Sacha writes
On 2009-11-26 11:06:57 +0000, K said:

Sacha writes
On 2009-11-25 23:59:17 +0000, "Christina Websell"
said:

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2009-11-25 08:57:51 +0000, Aries
said:

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:04:28 +0000, Sacha wrote:

We've had a cock pheasant on the lawn scrounging peanuts, just
recently. They're shameless!
Beautiful tho. I love seeing them but not when they're pinching my seeds
!
Any veg we grow are for sale, so they're in pots in the greenhouses and
more in danger from stray mice, if any are around. I sometimes put out
sultanas for the pheasants, too and they get quite silly about them.
--

The old poachers used to soak sultanas in whisky and then collect
up the
drunken pheasants when they either fell out of the trees or
couldn't make it
up there to roost.
Doesn't seem very sporting, does it?
I'd heard of that trick and no, it doesn't!
I don't think the poachers were intending sport though, were they?
Just an easy, efficient and quiet kill.

Oh definitely - food for the pot etc. But I do agree with Val that
it's a bit hard on the poor old pheasants to exploit their weakness!

You reckon the pheasants prefer the alternative? ;-)
--
Kay

"Broadback" wrote in message
...
Sowed a row of broad beans a couple of weeks ago lots of neat holes along
the row. Sowed the replacement beans in paraffin and resowed. At the same
time I placed three mouse traps baited with peanut butter. Went down this
am a few more holes along the bean row and all three traps gone. going
down the garden to the compost heap I found one trap about 15 meters from
its original position and over a 4ft fence. Is it a reasonable assumption
to think that some bird/s of prey have snaffled the dead mice and taken
the traps with them?
--
Please reply to group,emails to designated
address are never read.

If birds are responsible, my bet would be Magpies

If you try again, Peg down the traps to see if you did manage to catch mice!

Bill

On Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:16:12 +0000, Sacha wrote:

On 2009-11-26 11:06:57 +0000, K said:

Sacha writes
On 2009-11-25 23:59:17 +0000, "Christina Websell"
said:

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2009-11-25 08:57:51 +0000, Aries
said:

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:04:28 +0000, Sacha wrote:

We've had a cock pheasant on the lawn scrounging peanuts, just
recently. They're shameless!
Beautiful tho. I love seeing them but not when they're pinching my seeds
!
Any veg we grow are for sale, so they're in pots in the greenhouses and
more in danger from stray mice, if any are around. I sometimes put out
sultanas for the pheasants, too and they get quite silly about them.
--

The old poachers used to soak sultanas in whisky and then collect up the
drunken pheasants when they either fell out of the trees or couldn't make it
up there to roost.
Doesn't seem very sporting, does it?

I'd heard of that trick and no, it doesn't!

I don't think the poachers were intending sport though, were they? Just
an easy, efficient and quiet kill.

Oh definitely - food for the pot etc. But I do agree with Val that
it's a bit hard on the poor old pheasants to exploit their weakness!

Way to go!!


--
®óñ© © ²°¹°-°¹

On 2009-11-26 16:31:53 +0000, K said:

Sacha writes
On 2009-11-26 11:06:57 +0000, K said:

Sacha writes
On 2009-11-25 23:59:17 +0000, "Christina Websell"
said:

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2009-11-25 08:57:51 +0000, Aries
said:

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:04:28 +0000, Sacha wrote:

We've had a cock pheasant on the lawn scrounging peanuts, just
recently. They're shameless!
Beautiful tho. I love seeing them but not when they're pinching my seeds
!
Any veg we grow are for sale, so they're in pots in the greenhouses and
more in danger from stray mice, if any are around. I sometimes put out
sultanas for the pheasants, too and they get quite silly about them.
--

The old poachers used to soak sultanas in whisky and then collect up the
drunken pheasants when they either fell out of the trees or couldn't make it
up there to roost.
Doesn't seem very sporting, does it?
I'd heard of that trick and no, it doesn't!
I don't think the poachers were intending sport though, were they?
Just an easy, efficient and quiet kill.

