Jackdaw Damage to Thatched Roof

[Rolfe 2]

Just had another first for me.......trying to shoot jackdaws that were stripping the straw from a thatched cottage roof.

Because thatch nowadays has to be replaced with like for like apparently......the client had to use straw on the roof and the jackdaws were pulling the ears through the wire netting looking for grain.

So there I sat for an hour.......in a wicker chair with the trusty Theoben 1.77 across my knee peering through a half opened Velux roof light. The wind was howling through the opening........and if I had been a brass monkey.........I would have been off in search of nuts...........it was chuffing freezing. True to form not a single jackdaw came anywhere near the roof.......it does make you wonder just how intelligent the members of the crow family are at times..they were well aware of the danger that awaited them of that i am quite sure. Anyway..........Plan B next time.

Thought I would put a couple of pictures up showing just what damage half a dozen jackdaws can do to a recently thatched roof........and the cost of repairing the damage is immense and this will be the second time it has required doing. Fourtunately the thatcher is an old rugby playing colleague of mine......and we have come up with a plan to double net the roof with a gap between the two sheets of wire netting. The jackdaws, having rather short beaks will then be unable to reach the straw underneath....Hopefully......watch this space.

 

Regards

 

Rolfe

[farlap 19]

Just had another first for me.......trying to shoot jackdaws that were stripping the straw from a thatched cottage roof.

Because thatch nowadays has to be replaced with like for like apparently......the client had to use straw on the roof and the jackdaws were pulling the ears through the wire netting looking for grain.

So there I sat for an hour.......in a wicker chair with the trusty Theoben 1.77 across my knee peering through a half opened Velux roof light. The wind was howling through the opening........and if I had been a brass monkey.........I would have been off in search of nuts...........it was chuffing freezing. True to form not a single jackdaw came anywhere near the roof.......it does make you wonder just how intelligent the members of the crow family are at times..they were well aware of the danger that awaited them of that i am quite sure. Anyway..........Plan B next time.

Thought I would put a couple of pictures up showing just what damage half a dozen jackdaws can do to a recently thatched roof........and the cost of repairing the damage is immense and this will be the second time it has required doing. Fourtunately the thatcher is an old rugby playing colleague of mine......and we have come up with a plan to double net the roof with a gap between the two sheets of wire netting. The jackdaws, having rather short beaks will then be unable to reach the straw underneath....Hopefully......watch this space.

 

Regards

 

Rolfe

we have had the same problem and ended up double wiring the roof. The jackdaws are the worst to shoot as they truly seem to know when you have the gun out. We have shot 20 in a week once and now they keepaway!

[ianrob 2]

Just had another first for me.......trying to shoot jackdaws that were stripping the straw from a thatched cottage roof.

Because thatch nowadays has to be replaced with like for like apparently......the client had to use straw on the roof and the jackdaws were pulling the ears through the wire netting looking for grain.

So there I sat for an hour.......in a wicker chair with the trusty Theoben 1.77 across my knee peering through a half opened Velux roof light. The wind was howling through the opening........and if I had been a brass monkey.........I would have been off in search of nuts...........it was chuffing freezing. True to form not a single jackdaw came anywhere near the roof.......it does make you wonder just how intelligent the members of the crow family are at times..they were well aware of the danger that awaited them of that i am quite sure. Anyway..........Plan B next time.

Thought I would put a couple of pictures up showing just what damage half a dozen jackdaws can do to a recently thatched roof........and the cost of repairing the damage is immense and this will be the second time it has required doing. Fourtunately the thatcher is an old rugby playing colleague of mine......and we have come up with a plan to double net the roof with a gap between the two sheets of wire netting. The jackdaws, having rather short beaks will then be unable to reach the straw underneath....Hopefully......watch this space.

 

Regards

 

Rolfe

 

Hi mate, Jackdaws are nasty little bast4rds. We just went to gas and though I shot 7 off my chimney, there was still a nest in it when I got the cowl on.

Edited December 11, 2008 by ianrob