Stone a crow

[AlanHo]

This will confirm what most of the old hands on the forum have suspected for some time – I am at best eccentric, and at worst stark raving bonkers.

We have a small ornamental pond in the garden with a fountain and water cascade - some would call it a water feature – which is inhabited by frog spawn each February/March. When it hatches, there are usually many hundreds of tadpoles but the numbers steadily diminish as they become cannibalistic - until by June there is little if any sign of them.

This year I decided to take an interest in their welfare – I browsed the internet for appropriate advice and have been maintaining the water quality (which no longer resembles pea soup) and feeding them a menu relevant to their development. They started off on a mixture of flaked goldfish food and lettuce that had been frozen and then thawed to soften it. As soon as some tadpoles started to develop back legs (which is when they become carnivores) I added pieces of raw chicken or other meat suspended on strings just below the surface of the water to facilitate the meat being changed every couple of days.

Looking after my “pets” has not been without incident. About a month ago two ducks descended into the garden intent on a tadpole feast. Fortunately I went into the kitchen at an opportune time, saw what was happening and chased them off – but it was clear that in the space of only a couple of minutes they had eaten quite a few. I therefore had a rummage behind the shed and retrieved an old piece of plastic mesh (the stuff designed for supporting climbing plants) and put it across the pond as a deterrent to prevent ducks from getting to it. It had a second use as a convenient anchor for the strings used to suspend the meat in the water.

Last week we came back from the shops to find the mesh flattened on the water – the meat and strings missing and there was a noticeable reduction in the quantity of my pets. I instantly declared the ducks guilty of the crime – who wouldn’t – but today I found out I was probably wrong and owe them an apology.

Last night I had a bout of insomnia and, just as dawn was breaking, eventually gave up the fight to get to sleep and went downstairs for a hot drink. I looked out of the window and was surprised to see a crow perched on the mesh pecking at one of the strings. The mesh is about 18” above the water level and now better supported on some strips of timber - so this time it didn’t collapse to water level as before. The crow put its head through the mesh, grabbed the string with its beak and stretched its neck to pull the string up until the meat was just under the mesh. It then let go of the string to grab the meat but was beaten by the law of gravity and the meat fell back into the water. I watched it do this several times without success. It then seemed to pause for a bit of a think - before having another go. This time it pulled the string as far as it could, then put one of its feet on the string to stop it falling back, before reaching down and taking another bite to pull some more. This time putting its second foot on the string which then left the meat dangling only a couple of inches below the mesh. You know the rest – it took one more fresh pull and this time was able to pull the meat above the mesh, grabbed it in its beak, tore it from the string and flew away with its prize. I wasn’t the only witness – a second crow had been standing on the lawn watching its mate. As soon as crow 1 had flown off, crow 2 hopped onto the mesh and had won a piece of meat in a few seconds – replicating exactly how its mate had accomplished it.

I was gob smacked at the intelligence shown by these birds and will now have to find another way to feed my tadpoles. Having come this far, I am determined to breed an army of frogs charged with the mission to rid the garden of pesky slugs.

[rong]

1 Do frogs eat slugs

2 Why were you "gob smacked at the intelligence shown by these birds" they outsmarted you and you appear to have some intelligence

[catgate]

You could try a rat trap, fastened to a piece of strong cord or nailed to a large chunk of wood, baited with chicken. If you were successful you could feed your pets on fresh organic crow.

[AlanHo]

1 Do frogs eat slugs

2 Why were you "gob smacked at the intelligence shown by these birds" they outsmarted you and you appear to have some intelligence

Answer to your first question - Readit readit

Second question - I was surprised at how quickly the crow found a way to get the food - and even more amazed that its mate copied the successful method straight away. I have spent much of my life studying birds - but have only recently moved onto the feathered type - hence my ignorance of their ability

[Belatucadrus]

The Crow family of birds are notoriously intelligent, I know that they're a bit unpopular being fairly efficient carnivores and not exactly musical, but I rather enjoy watching our local magpies, quite decorative and very very bright. The Jays are even prettier, but much shyer, so we don't see them as often. The Jackdaws on the other hand are becoming a pain, their breeding season has clearly been a success and with quite a few of them their incessant chirping gets a bit much.

Yes I did say chirping, it's the best way I can describe the noise they make, but being fair sized birds it's rather loud and highly monotonous.

[andsome]

Why not just give up??:lol: :lol:

[AlanHo]

Next instalment.

Determined to beat the crows - I changed the method of feeding the tadpoles yesterday by threading the meat onto a wire which was suspended in the water about 6" below a small piece of wood acting as a float. Thus the meat was well out of sight and the crows would not have a visible piece of string to pull on.

I have just been up the garden - to find the wood float and wire skewer further up the lawn with the meat missing. Not only that - I leave the tub of flaked fish food concealed in the rockery which surrounds the pool. It is a plastic tub with a tupperware type clip on top. I found it 10 yards up the garden - much pecked and with the paper label stripped away - but the felon had failed to gain entry. Presumably the plastic was too tough for it.

