Cheers from Europe,
I feel like this is really my topic as the birds are capable to destroy a lot of my effort concerning repotting, topdressing, etc. They are mostly what you call blackbirds. I guess I know what is the problem - beside they bonsai work I quite like them on my garden :slight_smile
I tried tabasco smell, protection and this year I war quite succesful with CDs
You can see one on my Nidiformis in training. Iāve heard they are particulary scared by āmoving reflectionsā.
Its better now but still they find strenght to do some riot from time to time. Mehā¦
Awsomeā¦
Repost this onā¦ āPost your petsi picsā ā¦
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Donāt recognise the species? Is he eating the fertilizer, stealing the top dressingā¦ or looking for birds?
I have read about using a CD and reflective materials, but my wife did not approve of putting them in our garden.
I did use peppermint oil with fairly good results. The birds are very sensitive to this smell.
I would mix around 20-30 drops in a medium size spray bottle and spray around my garden, potted up trees and anywhere I could see the birds being a nuisance.
Arrrrgh, some birds, I suspect ravens or magpies, wreaked complete havoc in my pots over the last couple of days. sneaky buggers for sure, as I havenāt caught one in the act yet. They ripped of entire moss layers. The nicer and thicker the moss, the more they seem to like it.
Glad for all the tips here. I think Iāll try several methods to see what works bestā¦ Watch out you beaked buggers, the game is on.
Thanks for all the advice!
Pepper is definitely no help. I applied a generous amount yesterday, only to find the pots plowed again today.
So as next attempt and short term solution, I put some large stones on the pots until I can source some other materials this weekend.
Still in two minds whether I should go for a tabasco or peppermint solution or rather build some wire mesh coversā¦ on the one hand, wire mesh doesnāt look nice, on the other hand, it only needs to be applied onceā¦
Definitely give the peppermint oil spray a try. You will have to apply daily. I spray it around and on the sides of the pots, growboxes, containersā¦
Birds are very sensitive to peppermint.
I do have wire mesh cover over some of my trees pots.
Not really sure if birds behave like deer and squirrel when foraging for food.
With deer and squirrels the deterrent/repellent needs to be in place before they start seeking out their food source. If you are late with application, they have already stamped the spot in their memory and will disregard the repellent.
Being proactive is the key for success with deterrents.
I now covered some of my pots with wire meshā¦
Additionally, I ordered a life-size movable dummy owl and two dummies of dead magpies. I hope the combination of these will keep the birds away from my terrace.
Oh, and I figured out that I have weevil grubs in my pots and ordered nematodes to fight them. That should also remove the food source that the birds are after.
@Christoph Lucky you spotted the vine weevils. Could have been nasty and the tree may not have survived. You probably have Robins or blackbirds scraping the moss. Unfortunately there are grubs that live in moss so they could be after them, but it is nesting time and they line their nests with moss. However, they tend to try every bit to get a dry piece. CDs is my preferred method and at only Ā£5 for fifty they are a cheap solution. You do have to keep them clean and reflective.
Yes, Iām glad I discovered the grubs and that a friend could identify them. He also found the characteristic weevil eating patterns on the leaves of some of my plants. I hope the nematodes will take care of that.
Iām pretty sure that the culprit birds are a couple of magpies which is nesting in a tree in line of sight from my placeā¦ I see them around all the time. Initially I also thought that theyāre after the moss for their nest, but I found that they just pick the moss and leave it all behind. So they must be looking for food in the pots and not for nesting material.
sneaky buggers for sure, as I havenāt caught one in the act yet. They ripped of entire moss layers. The nicer and thicker the moss, the more they seem to like it.
