. It was by no means a small
frog, either.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from Janet Baraclough contains these words:

An adult frog might be too big for a normal domestic duck.

I've often seen both ducks and hens catch and eat adult frogs. A couple
of birds squabbling over the same delicacy will peck a big frog to bits
very fast.

When I was about six I was very distressed when I saw one of the Ole
Man's hens eating a mouse. I was the more distressed because by going to
see my ducklings, [99] I had frightened the mouse into the run,
whereupon a posse of Rhode Island Reds converged on it, and the lucky
one legged it, pursued by half a dozen others.

I wouldn't eat an egg for days.

[99] http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/dux.jpg

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.

The message
from "pammyT" fenlandfowl @talktalk.net contains these words:
"Malcolm" wrote in message
...

Like what? You seem to imply they will eat prized plants. I keep runner
duck
s and they are more interested in the slugs and snails, even big ones,
than
any plants.

They fond of some plants, especially the softer-leaved ones. Try them on
a row of young lettuces. Or rather, don't!
my animals are not allowed anywhere near my veggie plot. I would be happy
to let them in with other plants though.

Huh! My goats weren't allowed in my veggie plot either.

However...

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/