New Branch of Notts. Anti-Wildlife Campaign

[MKG]

OK - that's it!!!

It isn't enough that the neighbour finally took down a row of overgrown Leylandii, thus exposing the pond to full sunlight, thus killing the covering of duckweed, thus giving crystal clear water, thus attracting every bloody heron within 5 miles, thus depopulating said pond. No.

It isn't enough that every year I've had to mow the lawn making funny noises to scare all of the bloody froglings out of the way and making myself look a complete idiot in the process. No.

It's partly that I went into the tool shed today, innocently looking for a rake, only to find a bloody robin has taken residence with obvious familial intent. Now I'm going to have to creep around the shed for the next eight weeks, no doubt with the entire bird population of the garden going "Sssshhhh!!!" at the tops of their peeps. It's partly that.

But the final straw was when I went to begin taking the bricks from the pile behind the garage (to build the walls of my new raised bed) only to finds that that's exactly where all the bloody frogs scared away from the pond by the bloody heron have renewed residence. So now I can only move one brick at a time (oh so carefully), every time losing a quarter of an hour while I check that I haven't inadvertently injured a flipper.

If I go out tomorrow and see one single animal out of place, I'm going to don my pith helmet and begin a war!!!!!

Well ... maybe not ...

[mrsflibble]

[witch way?]

Can sympathis MKG. We're trying to dismantle and re-build our barn but kept finding families of hibernating hedge hogs. You should have seen our 6' tall bricklayers creating (under instruction) and then gently carrying the baby hedgehogs to their new homes. It was quite touching. W.

[ina]

Yesterday my cats were out for the first time. They promptly disturbed a wren who'd been settling in my garage... What can you do?

I dare say, all kinds of birds and rabbits will be taking a long way around my garden again this year! Last year (cat free), I had a partridge taking her chicks for a walk in my tattie patch...

SO: if you want to prevent wildlife from settling on your property in the first place, without actually having to get active in driving it away - get yourself a few cats.

[MKG]

It isn't that I mind the wildlife - it's the way that they all think they have a natural right to be there! The cheek!!!

[ina]

It isn't that I mind the wildlife - it's the way that they all think they have a natural right to be there! The cheek!!!

Well - they do pay rent, of sorts, don't they... I'd love to have frogs - provided they'd keep the slugs at bay! And whenever I find a creepy crawly of which I don't know the usefulness or otherwise, it ends up on the bird table. And herons, admit it, are highly elegant and attractive...

(Or not? )

[MKG]

Frogs are beautiful and useful creatures (we haven't seen a slug in years) wirh one particular talent. Go and look for a frog - you won't find a thing. Now think about the one single spot within a quarter of a mile of you where the presence of a frog might be an inconvenience. I guarantee that there'll be the biggest, most beautiful greeny-yellow-browny thing sitting with SatNav precision on that very spot and looking smug.

[ina]

I had one sitting in my shoe once, on the farm in France... No idea how it had got there - as the shoe was inside my room, and due to potential invasion by poultry I never left my door open!

[Annpan]

Frogs in my garden only seem to be out and about when I have the strimmer out ... They do tend to hop onto my wellies maybe they reckon they are safe there

[Karen_D]

We had to evict two frogs from the kitchen on Saturday night. I think they came in for a rest after what has been going on in the pond which has been, quite frankly, disgusting. If there was a market for that sort of thing I could make a fortune. *

The dog is no use at keeping them out - too busy outside trying to figure out why we have a ball that hurts him. I wish he'd leave it alone so it could get on with eating slugs.

We've got lots of wildlife on the allotment as well - it's stalking me! Birds, insects, frogs, hedgehogs... It's this organic nonsense, I'm sure it encourages them

Wassail

Karen



* Please, please don't tell me that there is .

[red]

Frogs are beautiful and useful creatures (we haven't seen a slug in years) wirh one particular talent. Go and look for a frog - you won't find a thing. Now think about the one single spot within a quarter of a mile of you where the presence of a frog might be an inconvenience. I guarantee that there'll be the biggest, most beautiful greeny-yellow-browny thing sitting with SatNav precision on that very spot and looking smug.

yup - a toad in my greenhosue, which meant i had to stand to one side, and lean over whilst sowing seeds, as he was in my place.

mine you he is very welcome to live in gh and eat slugs

[mrsflibble]

Karen: not that I can find, but a surprising amount of people seem to be into the clown based variety...so if you can get some clowns to mate in your pond you'll be raking it in.


everyone knows clowns mate in water, their larval stage is similar to that of a newt.








I'm off to find more vodka.

[MKG]

Newts, for the benefit of our Oz and NZ friends, are amphibians resembling small lizards. I had one as a pet once - a very small one. He was my newt.

[oldfella]

For the last 3 years Mr Toad has taken up residence under the outside shower on the terrace of the Gite, and to the delight of the kids who spend their holidays here is quite happy to be handled and petted; He will sit by the pool in the morning whilst I clean it, and even when the dogs and cats are around it doesnt faze him what so ever. I love the ways of Nature.