If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
That's right but any cat that goes after the birds on our feeders 'cares' soon enough because they get a short, sharp shower of cold water going their way, courtesy of this cat-scarer. New feline visitors to the garden soon learn how to behave!
How does it know the difference between a cat and any other creature?
You can set the sensors at various heights and distances so the birds and squirrels don't trigger the water jet. We also only use it if and when a new cat appears from somewhere as the neighbouring cats don't go after the birds because they got used to being sprayed and learned to stay away from that area.
We turn off the tap at night so the badgers and foxes don't get sprayed. It's better to use them on and off and only when all else has failed (eg a water pistol or football rattle).
David usually gets wet when he's setting it up but once it's set up it's fine for a day or two until the offending cat learns to behave or get wet!!
Incidentally, David's been trying to help a Woodpigeon this afternoon. It looked sickly, was all fluffed up and seemed to be 'on the way out'. We were concerned about the danger from a cat we've been seeing recently and feared the bird had either been attacked or may be caught if that cat came back so David sat outside on the lookout.
The Woodpigeon shuffled over and rested under a shrub near David so he threw a few peanuts nearby and left a bowl of water. All of a sudden the bird 'sneezed' and several Mountain Ash Berries flew from its throat! It rapidly recovered, ate the peanuts, had a drink then flew off, much to our relief!
It just shows what can happen! That Rowan (Mountain Ash) pops up all over the place, sometimes we leave them, sometimes we don't.
Another day of heavy work in the garden. Clearing an overgrown border ready to till the soil (with the 'whizzer' tool), the green gizmo far right side of the picture. Great tool actually, tills the soil very nicely.
There's a foam kneeler on the other side of that patch of soil too, chucked onto the top of a pile of stones and other grot he's taken from the soil.
I'll tell you this though, we're suffering this morning! It really has been a lousy couple of years for the garden. It's been a nightmare trying to get things back under some sort of control after the endless rain last winter and earlier this year. We've turned some of the borders back over to grass. Also lost quite a lot of shrubs etc on one boundary so have extended the Snowberry hedge on that side.
Sorting the garden has been more of a nightmare than a pleasure this year and we're not alone. Neighbours both sides have had to sling out failed veggies and some have grassed over their veggie patches. We're also relieved to be rid of the greenhouse.
Lousy unstable and erratic climate these days along with clay soil - not good.
Ah well you'll be fuming to hear that mine is all back to normal and even excelling itself. Had some shrubs etc battered but all have made a full recovery.
I'll grab a full shot later when the sun comes out.
Ah well you'll be fuming to hear that mine is all back to normal and even excelling itself. Had some shrubs etc battered but all have made a full recovery.
I'll grab a full shot later when the sun comes out.
Sun? What's that?
You were lucky everything recovered. We lost 2 Buddleia and 3 large Ribes as well as a few other bits and pieces that had been combined to create a sort of boundary.
It's beginning to look and feel like we're heading into another long, dull and wet winter here. No "warm sunshine with temperatures of 22C" as forecast by the useless Met Office for today. Just dull overcast skies, chilly north wind and damp atmosphere with a temp of 17.1C: outside.
You have every reason to be proud - it looks superb. Dougal (aka Suzie) adds the finishing touches as she trots down the path.
Pottering about in the garden is one of the greatest pleasures in life, though it's been more of a nightmare for us this year as we had so much to do to repair the damage and mess caused by the dreadful winter. It's only just getting back into some sort of order now - still has a way to go though so let's hope we don't have another long, dull and very wet winter!
P.S ... where's your Hogitat and is there anything in there?
David checked ours yesterday and there was nothing in it but it had obviously been used as something had been digging deeper into the earth inside it. We haven't actually seen any hedgehogs this year though.
A pair of hedgehogs and a family of frogs live among the shrubs at bottom left. They come up around the greenhouse area at night for their feed
Lucky you! We have loads of frogs, Toads and Newts everywhere but no hedgehogs that either of us has seen. We haven't seen any hogs for maybe 2 years now.
We process personal data about users of our site, through the use of cookies and other technologies, to deliver our services, personalise advertising, and to analyse site activity. We may share certain information about our users with our advertising and analytics partners. For additional details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
By clicking "I AGREE" below, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our personal data processing and cookie practices as described therein. You also acknowledge that this forum may be hosted outside your country and you consent to the collection, storage, and processing of your data in the country where this forum is hosted.
Tweet
Comment