LBRJ Posted August 27, 2017 Share Posted August 27, 2017 It could well be crows...... ....Or, is it now the Devonian Sausage Planting season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold mikes rail Posted August 28, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 28, 2017 One of the gardens I look after has a problem like this and its the rooks and jackdaws they dig for grubs in the grass we also get herring gulls that do a rain dance by tapping their feet on the ground to attract worms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 ...the parakeets... Do I take it from this that the australian flying rat is spreading out of the London heat island again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brack Posted August 28, 2017 Share Posted August 28, 2017 I caught a type of digger wasp today (not one of the more common ones - It doesn't quite match the most frequently found half dozen species). It was about 2cm long over the body. Itd make holes in a lawn if the soil is dryish or slightly sandy. The holes might be about a foot deep and somewhere in the region of 1cm diameter though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted August 28, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 28, 2017 Potentially it could be a large beetle or grub emerging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Mallard60022 Posted August 29, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 29, 2017 Do I take it from this that the australian flying rat is spreading out of the London heat island again? All over the place down sarth, especially Kent coast. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 (edited) Do I take it from this that the australian flying rat is spreading out of the London heat island again? If you mean the ones known as Kingston Parakeets. They are a mix of breeds from India, Sri lanka and West /Middle Africa that generally cross breed, and you can blame such illustrious persons as Jimi Hendrix and The cast of Blue Peter among others which released them around Kingston and Twickenham at various times. As well as those that escaped during the making of the Africa Queen in the 50's. Some escaped from Aviaries during the big storms in 1987.There were some released by the Smith Street Band for some unknown reason but they just added to the flocks already established. Then there is the Monk Parakeet originally from Sth America and Fischers lovebirds (East Africa) which have also established in UK. Edited August 29, 2017 by The Blue Streak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejstubbs Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 (edited) My suggestion: we have a number of similar-looking holes in our lawn at the moment which appear to be caused by fungal fruiting bodies (aka 'mushrooms' or 'toodstools') which come up overnight and then get eaten by wildlife (magpie/squirrel/fox/hedgehog/something else) passing through the garden in the early hours. Sometimes you can find the remnant of the 'root' (apparently officially called the "volva") at the bottom of the hole. Edited August 29, 2017 by ejstubbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 If you mean the ones known as Kingston Parakeets.... I guess those would be the item, as they first got established in the Western half of London per your description. Do I take it from this that the australian flying rat is spreading out of the London heat island again? My apologies for blackening the name of Australia the Fair, but on first seeing these in a London Square I was in the company of a most excellent Austrailian colleague, and his opinion was that they looked much like some of the flying rats back home. Whatever, we can look forward to a couple of crispy frosty winters come the sunspot minimum around 2020-2022, to clip their wings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 My apologies for blackening the name of Australia the Fair, but on first seeing these in a London Square I was in the company of a most excellent Austrailian colleague, and his opinion was that they looked much like some of the flying rats back home. Whatever, we can look forward to a couple of crispy frosty winters come the sunspot minimum around 2020-2022, to clip their wings. No offense taken so no need to apologise at all At the moment in West Australia We are being overrun with feral Rosella parrots from elsewhere, they are very pretty but eat food and aggressively steal nesting sites that would normally be used by native birds and of course the further out they spread the further out they push the native birds until the native populations can't be sustained in the habitats they are forced into and then their numbers diminish. It's the same scenario as you chaps are looking at, somehow they got introduced here via irresponsible people who should have known better. We have as a species, a lot to answer for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted August 29, 2017 Share Posted August 29, 2017 Talking of things escaping from captivity in Twickenham. I recall a certain pair being released during an Anglo vs Aussie Rugby match back in 1982 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted August 29, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 29, 2017 It could well be crows...... Many thanks for all the observations and suggestions. Avian incursions were confirmed during a conversation with a neighbour this afternoon. The same gang of disaffected creatures has also had a go at another neighbour's lawn, only his was a newly-laid, perfectly weed-free area and lovingly looked after, prior to the birds arriving. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted August 29, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 29, 2017 Ah sorry to hear you have avain miscreants Captain! If its a gang that suggests starlings, jackdaws or rooks? Rules out woodpecker and crow.... Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted August 30, 2017 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 30, 2017 Ah sorry to hear you have avain miscreants Captain! If its a gang that suggests starlings, jackdaws or rooks? Rules out woodpecker and crow.... Phil I think it's a gang, Phil, judging from the squawking and screeching you hear from time to time, as they get into fights with each other about their birds, who's fish and chips to raid next and mopeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted August 30, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 30, 2017 (edited) That sounds a good description of garrulous behaviour... For which starlings are well known. Never seen one on a moped though...but they are well known for murmurations... Edited to correct spelling Edited August 31, 2017 by Phil Bullock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 96701 Posted August 30, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 30, 2017 We have had confirmed leather jackets in our lawn. We were alerted to them by two events: A bunch of crows dug and flung huge divots out of our lawn We employ a company called Green Thumb to visit our lawn quarterly and treat it according to the time of year and what they find at that time of year They confirmed that crane fly had laid eggs in our lawn as demonstrated by dead patches of grass because the grubs at the roots of the grass and the damage that the crows had made because they were attracted to the dead patches and dug them up to find the grubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Blue Streak Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 (edited) That sounds a good description of garrulous behaviour... For which starlings are well known. Never seen one on a moped though...but they are well known for mumurations... They have to ride mopeds and scooters. Coz they ain't 'ard enuff to ride proper bikes like Nortons and Triumphs !! Regards Ace Caff Edited August 31, 2017 by The Blue Streak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Phil Bullock Posted August 31, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 31, 2017 We have had confirmed leather jackets in our lawn. We were alerted to them by two events: A bunch of crows dug and flung huge divots out of our lawn We employ a company called Green Thumb to visit our lawn quarterly and treat it according to the time of year and what they find at that time of year They confirmed that crane fly had laid eggs in our lawn as demonstrated by dead patches of grass because the grubs at the roots of the grass and the damage that the crows had made because they were attracted to the dead patches and dug them up to find the grubs. Hmm - theres an old country lore Phil.... A rook on its own is a crow - and a crow in a crowd is a rook! Kind regards Phil 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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