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gregotyn

Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 19 1:36 pm Post subject:
Get Mr Shan outside with the air gun-or is that illegal?

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 19 2:45 pm Post subject:
Well, I have just managed to catch it in the greenhouse and rid it of its head. Hopefully, it was only one Starling.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46235
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 19 5:21 pm Post subject:
avian infestation is one valid defence but netting the windows might be nice you are scary, cqb with vermin is no something that might help is that birds pecking at tomatoes are often more interested in water than calories, i have reduced outdoor damage to nowt by always having a full bird bath

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46235
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 19 5:28 pm Post subject:
ps i have an arrangement with the mice, they get to use one nice one as an edible hammock and eat that one first. the scale would be me eating a tomato i could sleep in, they get maybe two a season. if they break the deal the chilli comes out and they get nowt chilli does not work with avians

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 19 8:00 pm Post subject:

dpack wrote:

avian infestation is one valid defence but netting the windows might be nice

you are scary, cqb with vermin is no

something that might help is that birds pecking at tomatoes are often more interested in water than calories, i have reduced outdoor damage to nowt by always having a full bird bath

Plenty of water here. I think it might have been a single Starling that had a taste for tomatoes.... not anymore. I shouldn't mention it but the chicken ate the Starling's head.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46235
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 19 9:55 pm Post subject:

why does that seem so normal?

ahh, the dirty 4 dozen ( and various other chooks )

meshing the vents with fly screen is good as it is a pretty good small pest barrier as well , however mesh will also exclude pollinators .

15 mm mesh will exclude most birds while allowing airflow and insect transit

if the windows auto open a low tech approach might be as simple as good gaffer tape and a bit of decent textile net on the side they move away from.
ie open out net on inside easy or the other way which can have access ( and perhaps pre hospital trauma life support ) issues

inside or beside outside i feel comfy , over makes me nervous with glass.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15984

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 19 6:54 am Post subject:
I would suggest mesh over the vents too if it reoccurs. My bedroom window when I was a child had wire mesh over it as a neighbours cat used to come in, and Mum was terrified of cats generally, and that one would suffocate me while I slept in particular. Strangely, I rather like cats.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 19 7:05 am Post subject:

Well, the netting arrives today. I'm going to monitor the situation & if it was only one rogue Starling, I'm going to avoid netting purely because we do get various bees in the greenhouse. If not, I'll have to set it up. Gaffer tape is not really an option as the greenhouse is quite large, so impossible to reach the apex or even the windows from the outside. Doing it from the inside is a possibility but likely to be quite tricky as the arm of the auto-opener is on the inside. I had thought about attaching tennis balls to the corners of strips of netting and flinging it over the greenhouse and then tying down.... the joys...

gregotyn

Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area

Posted: Sat Jul 20, 19 9:29 am Post subject:
I wood use a couple of laundry line props to help get the net over the roof, using Mr Shan on one and a friend on the other and you as supervisor!

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15984

Posted: Sun Jul 21, 19 6:24 am Post subject:

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Sun Jul 21, 19 8:56 am Post subject:
Good idea Gregotyn!

gregotyn

Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 19 1:49 pm Post subject:
Thank you Shan, but remember, it is under your supervision. So just 'if' things don't go to plan, don't blame me.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 19 9:11 pm Post subject:
Don't worry, I won't .... besides it sounds very sensible!

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46235
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Jul 23, 19 10:49 pm Post subject:

one handy tip re netting things.

things have all manner of corners, snags, frictions etc etc.

if you first cover the thing with a sheet of visqueen or a polyprop tarp ( organic versions may be available but it needs to be smooth and slippery and strong enough not be be caught by a clip or whatever ), then you can then stretch and adjust the net, fasten one side and perhaps most of the edges ( if you cut or folded the sheet well ), pull out the sheet from the open side and finalise any fastenings for the net.

if it works for a cammo net over assorted uncooperative flora or a cargo net on a rather twiggy bender frame for growing cucumbers it should work over a glasshouse.

so long as the sheet material is snag resistant it does make life easier for that sort of thing

i must try to talk some body into it for netting cherries etc

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Jul 24, 19 7:05 am Post subject:
Good idea... and I will use it next year for netting my cherries.

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