A bird in distress.

[Palustris]

Such a nice morning and I went for my walk. Down the lane there was a kerfuffle in the hedgerow. I stopped to look. There flapping madly and swearing in Bird was a hawk. I removed my bobble hat and put it over the bird, which calmed it down a little. Whethter it was natural or man made I did not notice, but the poor thing was tied up in string like stuff. Did not take long to unravel it. I removed my hat and it sat and looked at me for an instant then flew away to the woods. Came home looked it up in the bird book, a sparrow-hawk. Very pleasing.

[Palustris]

[flowerbaby_uk]

Hi Palustris doing your good deeds and being kind as always :)I thought you might want the addy of a bird site i saw in the january issue of Gardens Monthly it has a page dedicated to the sparrow hawk with  precise details on its size appearance and breeding habitsand even a recording of its call.There are similar pages of hundreds of other British garden birdsand info on events walks etc going on allover the country.

www.garden-birds.co.uk/

regards flower

[Palustris]

Why thank-you, kind lady.  Been, seen, exactly what we wanted. Superb

[tim]

Sometimes I wonder why we bother.
Coming back through Pembrokeshire many years ago - in our brand new Rover 90, with walnut fascia etc - we took a walk on the beach - and found an oiled-up cormorant. Of course, we gathered it up in a blanket -  wife tried to 'contain' it in the car while we took it to the nearest RSPCA - but it decided to totally ruin the walnut with its beak - and the Bishop of St Albans, to whom we sold the car, was less than impressed!!
Keep trying? = Tim

PS But netting of fruit etc - don't do it.

[Tenuse]

No netting? But what are the alternatives if I don't want birdies to eat all my produce (especially as I can't get up there every day).

Suggestions gratefully received.

Ten x

[Gardengirl]

How lucky you happened along at just the right time Eric. Who knows what would have happened to that poor bird.  As you say, so satisfying.

Also, thanks to flower for the great link to the garden birds site.  Great - have added it to my favourites :D

[Beer_Belly]

No netting Tim ?  I netted my brassicas this year with black netting but made sure I had plenty of strings with plastic "flutter" strips on and some CDs. This ensures that the birds know the netting is there I'm sure. I've had no problems up to now.
-B_B-

[aquilegia]

My hero Eric!

Glad the story ended well. I've been banned from watching Animal Hospital, etc as I can't cope with animals in distress stories! (soppy cow!)

[SueT]

Great site flower, thanks for that!  ;)

[teresa]

flower lovely site and Eric good job you were around I dont like using netting for that reason so last year I used old net curtains worked a treat. The birds saw it and the fruit was fine.

[tim]

Birds against berries ? I'll take birds. You can buy berries.

Try getting your children to take a dead bird out of the average netting.

Each to their own - but we've grown fruit for decades, and after seeing what netting can do to wildlife, we gave it up. And we have still had to employ the children to harvest all the (eg) raspberries and currants.
And how, pray, do you net a cherry tree?

And brassica? - fleece or mesh. OK, price comes into it. But they also protect against cabbage white and flea beetle?

In the end, we'll all do it 'our way' - but it can't be bad to know the options? = Tim