Bird nesting season and beyond...

[Trailoftears]

1 minute ago, daveatdave said:

trouble is you say you cannot cut the hedge till the beginning of august and tell them why they just get someone else to do it. the ordinary household just want it cut. 

Absolutely,you respectfully point out the 'recommendations',which most customers 'get',on the other hand some of my customers completely freak out seeing an inch of growth on their usually extensive privet hedges.Its like the 'omg-there's yellow blooms on my lawns',the day after you've just cut them!O.c.d issues I fear-how DARE stuff grow 🙄

[Trailoftears]

Still-tho its not entirely fair,I DO think its up to us 'pro's to attempt to educate them-they know the score ok-and dont wish to look 'uncool',they know-we know its their issue-not ours tbh,I find its easy enuff to shame them.My line is-do you really WANT to make 4 or 5 barely fluffy helpless Song thrush chicks starve not 5 metres from your kitchen window?Do you,Do you REALLY want that to happen-honestly? 🤔

[Trailoftears]

And of course,this IS the issue with being environmently friendly-everyones into it until their ethics collide with their pockets,wants needs,etc.

I look after a few mansions/farms etc with extensive grounds.Many of which have extensive gravel drives/turn arounds etc.Some owners mention their ethical concerns with me 'spotting' these hard surface areas with glyphosate treatment.So here's your choices then,would you like me to spend my entire morning visit on my hands and knees (in an effin rage)and I'll not be back matey/or shall I call up my extensive team of victorian urchins who given a shilling an hour will fall to this menial task with much gusto?Or,shall I spend 10 minutes spotting your gravel areas which will keep it clean for approx.A month 🤔🙄

[Trailoftears]

I'm starting to rant here-but if I spend 20 odd mins on my knees painstakenly planting say,100 lettuce/salad plants at a customers then find nxt morning they've been scoffed by adventurous,bold molluscs-I'll not be a happy bunny-in fact I'll be something like an extremely pissed off were-bunny,and slug pellets will be used albeit sparingly.Ive been schlepping around gardens/veg patches for many/many moons-I've yet to see a single bird/hedgehog imbibe them.On the other hand, I've picked up literally dozens of broken-knecked birds outside conservatories.Not noticed any popular movement to start ripping out the pvc monstrosities yet tho?

[Trailoftears]

And as to hedgehogs-which struggle of course-leaving aside the road carnage.I know of only 2 animals that are effective killers-tho there are possibly more.A terrier will watch and wait,as soon as the wee creature eventually re-opens its body,they pounce,again and again etc.The best killer tho is the badger,I work at a property with a huge network of setts,its fairly routine to walk the woodland paths and find hedgehog skins inverted and tossed aside like discarded banana skins.Whilst I'm not into the lets kill badgers coz of tb gig,They are like us-opportunists/omnivores.Curlew /pheasant/duck nests-all eggs gone.Really big lamb bodies in the woods completely beheaded-they just take the Brains-best bit.They dont mess about!

[Stubby]

5 hours ago, Trailoftears said:

And as to hedgehogs-which struggle of course-leaving aside the road carnage.I know of only 2 animals that are effective killers-tho there are possibly more.A terrier will watch and wait,as soon as the wee creature eventually re-opens its body,they pounce,again and again etc.The best killer tho is the badger,I work at a property with a huge network of setts,its fairly routine to walk the woodland paths and find hedgehog skins inverted and tossed aside like discarded banana skins.Whilst I'm not into the lets kill badgers coz of tb gig,They are like us-opportunists/omnivores.Curlew /pheasant/duck nests-all eggs gone.Really big lamb bodies in the woods completely beheaded-they just take the Brains-best bit.They dont mess about!

Yes Badgers do peel hedgehogs . Have seen it myself .