Danged &%$#@+(^$ Critters!

[MissS]

@Cranraspberry I feel your pain. I had a community garden plot that was invaded by critters every day. Then came along the big two footed critters that took every ripening tomato off of 32 plants and took equipment as well. Do they allow any trapping there? It's a shame that the critters get more food than the growers do at the CG's.

[JRinPA]

We have some problems at the comm garden from rabbits on lettuce, groundhogs chopping off anything, squirrels, voles. But thankfully no deer or two legged varmints, yet.

[bower3]

Well it turns out my pea villain is a vole! The creature was inside the chicken wire when I started watering this morning, and scrambled out so fast I wasn't sure what kind of 'mouse'. Excellent climber and went right through two layers of chicken wire. So I turned to snipping away the lush cover near the garden beds, and removing things stored along the back that could be hiding places. Before I was done, I got a second view of Peanosher darting over to the second bed. That's when I confirmed it's a vole - no tail. And honestly that's a relief, as nasty a pest as its been. They are not the type to also find a way into your house, which I can only dread.
WRT garden bed protection though, this thing is sure trouble. What works for rabbits doesn't work for them. Hardware cloth would do it, but I don't have much of that lying around. I can only hope that clipping and tidying will help some, and maybe when the peas are big enough they will lose interest...

[Seven Bends]

Well it turns out my pea villain is a vole! The creature was inside the chicken wire when I started watering this morning, and scrambled out so fast I wasn't sure what kind of 'mouse'. Excellent climber and went right through two layers of chicken wire. So I turned to snipping away the lush cover near the garden beds, and removing things stored along the back that could be hiding places. Before I was done, I got a second view of Peanosher darting over to the second bed. That's when I confirmed it's a vole - no tail. And honestly that's a relief, as nasty a pest as its been. They are not the type to also find a way into your house, which I can only dread.
WRT garden bed protection though, this thing is sure trouble. What works for rabbits doesn't work for them. Hardware cloth would do it, but I don't have much of that lying around. I can only hope that clipping and tidying will help some, and maybe when the peas are big enough they will lose interest...

What you need is a hawk. Or a resident fox. Or a nice, big black rat snake. (Out of curiosity I just googled snakes in Newfoundland. None native; first ever confirmed snake sighting in Newfoundland was a garter snake in 2010. Some frustrated gardener probably brought that garter snake into Newfoundland on purpose because of voles.) Those cute moose of yours aren't doing you much good for rodent control.

I managed to protect my pea plants from marauding sparrows (they were eating the young plants) by covering the plants with row cover until they bloomed, at which point the plants were too big to be destroyed. I weighted down the edges of the row cover with bricks, stakes, etc. to keep out the chipmunks, too. But I think you said you already have the plants covered with row cover, right? Are the voles tunneling under it?

[zeuspaul]

I have gophers and the best solution I have found is traps. Gophers don't eat any of my vegetables, instead they eat the roots destroying the whole plant in an hour or so. The few moles I have tunnel along the surface but I believe some gopher traps also work with moles.

[JRinPA]

Voles are fun, huh?

Traps or poison for voles. Unfortunately. Or live with them...and their kids, grandkids, and great grandkids.

I have some yet to be implemented mouse trap ideas for voles.

[Paulf]

Luckily there are no critters in the gardens. They have been fenced out. Some years rabbits snack into "my" garden but there is nothing there they like. My wife has all the good stuff the deer, rabbits and others like in raised beds. We have developed fencing easy to move that keeps them at bay. Flowers and fruit trees are a different story but we live with that.

Biggest problem for are the raccoon families feasting on the bird feeders. The solution is live trapping and doing what Nebraska law allows for pests. Every once in a while an opossum will wander into the trap baited with marshmallows. They get kicked out of the trap and sometimes the doggone things won't leave. I guess they are waiting for dessert.

[JRinPA]

Possums in lives traps a riot, you have to lock the trap open and leave for them to "wake up". And when it is a female with pups clinging to her, it is even funnier.

