Wildlife & Gardens

Was announced a week ago on ‘X’/Facebook.

Sad though, she was only 8, I admit to a watering of the eye even though I knew what he would say.

I blame Pozzo.

 

Yes she had cancer.
Are retrievers more susceptible?
There were a couple at the RVC when I took Arthur for a minor op years back.

 

I believe so, yes. Our boy Jasper was a retriever and died of a nasal tumour last year. He made it to 14 though.

 

Condolences to you for dear Jasper.

 

We have another retriever now, Monty Dog.

 

That’s sad, though 14 is good for a retriever.

They are the most empathetic and wilful dogs. We used to walk one for a woman who developed a disability and couldn’t walk it any longer. Or rather the dog walked us and on the way it met and entertained the old and young alike.

 

That sounds familiar, regularly get the remark “Who’s walking who?”.

 

She would often make a beeline for crying children as if to say ‘I’ve got this’ and usually she would work her magic. However, if she wanted to go a different way to us it was like trying to pull a sack of coal. You’d just have to go her way.

 

That's very good!
Well played.
Lovely Monty Dog!

 

I've just learned the BBC have axed Autumn watch.
What a scandalous decision.
Instead of what?
Another baking show?
Celebrity hair washing?
Do it yourself liposuction?
Pitiful.

 

It’s expensive and the BBC has had its income squeezed throughout the last 13 years. Eventually you have to cut whole things.

But Winterwatch will be on iirc.

 

Still has money for endless dross though?
Sign of the times I suppose.
Poor.

 

Should mention that Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin are doing a DIY version of Autumnwatch on YouTube, called ‘8 out of 10 Bats.’ Story below.



https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-...-out-of-10-batsyoutube?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

Lovely!

Thanks.

 

So after a few years battling the squirrels v the bird feeders I sort of gave up, but it irritated me that they hogged them so much and i've always been looking for a solution that won't hurt them or annoy the neighbours.

So this week version 18 kicked in and I think I've got it.

One big water butt underneath the bird feeders, one large water pump, (400W), invisible under the water, one smart plug primed and ready to go.

Squirrels arrive, button on mobile phone app is pressed and squirrels literally **** themselves as the water bursts out of the water butt, (they really can move when they need to). An hour later the gang of 3 is back for another go and disperse just as fast again.

Right now they're sitting in a tree plotting how to beat the new system. Also good for cats and parakeets if required.

 

I've made my peace with the squirrels. They can't get at any of the sunflower hearts, peanuts, suet pellets or fat balls I put out and simply clean up anything dropping from the feeders. Prefer them to the rats that would otherwise be attracted (which I minimise by using peppermint spray).

 

My bird table has a slinky strung under it. Squirrels not sussed that out yet.

Like this

 

Honey fungus. Anyone else had problems with this ? J**** H Ch*** it's a relatively new but growing nightmare for gardeners. Basically it infects and rots the living tree roots of almost any garden tree and transfers to the roots of all new trees within about 25 feet. As soon as you know a tree is infected you know it will die within 1-5 years depending on the size, but will probably have already infected nearby trees/hedgerow/shrubs. Despite having dead trees removed and trunks bored out as best we can, invariably some root remains and acts as a food source while it finds a new host. All told we have lost about 8 trees in the last 10 years and only recently found out the cause. Now our huge 70 foot maple is infected and dying . Normal single fungus/toadstools are ok but if you see anything like this in your lawn or at the base of any of your trees.....panic !!

 

Is ‘Honey Fungus’ some sort of euphemism?

 

Water squirt failed. They worked out when I wasn't about. Clever little f***ers.
So I tried slinky:



...which they bypassed in about 8 seconds by jumping from the decking rail onto the feeder, (those red zip ties were where the water pipe was fastened).

Now as you can see above I have a new "squirrel buster" feeder, close up below...



So far this is 100% successful. But the furry b*stards are definitely working on it. They've now mastered the slinky and can hang onto the white pole to try to reach without putting weight on the feeder, (so clever), but they can't quite reach it. The entertainment is top quality.

This morning I've not got much done as the feeder is already really popular with the smaller birds, then I had a visit by the local parakeet flock, (one of them can feed but two is too heavy), whilst the squirrels come back every 10 minutes for another try. Their ingenuity is really starting to grow on me.

 

My last sunflower seed feeder lasted two days!

I've ordered a squirrel proof one now, hopefully arriving soon.

Meanwhile shame,utter shame on a local sports club.

They have killed four foxes who gnawed at their tennis nets.

*******s.

 

Disgraceful behaviour. Hope they didn't use poison?
We have a goal in the garden and I have to replace the net every year because it gets chewed at. I always thought it was the foxes but someone told me it's more likely to be badgers. We also had a muntjac deer get it's head stuck in the net one night. Unfortunately it died and I had to cut the net to get it out. Chunky little bugger.

 

How is Michaela and Chris Packham talking about badger expensive?

 

Disgraceful. Surely the tennis nets should be inside a secure tennis court with fence and door so that wildlife can't get in and get trapped in the first place ?
When i sit and watch our pair of foxes eating the cat food i have just put down for them each night I often wonder whether they will live a full life or die on the road or at the hands of the local hunt or a local resident who doesn't want them in his/her garden.

 

Mine's on a freestanding pole so out of leaping height. I used to have a feeder hanging on the eaves but they mob handedly jumped on it and pulled it to the ground.

To date I've only seen one squirrel manage to push the slinky up the pole ahead of him and circumvent it, the rest just give up after a few days of trying and go elsewhere.

Mind you stopped feeding now as have had a bit of a rodent issue. The foxes don't seem to be doing anything with them, prefering to masacre a poor kid's rabbit leaving half of it on their lawn instead. Either that or screaming underneath my bedroom window at 3am just to piss me off. One took a **** on my doormat the other week. I thin kit;s revenge for my new fence with concret e gravel boards that they cant get through.

I've not ruled out bottling my own piss and spreading it about as a deterrent.

 

If you mean rats when you say rodent issue, try using one of the rodent-repellent peppermint sprays which screws up their senses https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0995SYXR1?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details for a few days around the area and fit these seed catcher trays underneath the feeders https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BKSFXVVF?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details . Plus of course a baffle on the birder feeder poles to stop rats simply shining up the pole... I had 3 rats under my feeders at one point and since using these 2 items I've not seen a single rat for 2 months now.

As for squirrels, I love them. All my feeders (niger/sunflower hearts/peanuts/suet nibbles and suet balls) are squirrel proof and the squirrels just clear up what drops in the above catcher trays and anything that makes it to the floor, which saves me clearing it up or rats being attracted. Will post a pic of my set up at some point...I regularly have 40+ goldfinches/greenfinches on the 20 port sunflower and niger feeders

 

You never got that in a Beatrix Potter book...

I did this a couple of years ago to stop badgers wrecking the lawn. Worked briefly, but they came back. Blocking up all the holes in the fence did the job long term.

 

Slinky almost worked out. One of the crafty ****s now jumps to a certain point and hangs on as the slinky slides down but isn't level with the feeder point yet. I expect that'll happen tomorrow morning.

 

How did/do you stop them from digging underneath?

 

I assume any outside broadcasts are way more expensive to put on than those in a studio.

 

Fortunately the holes were above solid ground, so covering gave them no way in. The rest is all gravel boards, so it's a fortress.

 

Lucky. Mine have dug a couple of feet under into soil and whatever I try, I can't seem to keep them out.