Onions being damaged

[Two_Sheds]

You are netting to keep the pigeons off. They hate anything touching their wings (so a cats cradle of black cotton would work).
They (probably) won't go inside your netting ~ although I did have to rescue one from my neighbour's cabbage nets last year ~ depends how thick/hungry they are. Another old boy always gets blackbirds inside his fruit cage too, because it's not pegged down at the bottom.

You must ensure that little birds can't get their feet tangled up in loose netting ~ so peg down any flapping bits. I had to cut free the body of a poor dead sparrow once from neighbour's nets ... it was horrible.

[Two_Sheds]

this sounds counter-intuitive, but you COULD distract your pigeon with some bird food ~ if it gets its breakfast there, it might leave your crops alone. Just a thought.

[Norm]

Yet this morning there are another 3 parsnips pulled out and left on the soil again. The 3 smaller ones again, there are only 6 left now.

As soon as you said pulled out and left on the soil, the penny dropped. IT'S MICE!!!! Now you have a choice - poison ot traps (they like chocolate)

[dandamegs]

Thanks again, have now lowered the netting, and made it a little more bird friendly.

Norm, you may have hit the nail on the head so to speak, we have always had mice, but never caused a problem on our veggie patch before.

Could they have done the same with the radishes? Must have pulled up abound 100, also attacking spring onions in another bed. Same thing pulled & dumped on the soil, or stems bitten off at soil level.

Checked mouse poison, all gone in less than 3 days so maybe a bit of a population explosion. Will keep a closer check now.

Whatever it is needs sorting as the damage being done is horrendous.

[Norm]

I had some cauli seedlings growing on in pots in the polytunnel and one morning, about 6 were missing. Not eaten, just pulled out. When I picked up the tray, there were all my seedlings, placed neatly in the gap under the tray and at the side - mouse droppings.