[worth1]

https://www.mysanantonio.com/lifestyle/ ... 201017.php

[Bower2]

We do have hawks and foxes in the area, but of course they come and go. The hares for sure treat my garden as a 'safe space' because fox won't get close to the house in the daytime. There's a baby rabbit (aka hare) living in the garden (again) this season, and not only taking cover in among the perennials and grassy weeds but often scurries out of structures near the house when I go out. Easy to see how rabbits were domesticated - they seem to like the hutch idea for the little ones! I gratefully welcome hawkweeds and other low growing stuff in the paths and around the beds, because they offer no cover for rodents or rabbits. They also know the drill, and will retreat to well covered areas and avoid clear places. There's plenty for a wee rabbit to eat without bothering my veggies, and the row cover surrounds are plenty enough to keep them out.
The vole Peanosher didn't do any further damage after my attention yesterday, so we'll see if that still holds up this morning. He was definitely scarpering the second time I saw him, as his safety cover was disappearing piece by piece. I also blocked the apparent entrance to the bed with some pieces of plexiglass behind the wire. Muahaha. The second bed that was being destroyed - dwarf peas in rows - I found a piece of row cover with no holes in it and I anchored it really well on the edges so Peanosher can't get in there unbeknownst to me at least.
The other trellis peas were under some loosely laid row cover, and apparently the critter just got right under it and destroyed the works. No salvage for that!

[JRinPA]

Peanosher! lo the nightmares that will come to wee lads when they hear tales of his vicious ways..

[karstopography]

Wrens, I’m mostly guessing, are eating my drying peppers out on the copper surface. Wrens are all around the garage constantly trying to build nests. They like poblano type, cayenne type, anything sweet, Aji Lemon Drop, seems like they leave Guajillo peppers alone. I have to bring the peppers out and put them on the copper once the sun has heated it up to prevent the bird problems, they stay clear of the hot metal.

I had some bird activity on the tomatoes late in the season this year. Not sure what type of bird was the culprit. Cardinals, wrens, chickadees, titmouse are the main birds I see in the garden area. I think I’m going to bags next season. Maybe these organza or tulle bags will work against all the annoying tomato destroyers.

[worth1]

Well if a grasshopper is a critter then that's the only problem I have.

[MissS]

The deer have been horrific because the next door neighbor has a cherry and a mulberry tree that they do not harvest from. I get deer, birds and every other critter coming in for them and then they come munch my gardens. Now I have a flock of 32 geese. This must be the bachelor flock because there is not a young bird amongst them. What a mess! The street and the lawn are covered in goose bombs. Thank goodness I have a dog that will keep them out of the garden. Does anyone know how to get rid of them? I don't need their free fertilizer.

[JRinPA]

Like you say, the dog, the best I know is to make some silos that look like dogs. Flat black is usually the color used. They decoy to silos (goose shaped silouette decoys is what I mean) but those are usually colored like geese. Usually the goose silos are mostly feeders and a few high heads. For dog silos, I don't know, running, sitting, or what, but you probably have to move them around every few days.

There is also something to the pattern, from the birds eye view as they circle, we usually put out silos in groups of three very close so that it looks like movement. But it seems like it would be easier to scare off geese then get them in to a place they've been shot at before, so that might not matter.

I'm sure someone sells them but all you need is scrap wood painted flat black. And maybe some old dog collars lol.

[Kurt]

I just got done taking own our CDS that were hung in our mango and leechee trees.We take about 10 fishing line,tie through hole in CD loosely then hang to outer limbs.The sun will reflect the mirrored shine as the wind will circulate the CDs.If line is too long it will guillotine the the limbs and fruit.It also works at night when placed strategically with your outside spotlights,especially ground lighting.

[bower]

Well the day after I clipped, there was a hawk here all day long. Didn't see but heard the distinctive call - it's a small hawk and about the right size to take a vole - American Kestrel afaik.
Peanosher's rampage appears to be over.

[Kurt]

There is a site BirdNET and Birds,they let you ID birds by recording then analyzing the recording and gives you species ID.Birds has recordings of birds etc.I use some outside Wi-Fi’s to I’d ,after broadcasting some recordings.The scariest which sends them packing is our fish hawk Osprey,took a neighbors cat out of the yard.When you hear that Jurassic scream/howl it will stand the hair up on your neck.Beautiful creature.

[bower]

The scariest hawk I've seen close up is the Northern Goshawk. It didn't speak but what a mean looking face. All the other birds ganged up to drive it away.

[JRinPA]

An osprey took a cat from a yard? They do have a very distinctive scream but I never thought it very scary. Sort of comical actually, for how big they are. Osprey and bald eagles are an everyday sight when on the lakes around here, red tails and coopers hawks are everywhere (by coopers I really mean accipters, there are 3 kinds that look alike, coopers are biggest. Chicken hawks). We get a lot of other hawks come through in the fall.

Saw a bunch of sparrows mobbing a cooper's hawk yesterday evening. Made a racket, I looked up, and in the left talon was what looked like a balled up sparrow.