Sherrieflower's Blog

May 8 2008
May 8, 2008 | 8:18 AM PST
Tags: birds , fox , garden scare-away tactics.

May 8th - this date always stops me in my tracks - like I am supposed to remember something. It's because May 8th was my original due date for when my daughter was supposed to have been born - but she decided to come April 8th instead - a whole month to the day - earlier. So she just celebrated her 23rd birthday last month and I still have to stop and think what am I supposed to remember about May 8th. Weird huh? Anyway - it is overcast and colder today and wet from yesterday's rains.

The goose family is out walking around the front yard. I saw beautiful Indigo buntings yesterday and again this morning along with the colorful cardinals, goldfinches, rose-breasted grosbeaks and red headed woodpeckers. Oh Yes, the Heron is here this morning too. He is keeping his distance from the geese as papa goose tried to run him off the other day. He tends to favor fishing among the bush willows on the west side of the pond. Safer there, I guess. He usually tries to make a complete circle all around the pond, slow and deliberate. I'll have to dig up the poem I wrote about the Heron on here, and the Kingfisher poem too.

Everything is so lush from the abundant moisture we've had and the flowering trees everywhere have all outdone themselves this year. The lilacs are blooming now. I only have 4 coz my little bush is only 3 years old but in town all the flowering trees and bushes are just breathtaking. Anyway mine smells soo good mmmmm! I have to stop and take a sniff every time I pass by it.

I saw our fox coming "home" this morning, so I followed him - first from window to window as long as I could see him and then I carefully opened the door and peeked around the corner and sure enough, he had gone to the terrace garden. I'd say that pretty much confirms those holes up there are his "den". 

Having all this "life" outside my windows almost feels like "family".  I feel so blessed to live here among them.

That is until the deer and rabbits etc start nibbling my garden . . .  Oh I still feel blessed but I want to be able to harvest what I have worked so hard to grow.

I haven't gotten my "scare-away" devices set up in my gardens yet but I know I'd better soon coz I have already harvested some baby spinach. I usually hang some CD's so they twist and flash in the wind. Originally I hung them from lines strung between poles but they have a tendency to wrap around and get all tangled, so I have taken to staking the lines down with garden staples to the ground. That way they still twist and flash but at least they stay put.

My husband got me some zapper stakes but they are kind of expensive and don't really cover much area. I accidentally touched one with my arm while weeding Whoa! that zap stays with you a long time! It is supposed to sear into the minds of deer when they touch it with their sensitive noses that they don't want to do that again [or go there].

I hang mesh bags of dial soap in my orchard trees along with strips of scented dryer sheets - it seems to work fairly well.  The only time I've had trees damaged was when I forgot to do this to a couple new trees I planted - dummy me!  One must be ever vigilant as they can be soo destructive!  This year I am going to try the scarecrow thingee that has a motion detector and squirts water  whenever anything wanders into the garden.  I just hope I have enough water pressure for it to be effective!

I am hoping the fox will deter the rabbits this year.  Last year we had a population explosion of rabbits so this year I'm sure the fox will help bring the balance of nature back in that respect.