Oh definitely - food for the pot etc. But I do agree with Val that
it's a bit hard on the poor old pheasants to exploit their weakness!

You reckon the pheasants prefer the alternative? ;-)

Whooping it up on raisins and bring on the dancing hens? You bet. ;-)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

On 2009-11-26 19:18:40 +0000, "Bill Grey" said:


"Broadback" wrote in message
...
Sowed a row of broad beans a couple of weeks ago lots of neat holes along
the row. Sowed the replacement beans in paraffin and resowed. At the same
time I placed three mouse traps baited with peanut butter. Went down this
am a few more holes along the bean row and all three traps gone. going
down the garden to the compost heap I found one trap about 15 meters from
its original position and over a 4ft fence. Is it a reasonable assumption
to think that some bird/s of prey have snaffled the dead mice and taken
the traps with them?
--
Please reply to group,emails to designated
address are never read.

If birds are responsible, my bet would be Magpies

Or owls, rooks, crows, buzzards, all strong birds.

If you try again, Peg down the traps to see if you did manage to catch mice!

Bill

Good idea.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Sacha writes
On 2009-11-26 16:31:53 +0000, K said:

Sacha writes
Oh definitely - food for the pot etc. But I do agree with Val that
it's a bit hard on the poor old pheasants to exploit their weakness!
You reckon the pheasants prefer the alternative? ;-)

Whooping it up on raisins and bring on the dancing hens? You bet. ;-)

No, I meant the alternative which ends up with them being shot in a
sporting manner, as I'm sure you knew ;-)

--
Kay

On 2009-11-26 23:18:23 +0000, K said:

Sacha writes
On 2009-11-26 16:31:53 +0000, K said:

Sacha writes
Oh definitely - food for the pot etc. But I do agree with Val that
it's a bit hard on the poor old pheasants to exploit their weakness!
You reckon the pheasants prefer the alternative? ;-)

Whooping it up on raisins and bring on the dancing hens? You bet. ;-)

No, I meant the alternative which ends up with them being shot in a
sporting manner, as I'm sure you knew ;-)

They probably stand more chance of getting away on a shoot. Of
course, if they're halfway sensible, they walk and don't get shot
anyway.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

On 2009-11-28 13:11:25 +0000, VivienB said:

On Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:26:18 +0000, Sacha wrote:

if they're halfway sensible,

You were previously talking about pheasants. 'Sensible' is not a
description that is commonly used for such beautiful, daft birds!

I must admit the phrase 'bird brained' could have been coined for them!
Driving down a lane with one running in front of you has to be one of
the most frustrating things to do in the country! After a very, very
long time, it occurs to this avian genius that it does have wings and
getting up and away over a hedge is preferable to the alternative!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Sacha writes
On 2009-11-28 13:11:25 +0000, VivienB said:

On Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:26:18 +0000, Sacha wrote:

if they're halfway sensible,
You were previously talking about pheasants. 'Sensible' is not a
description that is commonly used for such beautiful, daft birds!

I must admit the phrase 'bird brained' could have been coined for them!
Driving down a lane with one running in front of you has to be one of
the most frustrating things to do in the country! After a very, very
long time, it occurs to this avian genius that it does have wings and
getting up and away over a hedge is preferable to the alternative!

About as bright as sheep, then

--
Kay

On 2009-11-28 15:37:03 +0000, K said:

Sacha writes
On 2009-11-28 13:11:25 +0000, VivienB said:

On Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:26:18 +0000, Sacha wrote:

if they're halfway sensible,
You were previously talking about pheasants. 'Sensible' is not a
description that is commonly used for such beautiful, daft birds!

I must admit the phrase 'bird brained' could have been coined for them!
Driving down a lane with one running in front of you has to be one of
the most frustrating things to do in the country! After a very, very
long time, it occurs to this avian genius that it does have wings and
getting up and away over a hedge is preferable to the alternative!

