Topic: Jackdaws and Scarem Advice.

[ed dibbles]

I'm experiencing major problems on the allotments with jackdaw damage this year. We have had them on site for a number of years but I can't remember them ever causing the destruction they are this year.

Peas, broad bean, French bean (dwarf and climbing) and runner bean seedlings pecked up. Sweet corn plants ripped to shreds, even leek plants pecked off at the base. It is so soul destroying when you go to the trouble of raising plants only for them to end up as bird food.

It's getting to the stage where almost everything has to be netted or grown under debris netting. I'm sure the brassicas would be pecked to stumps but for the debris netting.

Strangely the lush, leafy perpetual spinach is untouched which you may think would make a tasty bird meal but obviously not.

So I'm now seriously considering getting a Scarem kite to see if I can move them on.

http://www.scarem.co.uk/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoIIHrWnEFo

I know a vineyard that uses one of these to great effect once the grapes begin to ripen through to harvest. Their crop is completely unaffected by bird damage. Wasps are a different matter though.

So I wonder is anyone has any experience of these kites, either first hand or knowing of their efficiency.

Or your thoughts on these kites or ingenious ways to deter jackdaws I'd love to hear.

[squeezyjohn]

Well we have real live Red Kites soaring over our allotments every days ... and it doesn't seem to stop pigeons and crows attacking our plants!

[Pescador]

In my experience, they need moving almost every day to have any effect at all, and are very wind/weather dependent.
I wouldn't want to rely on them.

[ed dibbles]

Thanks for the replies. Among my concerns about, what is a rather pricy item, are that I have seen crows harass raptors I assume to protect young. Also electricity pylon cables cross the plot and while the kite would be nowhere near them the birds tend to perch on them so I wonder how long before the birds realise it poses no danger to them as they will be viewing it from above.

In Weymouth I saw seagulls perched right next to an imitation raptor. Albeit a cheaper model than the Scarem.

Also the Scarem website claims it will deter geese yet the vineyard referred to above let their domesticated geese graze freely under the trees in their apple orchard adjacent to the vineyard and the geese, as well as their hens, take no notice of it.

There is no problem moving it around as the two plots are separated from one another. My fear is that it will move on song birds and blackbirds particularly that love grapes, while the jackdaws will soon get used to the Scarem. The complete opposite to what I want to achieve.

Having said that even partial success would have a dramatic effect reducing crop damage.

You can buy an awful lot of netting for the price of a bird kite.