Crow Damage

[Swango1980]

No doubt there is a thread on this somewhere, but couldn't find it.

Anyone's course suffering from crow damage. Any good ideas to try and deal with it?

We are having a really bad time with it this year, and I guess little can be done in this weather. Over the year, the owners have tried to have cannons going off every few minutes, and hanging dead crows on trees. Doesn't seem too successful. I hear the stuff they used to use in spraying the greens is either no longer permitted or way too expensive, but it depends who you listen to.

 

[Deleted member 3432]

No doubt there is a thread on this somewhere, but couldn't find it.

Anyone's course suffering from crow damage. Any good ideas to try and deal with it?

We are having a really bad time with it this year, and I guess little can be done in this weather. Over the year, the owners have tried to have cannons going off every few minutes, and hanging dead crows on trees. Doesn't seem too successful. I hear the stuff they used to use in spraying the greens is either no longer permitted or way too expensive, but it depends who you listen to.

Birds digging for grubs is a problem for many clubs and directly linked to greenkeepers not allowed to use certain chemicals

 

[patricks148]

we have it too, a few years ago they distroyed a couple of tee's. thing is the leather jackets they are are digging for do more dammage to the grass that the crows do. Club sprays a bit more the last couple of years and the damange has been much less

 

[Shooter McPowick]

Got it on a couple of holes on the back 9, crows are total vandals! Greenkeepers fire flares from time to time and we have a fake hawk on a kite string that gets flown on breezy days. They also cored the fairways at about a 2" gap between cores as well - thank heavens for winter rules as you're always in a hole if you end up on the area under repair.

Hopefully now that there's golfers out there from dawn to dusk it'll keep the crows away long enough.

 

[KenL]

No doubt there is a thread on this somewhere, but couldn't find it.

Anyone's course suffering from crow damage. Any good ideas to try and deal with it?

We are having a really bad time with it this year, and I guess little can be done in this weather. Over the year, the owners have tried to have cannons going off every few minutes, and hanging dead crows on trees. Doesn't seem too successful. I hear the stuff they used to use in spraying the greens is either no longer permitted or way too expensive, but it depends who you listen to.

What club is this?

 

[Swango1980]

What club is this?

Lincolnshire area. Seen damage at other courses, but ours seems to be particularly bad. Lockdown didn't help, with no golfers to scare them away.

 

[KenL]

Lincolnshire area. Seen damage at other courses, but ours seems to be particularly bad. Lockdown didn't help, with no golfers to scare them away.

So, not willing to say the course?

 

[Blue in Munich]

Not suffering course damage from crows but we have been suffering from ones that steal balls on one particular hole. Fortunately they seem to have departed to pastures new during lockdown.

 

[louise_a]

We have had crows digging for leatherjackets (cranefly larva), the pesticide that was used to kill leatherjackets was banned about 2 or 3 years ago, so more crows and magpies

 

[KenL]

We have had crows digging for leatherjackets (cranefly larva), the pesticide that was used to kill leatherjackets was banned about 2 or 3 years ago, so more crows and magpies

I think it was banned a lot longer ago than that. 10 years?

 

[need_my_wedge]

Same, crows and magpies have been tearing some areas around the greens to pieces. We used to have a green keeper that had licence to cull them, he'd set up a sniper post early doors and shoot them. I don't know if he's still with the club or not.

 

[louise_a]

I think it was banned a lot longer ago than that. 10 years?

Just googled it 2016,

It seems there is an allowable nematode treatment that can killer leatherjackets but has to be done at just the right time of year and in the right conditions.

 

[KenL]

It is illegal to shoot birds unless for public health reasons or to protect crops. Might even be illegal for the second reason in England now.

This is perhaps a wildlife crime?

 

[KenL]

Same, crows and magpies have been tearing some areas around the greens to pieces. We used to have a green keeper that had licence to cull them, he'd set up a sniper post early doors and shoot them. I don't know if he's still with the club or not.

What club is that please?

 

[jim8flog]

We tried covering the greens with tarpaulins in the evening which makes all the grubs come to the surface. In the morning all the grubs were swept up and dumped in the trees.

 

[Deleted member 3432]

We tried covering the greens with tarpaulins in the evening which makes all the grubs come to the surface. In the morning all the grubs were swept up and dumped in the trees.

Not quite practical do it on faiways.

Chafer grubs are another problem on more sandy soils and like leather jackets the wildlife does like digging them up for breakfast, lunch and tea.

 

[Imurg]

I thought this was about Nick getting upset with one of his persimmons

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Same, crows and magpies have been tearing some areas around the greens to pieces. We used to have a green keeper that had licence to cull them, he'd set up a sniper post early doors and shoot them. I don't know if he's still with the club or not.

We've had some green damage from crows looking for leatherjackets. Seems to be all of the holes nearest the woods (unsurprisingly). Not sure what greenkeepers can do with all the chemical bans.

 

[KenL]

I thought this was about Nick getting upset with one of his persimmons

What does that mean? Was it a pointless post?

 

[Deleted member 15344]

What club is that please?

Does it matter ?