About as bright as sheep, then

Wrong animal - it's pigs that fly - but actually they're rather
intelligent. ;-) I watched two men driving sheep down the lawn a
week or so ago. One was on foot and the other on a quad bike with two
collies following him. The collies didn't do much and were kept at the
back. The man on foot opened the gate into the field but the sheep
carried on up the lane until one of them, directed by this bloke, swung
in through the gate into the field, whereupon all the others who'd
moved further ahead, turned back and streamed after her. The collies
were then called up to run up the sides of the flock and make sure they
all did so. It was fascinating to see but it did show the 'sheep like'
simile in action!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:37:03 +0000, K wrote:

You were previously talking about pheasants. 'Sensible' is not a
description that is commonly used for such beautiful, daft birds!

I must admit the phrase 'bird brained' could have been coined for
them!

About as bright as sheep, then

Naw sheep are fairly predictable lambs can be a bit daft if mum is
one side of the road and lamb is other. Pheasant are just daft:

Spot pheasant 200 yds away on the verge looking across the road. It
stays still, 150 yds, it turns away from road, 100yds, it turns back,
50 yds, stays still, 10 feet, ambles across the road...

Variation:

50 yds away pheasant starts ambling across your side of the road
towards the middle, 25yds it's half way across and "safe", 10 feet,
pheasant notices approaching vehicle turns round and run back...

That's when they aren't taking off horizontally from a wall top 10'
in front of you...

--
Cheers
Dave.

Jeff Layman wrote:
Broadback wrote:
It is a large garden. I have not seen any sign of foxes since I "rabbit
proofed" the garden with chicken wire. Still whatever it was I need to
buy some more traps. This time I think I will drill a hole in the base
and peg them to the ground, see how that goes.

You may have stopped them digging under the fence, but a fox will climb over
a 6 ft panel fence without problem.

I don't think *THAT* was the point...

--
Rusty

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-11-24 16:47:44 +0000, Aries
said:

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:58:25 +0000, Broadback wrote:

Sowed a row of broad beans a couple of weeks ago lots of neat holes
along the row. Sowed the replacement beans in paraffin and resowed. At
the same time I placed three mouse traps baited with peanut butter. Went
down this am a few more holes along the bean row and all three traps
gone. going down the garden to the compost heap I found one trap about
15 meters from its original position and over a 4ft fence. Is it a
reasonable assumption to think that some bird/s of prey have snaffled
the dead mice and taken the traps with them?

I had most of my early broad beans dug up last year - but by squirrels
! and
also a cock pheasant!

We've had a cock pheasant on the lawn scrounging peanuts, just
recently. They're shameless!

The parent's house was surrounded by a shoot. There was one cock
pheasant which knew a thing or two: for several years, and only during
the season, at the sound of the first bang (a backfire worked just as
well!) he would head for their garden at zero altitude, hedge-hop, and
take refuge in the orchard. (Where of course, he was fed...)

--
Rusty

Sacha wrote:
On 2009-11-25 08:57:51 +0000, Aries
said:

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:04:28 +0000, Sacha wrote:

We've had a cock pheasant on the lawn scrounging peanuts, just
recently. They're shameless!

Beautiful tho. I love seeing them but not when they're pinching my
seeds !

Any veg we grow are for sale, so they're in pots in the greenhouses and
more in danger from stray mice, if any are around. I sometimes put out
sultanas for the pheasants, too and they get quite silly about them.

Especially if you soak them in sherry or brandy first...

--
Rusty

Christina Websell wrote:
"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2009-11-25 08:57:51 +0000, Aries
said:

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:04:28 +0000, Sacha wrote:

We've had a cock pheasant on the lawn scrounging peanuts, just
recently. They're shameless!
Beautiful tho. I love seeing them but not when they're pinching my seeds
!
Any veg we grow are for sale, so they're in pots in the greenhouses and
more in danger from stray mice, if any are around. I sometimes put out
sultanas for the pheasants, too and they get quite silly about them.

--


The old poachers used to soak sultanas in whisky and then collect up the
drunken pheasants when they either fell out of the trees or couldn't make it
up there to roost.

Doesn't seem very sporting, does it?

Tina



Mentioning no names, but some of the younger ones did, too.
--
Rusty