Robins and Onions Problem

[Johnch]

I would love to add a post in the hunting with cast bullets about wiping out the robins for pulling up my onions
But I figure I just might get in trouble

So I will ask here
As I am about to .....:wink:... err

My problem is I have 1 or 2 robins that are pulling up the small onions
I replanted 8 onions just this morning
After almost 2" of rain , it is not fun and muddy

Any idea on getting them not to do it short of 45 gr of lead out of the 22 hornet ?

Thanks
John

[BigAlofPa.]

Scarecrow maybe? My cat keeps the birds at bay too.

[retread]

Tent with hardware cloth.

[dangitgriff]

Robins and onions? Sounds like a recipe for dinner to me.

[RU shooter]

Use to eat blind robins ! Them ones you got with good eye sight probably taste ok too . Joking aside my pap used to throw a few fake rubber snakes out in the garden to keep birds away

[Johnch]

Scarecrow maybe? My cat keeps the birds at bay too.

I tried to feed a road killed robin to the cats
Non of them would even touch it

A scarecrow might work for a few days
Might give the onions a chance to get better roots

Any other ideas ??

Thanks
John

[LUCKYDAWG13]

put a fake Owl out but you need to move them around a little so they think that they are alive few times a week same with the rubber snake

[trebor44]

Tent with hardware cloth.

Or one inch chicken wire. Son-in --law 'lost' a 6 inch tall sunflower to a Peacock that he has set out on the patio to acclimate before planting!

[Superomni]

Hoont water blaster and bright shiny metallic streamers! It has worked for everything that has wondered onto my deck to steal from my container garden.

Trying onions for the first time this year!

[DougGuy]

Bird Block Netting from Lowe's. Put a few sticks like poles for a pup tent, drape it over them place a rock here and there to hold it down.

I use this stuff for tomatoes, I build a walk-in cage out of those salt treated 2x2s and staple the bird block netting to it. Keeps the squirrels off my tomatoes. You have to attach it pretty good at ground level so they don't get under it.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Put a couple mirrors in the garden. Robin's like to fight other Robins. When they see their reflection in a mirror, they'll spend all their time fighting it and forget about the Onions.

I watched (on and off) one Robin having a fight with the neighbors Truck mirror, for several hours. He'd leave then come back for another round.

[FLINTNFIRE]

I like your first idea .

[M-Tecs]

https://www.glocktalk.com/threads/robin-hunting-can-be-legal.160164/

[gwpercle]

If you have to resort to "drastic" measures , take it from an old Cajun....they is mighty tasty and make a good Gumbo or Jambalaya .
Another tip ...treat them like quail or woodcock .

[Tatume]

Bird Block Netting from Lowe's. Put a few sticks like poles for a pup tent, drape it over them place a rock here and there to hold it down.

Bird netting works. Unfortunately, it also kills snakes, which is why I stopped using it. Beneficial snakes like black rat snakes and black racers get into the bird netting and tangle in it. They then literally tear themselves in two trying to get out. It's horrible.

[DougGuy]

Bird netting works. Unfortunately, it also kills snakes, which is why I stopped using it. Beneficial snakes like black rat snakes and black racers get into the bird netting and tangle in it. They then literally tear themselves in two trying to get out. It's horrible.

I have had to free black snakes from it before but if you check your garden daily there won't be an issue if one gets hung up.

[djohns28]

Isn't there a provision that any animal causing harm to your crop is considered a pest and can be killed? Depredation maybe??

Anyway, we used to keep crows off the blueberry bushes with two colors of ribbon. Tie the two strands together with some streamers on them every 6 to 8 feet. The two different colors blowing in the wind was supposed to confuse the crows. I'm not so sure that it actually worked but it made Grandma feel better.

[762 shooter]

I once knew a guy from another country that preferred robin breast to quail or dove.

762

[country gent]

Keep in mind owls attract crows. You may be woke up with a bunch of crows attacking the decoy. A vee from light 1" square mesh wire can be bent up around a 2 x 6 x 6' board with 2" edges and pushed into the ground on each side. I dont think they would enter the ends and this will protect the plants

Mom would put stakes with a small aluminum pie pan on strings to blow in the wind. ( the cheap disposable ones abut 4" in diameter) This seemed to work also, but you have to untangle occasionally.

[JWFilips]

You must have unique robins! Never seen this to be the case! Now robins love earth worms....They may be digging for them. If you have a lot of organic matter in your soil ( Compost ) you may have a lot of earthworms! Since Earthworms and onions like the same PH in the soil...Those little wigglers may be overpopulating the garden which will drive Thrushes ( Robins in particular ) Crazy

[Martin Luber]

Sounds similar to woodcock to me...since they taste like worms, I'll pass on eating them.

[gwpercle]

I once knew a guy from another country that preferred robin breast to quail or dove.

762

Heck Yeah ... Only Federal Songbird protection laws stopped the consumption of robins around here before that they would migrate from up North , about mid squirrel season , fill up the woods and practically beg to be taken as game .... they just walked around on the ground like they had good sense ... a boy with a sling shot or 22 could take enough to feed the whole family.

Was that other country Louisiana ?

Gary

[parson48]

A neighbor had problems with robins pulling up his onions last year. I had never heard of such a thing. I guess that a little onion just might help the worm go down easier!

[Chill Wills]

Are the potatoes next?
"I guess that a little onion just might help the worm go down easier! "

[jimlj]

When I was a kid Robins were strictly off limits for me and my brothers BB guns. The cats would dispose of any evidence of other birds, but for some reason they wouldn't touch a Robin. Mom always knew when we shot one. That all changed when Mom got a cherry tree. Seems the Robins would devour the cherries the day before they were ripe enough to be picked. After a few years of no cherries they became a trash bird that was to be shot on sight.

[rockrat]

They would congregate in the bushes at my Grandfathers house, in the Spring, when they were migrating. There would be 500 of them, at least on many an evening. Made quite a mess on the sidewalk

[Oyeboten]

Tent with hardware cloth.

Yes, what retread says -

[quack1]

Tenting them works. Never had trouble with robins, but English sparrows shred my lettuce as soon as it gets about an inch high. Made the tents out of window screen.

[Johnch]

Something must have changed
As today I saw several Robins in the garden going after worms
But non came close to the onions

But this morning I had thick fog for a while
Maybe ??

Oh well

But I do now have a remote controlled drone
So IF a robin starts pulling onions again
I can get up CLOSE to take some pictures LOL
Maybe REAL CLOSE

John