blimmin' pigeons

[indigox]

I went up to the lottie earlier and the netting had lifted off my young psb and cabbages, bl**dy pigeons must have stripped off all the leaves in a flash, the almost bare stalks are looking forlorn, but I covered them back up anyway, probably too late for them to have any chance of recovery but I guess it's worth waiting to see. So flipping annoying, I've decided I'm going to make a cd mobile/scarecrowy thing to take up tomorrow!

[Mchanen]

OH no you must have been fuming - a friend of mine was growing runner beans (I think) until the pigeons got to them, i've been lucky so far as we have a few wood pigeons and magpies that come to our garden but haven't touched my plants so far- fingers crossed!

Hope you've managed to rescue your poor plants! You'll have to let us know how it goes

[Two_Sheds]

I'm going to make a cd mobile/scarecrowy thing to take up tomorrow!

They don't work.
Pigeons are either too stupid to notice, or too intelligent to be scared of them.
It's got to be nets

[spectrawax8]

yep sympathy - me too. Thought Id be safe as there might be other things for the plump b******s to eat. Also have pheasants who like brassicas as well.
Anyone got a spare air rifle?

[TEB]

yep sympathy - me too. Thought Id be safe as there might be other things for the plump b******s to eat. Also have pheasants who like brassicas as well.
Anyone got a spare air rifle?

Lol, Pigeons had our Brassicas as well, right back to the stem but they did recover, in the meantime OH said she would get the air rifle off her ex, that was until she saw said pigeons on the roof necking and cooeing (sp) ahh isnt that loveeeely (she's Welsh) I knew then that she wouldn't get the gun and its back to chasing them round the garden with a bamboo cane

[indigox]

They don't work.
Pigeons are either too stupid to notice, or too intelligent to be scared of them.
It's got to be nets

Unfortunately the net failed this time so I thought it might be worth a try in addition to putting the nets back on.

I think it will be fun for the kids to help make even if it is completely useless at scaring pigeons.

[Flummery]

I have some wooden frames with fine chicken wire stapled over. THAT works! Also I now grow more chard than cabbage/PSB - because at least our local pigeons don't like chard.

[spectrawax8]

Yes I think I'm going to build a permanent movable cage not just for the birds but to stop the butterflies who love laying eggs on the poor old brassicas.

[indigox]

I have some wooden frames with fine chicken wire stapled over. THAT works! Also I now grow more chard than cabbage/PSB - because at least our local pigeons don't like chard.

They seem to like my chard! I thought it was safe because they left it alone last year, I've now netted that too. They've also pecked off all the leaves on my baby beetroots which is very annoying. I might just have to cover the whole plot in one big net, and crawl about underneath it!

[Flummery]

I hope ours never get the taste for it - I'll have to make more frames if they do! It'll be like a vegetable Colditz on my plot!

[indigox]

Vegetable colditz- lol! Mine is starting to get that way.
It's likely that it will soon look worse when the dementor/grim reaper scarecrow my son has designed is in place!

I could see the fat little bast**ds sitting in the tree waiting for me to leave this morning.

[COMPOST CORNER]

I could hear some chicks squawking in the tree in my garden, "How nice" I thought as I tended my veg plot. Then I saw a parent coming in to feed. Bluddy Wood Pigeon!! Could not believe it.

[frias]

Flipping things have stripped my plum tree. Did the same last year too. Previuos years the tree produced masses of plums but now doesn't get the chance.

[Saraheliz]

Just seen my cabbages, most of the leaves have gone, they looked so good. Never made protection for cabbages I presume you can just drape netting over a frame but I guess you need to make sure birds don't get trapped?

[indigox]

Just seen my cabbages, most of the leaves have gone, they looked so good. Never made protection for cabbages I presume you can just drape netting over a frame but I guess you need to make sure birds don't get trapped?

If they do get trapped it is a bonus because you can get revenge by eating them instead of the cabbages!

Seriously though, netting draped over a frame is fine, make sure you weight or peg it down at the edges.