This is war.....................

[Belatucadrus]

If you're looking to change anything it may be worth doing it at night, the crows have clearly tabbed you as the source of food and are keeping an eye on you and will investigate anything you do.

[Gandalph]

Two barrels come to mind.

[AlanHo]

Here are some photos of the crime scene

[Gandalph]

Blimey, that's a lot of Tads Alan.

[AlanHo]

Two barrels come to mind.

I don't have any barrels - but we have a couple of flower tubs on the patio. Will these do - and how do I deploy them against crows.

Blimey, that's a lot of Tads Alan.

You aint seen the half of it. The pond is teeming with them and most are now growing their back legs. I found that taking a photo into the water not as straight forward as I imagined because the camera (A simple point and shoot digital job) had a problem focussing on the tadpoles below the water line - perhaps due to all the reflections.

[Irene]

What is it about 'boys' fascination with tadpoles?

Reminds me of little boys with jam jars suspended on a string looped around the neck of the jar, complete with water and tadpoles. :D

[catgate]

I found that taking a photo into the water not as straight forward as I imagined because the camera (A simple point and shoot digital job) had a problem focussing on the tadpoles below the water line - perhaps due to all the reflections.

You may need an SLR (Single Lens Refraction) camera.

[AlanHo]

What is it about 'boys' fascination with tadpoles?

Reminds me of little boys with jam jars suspended on a string looped around the neck of the jar, complete with water and tadpoles. :D

I can't help it - I have always been a nature lover. Over the years I have cared for numerous animals, birds and insects to either help them survive or nurse them back to health. I find it difficult to kill anything.

As a kid I never kept tadpoles in a small jar - they never survive in such an environment - but had a large aquarium which worked quite well. It was far too heavy to hang around my neck........... :lol:

[Gandalph]

Two barrels come to mind.

I don't have any barrels - but we have a couple of flower tubs on the patio. Will these do - and how do I deploy them against crows.

Blimey, that's a lot of Tads Alan.

You aint seen the half of it. The pond is teeming with them and most are now growing their back legs. I found that taking a photo into the water not as straight forward as I imagined because the camera (A simple point and shoot digital job) had a problem focussing on the tadpoles below the water line - perhaps due to all the reflections.

When I said barrels I was of referring to Shot Gun barrels to get rid of the crows.

There has obviously been more than one Frog in your 'Water feature'. :D

Reason for Edit: Spelling Mistake.

[AlanHo]

Progress report. I now have some tiny weeny itsy bitsy little frogs - they are about half an inch long. The pond is still teeming with tadpoles at various stages of their development.

[AlanHo]

Yet another piccy. Most now have back legs - which is when they become carnivores and eat each other if no meat is available. I am giving them bits of raw liver and raw chicken - they love it.

[andsome]

You certainly have several taddies there. Try them on toast as a snack.:lol:

[Irene]

Most now have back legs - which is when they become carnivores and eat each other if no meat is available. I am giving them bits of raw liver and raw chicken - they love it.

You have probably completely changed the local environmental development of the ducks and crows in Solihull. :lol:

[AlanHo]

We had a garden party cum barbecue last Sunday attended by almost 30 friends and family. As a precaution I put up two large(ish) gazebos on the lawn in case it rained - it didn't.

I borrowed one gazebo and tried to hire a second one for the week-end but the best price I got for a 3 day hire was £185 - so I purchased a 6 x 3 metre one from Argus for £99. It is remarkable quality for the price but was a right fiddle to erect. It is a tubular steel framework with plastic corner joints. The ends of the tubes are swaged down to fit into its neighbour but they are only held securely in place when the canvas is stretched over the frame. After 30 minutes of wrestling with joints popping out when I inserted another tube at the opposite end of the frame I decided to cut to the chase and cross drilled each joint for a self tapping screw. That got the blighter to behave and it was then a doddle.

One of our old friends - who is a retired newspaper journalist still doing occasional freelance work - attended. He was quite taken with my saga of the tadpoles in our pond and my battle with first the ducks, then the crows to stop them getting eaten. He was also amused the learn that I had been feeding the tadpoles a daily diet of fresh chicken and liver to prevent them devouring each other to maximise the number of frogs I could help into the world in the hope it would mobilise an army of slug killing frogs in the garden.

Another friend phoned me today to tell me that he had a good laugh reading today's edition of the local newspaper. He told me it included an article about a tree hugging nature loving old bloke who is breeding tadpoles in his back garden, using his pension to buy them food and fighting off ducks and crows to protect them. Out of curiosity I popped into W H Smith this morning and bought a copy of the paper - the rotten bugger has told my story in the first person and even mentioned my name. I now discover it is in three weekly instalments. You don't need enemies when you have friends like mine

[Gandalph]

Could there be a Law-suit coming on. :lol:

[andsome]

Ask for a fee.:lol: