Gardens - grass - crows!!!

[Waspie]

Any budding gardeners out there with a bent toward crows!!!!
Three (expletive) crows have devastated my grass to get at the worms. They pluck out all the healthy grass leaving tufts of the stuff in its stead. Lost over 50% of one lawn to the critters. Anyone know any good deterrents or where I can get my hands on a Worzal Gummage to deter the winged devils!!!
TIA
Doug

[Airborne01]

A .410 Anson & Deeley side-by-side has been known to be effective!
Steve

[Waspie]

A .410 Anson & Deeley side-by-side has been known to be effective!
Steve

That would mean me on permanent guard duty!! (Been there done that in another life).

[Airborne01]

That would mean me on permanent guard duty!! (Been there done that in another life).

Use snare threads - messy but effective and salutary to the survivors mate!
Steve

[Gary MacKenzie]

Be very careful in doing anything that harms the birds.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects crows as well as all other wild birds in the UK. This means that it is illegal to take, injure or kill a crow, or to take, damage or destroy an active nest or its contents.

there are some mitigating circumstances, but a damaged lawn isn't one of them.

You can get fake rubber crow dummies you can hang on a fence, used by a lot of nurseries etc.

[Waspie]

Be very careful in doing anything that harms the birds.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects crows as well as all other wild birds in the UK. This means that it is illegal to take, injure or kill a crow, or to take, damage or destroy an active nest or its contents.

there are some mitigating circumstances, but a damaged lawn isn't one of them.

You can get fake rubber crow dummies you can hang on a fence, used by a lot of nurseries etc.

I am aware of harming the birds, a chap at a place I worked at destroyed a nest with eggs in. A colleague contacted the RSPB who in turn informed the police. Chap was arrested/prosecuted and found guilty, as a result lost his job as the MoD didn't condone his action.
In all reality I am looking for a more 'friendly' way of deterring the pests. Off to the garden centre for some top soil to feed the damaged lawn in the morning. Plan is to have a look and see if they have a passive method.
The shame of it all is, the crows and such are keeping the Sea Hawks away. If the crows are deterred we may get the more annoying 'shy talks' back!!

[Airborne01]

Be very careful in doing anything that harms the birds.

The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects crows as well as all other wild birds in the UK. This means that it is illegal to take, injure or kill a crow, or to take, damage or destroy an active nest or its contents.

there are some mitigating circumstances, but a damaged lawn isn't one of them.

You can get fake rubber crow dummies you can hang on a fence, used by a lot of nurseries etc.

Or, perhaps, have a couple of negligent discharges whilst cleaning your Anson & Deeley - hopefully no rubber crows would be injured during this despicable failure of drills ...
Steve

[Waspie]

Or, perhaps, have a couple of negligent discharges whilst cleaning your Anson & Deeley - hopefully no rubber crows would be injured during this despicable failure of drills ...
Steve

There is a distinct common thread appearing here!! :smiling2:

[Tim Marlow]

Around here they only seem to come in the garden during January and February when other food runs out. In another month or so you’ll be out there more often and they will be off making little crows so I wouldn’t worry too much. The lawn will recover quickly once we get to the growing season…..

[Guest]

Tim is quite correct,once the nesting season starts your lawn will be long forgotten. We have a gang of Starlings that start one end of the road and visit every lawn looking for daddy long legs just before they emerge. No damage , in fact the pecking must aerate the surface . Once your lawn is established Doug later in the spring you'll be ok .

[Ian M]

Crows! Yes they can create a right mess of a lawn. On the bright side they are actually doing you a favour. They are going after beetle laver that eat the roots of your grass.
A walk round with a rake some lawn dressing and your lawn will be fine.

If you want a messed up lawn what you need are moles and or voles.
A mole is not that bad. The build a deep tunnel network in their territory. The piles of earth are good deep soil, 'normally' weed free. sweep them out over the lawn. Once the Mole has finished the hills will stop turning up in the lawn. Moles do not eat roots, bulbs or carrots! They eat worms and slugs and other pests. So they are actually good to have in the garden.
Voles on the other hand. They tunnel right up in the top of the soil, they do not make hills but your lawn can become a criss-cross of small canals just below the surface waiting for you to step on one and turn your ankle. (ask me how I know). Voles LOve roots, bulbs, vegetables, generally a far bigger pain in the butt. one thing they hate is a bulb; Fritillaria imperialis, the crown imperial, imperial fritillary or Kaiser's crown, they stink of fox piddle so they keep the burgers away from your prized plants.
Each year as the fields by the house get ploughed, our gardens become safe(er) havens for all the small bar stewards.
Crows. Best way to deal with those is to just keep going out in the garden and making loud noises. Hammer on a shovel is good. (neighbours dog goes a bit mental though lol)..

[Gern]

All that stuff about illegal activities towards them has got me worried! Does that include my two cats? Thankfully, I've only found the remains of two birds (LOTS of mice and rats) over the years but I don't want to end up as a jailbird (tee hee) 'cos of what they do!

[Tim Marlow]

You are not liable for the normal behaviour of your cats. See section 10 here…

http://www.thecatgroup.org.uk/pdfs/Cats-law-web.pdf

[Waspie]

Thanks for all your words of wisdom. I'm ok with it all but SWMBO is doing war dance over 'her' grass!!!!!
Today, this morning was spent at the not so local garden centre. Topping up on lawn dressing and top soil. I have some grass seed to next decent day I will spend, SWMBO supervising!!! the day regenerating the lawn!!!!. I'll rake it over to scarify the area and then spend the next few weeks keeping my demon puppy from ruining anything I attempt to do!!!

[Tim Marlow]

Thanks for all your words of wisdom. I'm ok with it all but SWMBO is doing war dance over 'her' grass!!!!!
Today, this morning was spent at the not so local garden centre. Topping up on lawn dressing and top soil. I have some grass seed to next decent day I will spend, SWMBO supervising!!! the day regenerating the lawn!!!!. I'll rake it over to scarify the area and then spend the next few weeks keeping my demon puppy from ruining anything I attempt to do!!!

Too early bud. The grass isn’t growing yet, and all the seed will do at this time is rot away or feed the crows…..it’s more JRs territory than mine, but the seed won’t germinate until the temperature gets above about 14 I think.