The garden is an active place but we are not the only ones at work between the rows of peas, carrots and tomatoes. Creatures such as our feathered friends are capable of nefarious acts while our eyes are occupied elsewhere. Definition of a 'Sky Pig' : a bird who's intelligence lends to unusual foraging techniques. Ski Pigs are crows, grackles and on occasion starlings. We have two suet feeders for birds, usually woodpeckers and their cousins, along with an occasional bluejay that momentarily monopolizes the feeder, will have a snack and leave. Enter the Sky Pigs on the other hand, sometimes 3 and four at a time, will land and peck a whole suet brick to nothing in several minutes. RAVENOUS PIGS!! When they show up they are promptly driven away. Not without a lot of noise on their part. If they are not at the feeder they sometimes hunt elsewhere and the garden is not out of bounds. On occasion, and I have witnessed this first hand, a crow or grackle grabing a plant tag and hop away with it, dropping it in another part of the garden. Sometimes the tag will disappear entirely, never to be seen again. The solution is a button tag!! ( photo / image / picture from Jerry Sullivan's Garden ) ID Button Tags to be buried next to plants ( photo / image / picture from Jerry Sullivan's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Jerry Sullivan's Garden ) Button tags to be buried next to the tomato plants and if need be, unearthed in the event the regular tag disappears. Unseen by the vengeful sky pigs the tag remains buried to aid in identification later. If need be an anchor can be attached to foil another garden culprit 'The digger'. Jerry
Jerry, you could punch a hole in the tag and attach it to small stake (such as a popsicle stick) and anchor it into the ground. Or if you have them caged or staked attach it to that. You have wiley birds. I have never seen a bird doing such antics here.
Don't you believe it. I pushed some labels into the ground next to some plants, buried out of sight. They were all on the soil tonight and worst of all, no where near the plants they came from so no chance of putting them back with the proper plant.
The Internet abounds with stories of crows and their propensity to uproot tags. Lacking crows or magpies the next in line is the ever inquisitive grackle who in his/her quest for the next juicy morsel will uproot anything moveable with a tug of it's beak. Two tags associated with recently planted tomatoes were not next to their respective plants. I found one four feet away and the other was not in sight, My hunt ranged as far away as 10 feet. I have buried button tags with each tomato plant. And of course, the log book also has the locations documented. Jerry
Oh good grief, Jerry.....I had to hold my sides when I read this posting. The subject is, indeed, not so hilarious at all, but the form of the presentation is what I call, "garden humor". I like it.
