Keeping birds off of the moss

[FiestaRed]

I like to add moss to the top surface of the soil in my pots, not the whole pot but maybe two thirds of it. Recently birds have started pulling the moss from the pots and dumping it on the ground, does anyone have any suggestions for either keeping the moss in place or keeping the birds from it at all please?

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Screening. (Our a scattergun with lots of rock salt shells )

Go to the local hardware store, get some window screening fabric, cut into split donuts that will slip around the trunk covering your media, ferts, moss and pot edge. Use wire staples if you need hold downs. It’s cheap. I use plastic, but there is metal.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[Wulfskaar]

Get off my lawn!

 

[sorce]

How about some toothpicks like them pigeon spears?

Then you can also kill the "when do I water?" bird!

Sorce

 

[Firstflush]

Get a fake bird of prey and move it around yard.
Get a long piece of bamboo 8’ or bigger. Shred a plastic bag into strips or a shiney birthday balloon and do the same. Tie to top of poll. Birds don’t like odd moving things above or around them.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

 

[FiestaRed]

Screening. (Our a scattergun with lots of rock salt shells )

Go to the local hardware store, get some window screening fabric, cut into split donuts that will slip around the trunk covering your media, ferts, moss and pot edge. Use wire staples if you need hold downs. It’s cheap. I use plastic, but there is metal.

cheers
DSD sends

Thanks for the screening idea, sounds really good. Not so sure about the rock salt shells though.

 

[Gabler]

Or a scattergun with lots of rock salt shells

I wouldn’t want to get salt in my pots.

 

[Fidur]

These are my very effective weapons....

 

[KikurageOtomo]

I just edible landscape something they want much more than whatever is in my stinky moss, can't say its fullproof but that way I don't need to look at screen over my pots. I also have a secret moss plot that's pretty much an infinitely renewable source so other than my labor and the density of the moss thicket being thrown off I'm not losing out on too much. Other options listed above like mock birds of prey also work very well, shishi-odoshi make noise at sporadic intervals which is pretty startling to small birds too.

 

[leatherback]

I am considering a full net cage around my tree area. In my yard they have learned to remove plastic mesh from the pot surface. :|

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Screening.

Great idea, I've got a stack of screens I'll never install again. Hell, most of the windows are painted shut anyway!

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

Black birds...Ahhhhhhh!
The most destructive little arseholes to grace the Australian countryside...introduced vermin!
Apparently some british twat got home sick whilst living here and imported a bunch to make his garden feel more "homely".
Who in their right fucking mind would think that black birds are going to stay in your garden exclusively,where there's a whole country out there ready to be taken over LOL.
These little shits even do an extremely defiant chorus of chirps at you if you disturb their world...bastards!
Enter my Corgi cross...muhahahaha!
She's managed to take out two of the cocky little pricks and now, they sit on the fence line defiantly chirping "Fuck You" at her....she just smiles back at them...and waits : )

 

[leatherback]

The most destructive little arseholes to grace the Australian countryside...introduced vermin!

In line with the thread, just for fun..

 

[Emeraldtarpon]

In line with the thread, just for fun..

Australian Summers are good at nailing black birds.
They cant tolerate the heat when it goes above 40 celcius.
45 and above and black birds literally start to keel over and die.
You never hear a single chirp from them on a hot day...any other time they wont STFU.

 

[leatherback]

Australian Summers are good at nailing black birds.
They cant tolerate the heat when it goes above 40 celcius.
45 and above and black birds literally start to keel over and die.
You never hear a single chirp from them on a hot day...any other time they wont STFU.

 

[Sansokuu]

They are likely looking for grubs. What kind of birds are they? If the beaks are slim and pointy those are insect eating types. Conical beak shapes are seed eating. Try putting out mealworm treats far away from your trees.

 

[FiestaRed]

They are likely looking for grubs. What kind of birds are they? If the beaks are slim and pointy those are insect eating types. Conical beak shapes are seed eating. Try putting out mealworm treats far away from your trees.

Although I have many different species of bird in my garden, it's only the Blackbirds that attack the moss. There are mealworms and quite a few seed pots scattered around too.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Get a yard cat

 

[Gabler]

Get a yard cat

I’m currently living in the city in an old row home, and there’s lots of outdoor cats roaming the streets and alleys. I planted catnip under my benches to attract the cats. The cats regularly come and go from my tiny backyard, but that hasn’t deterred the bluejays from digging in my pots.

I suspect the cats are eating mice, not birds. Living in an old building, I was having a lot of trouble with mice in the house until I started spraying a peppermint oil rodent deterrent. I didn’t expect it to work at all, but I haven’t seen a mouse since I started using it weekly. As a bonus, it makes the house smell like Christmas. If only there were a similar deterrent for birds.