Lewis | April 10, 2015 | 0 Comments
…is for Jackdaw.
In the letter ‘J’ edition of our Garden Pests Series, we are yet again using artistic license, if you like. Because it was devilishly difficult to find a genuine garden nuisance beginning with ‘J’, we will be focusing on birds in general, not just jackdaws. Nevertheless, our marketing team are still immensely proud of their self-compiled list! They are also very happy about how the blog series has been received so far and it opens the door for different series of blogs in the future. Anyway, I digress!
To the gardener, the bird can be a trusted ally in minimising the effect of garden pests, as many species of bird are insectivorous and will restore natural order to your garden during, say, a flea beetle infestation. In addition, birds can really make a garden come alive; why do you think ornithologists and birdwatchers are fascinated to the level they are? However, it can be easy to forget that birds can damage your gardening efforts in equal measure.
For example, let’s say you have a vegetable patch. This can be a haven for birds to feed, but the result is a nightmare for you: a ruined crop. Actually touching on the jackdaw for a moment to make this point, a series of poor harvests during his reign led to Henry VIII introduce a Vermin Act, which legalised the killing of jackdaws and other birds to help protect grain. We at Oakleigh Manor, however, do not condone historic laws such as this! So we recommend other, much safer methods to deal with birds.
There are a number of deterrents that have proven successful; the scarecrow is as much of a deterrent nowadays as it is a cultural reference! Nevertheless, shiny objects, barriers, nets and lines and sophisticated sound makers have all enjoyed varying degrees of success. My advice to you, if you do have a problem with birds in your garden, is that it is best if you find the best deterrent for you and your garden. But remember, birds are first and foremost a welcome edition to your garden; only consider deterrents if they are affecting your plants and foodstuffs.
We hope you enjoyed this article; there are a number of different websites online to give advice relating to birds in the garden, simply pop it into Google. While you’re there, why not find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest?!
