Sunday 11 May 2014

Beverley Hoopoe - Grub time!!

Bird or gardening blog? Well today we are looking at the subject of lawn pests and how to control them? Leatherjackets and Chafer grubs can cause considerable damage to a lawn and the best control is to import a Hoopoe!! Incredible how this bird skilfully first finds and then deals with them in a matter of seconds.....

A healthy lawn? All may seem OK on the surface but beneath the turf a myriad of chomping larvae of Crane Flies and Beetles are lurking.....


After probing with the bill and locating 'grub' quick as a flash, it's amazing how quickly the grub pops down the throat! Remember when you used to do this with peanuts down the pub? You still do....!!?


Large ones.


Little ones......


 And middle sized ones.


Down they go......


 Note the eye to grub coordinhation!


Despite this 'miss', there is probably no escape!


A change of angle?




Then showing his best side.....




The final moment?


All these images came from a 20 minute blitzkrieg on the bugs!


The rear view for a change?


And finally, this is where we left part 1 - the Chafer larva meets its doom!




This is taking quite a bit of sorting - all we need now is a raised crest......