Birds just ate everything is this normal?

[simon12]

I had spinach and lettuce growing happily small plants never touched by any animals then all of a sudden overnight every leaf has been eaten and i saw some sparrows pecking at it, there is even a leaf on a sweat pepper plant that has been pecked half off. Is this normal or due to the heat or something. Why did they leave it untouched for so long then suddenly eat everything there was? They have ignored my strawberries, logan berries, black currants & radishes but eaten every part of the spinach and lettuce that they had been ignoring for ages.

[Samurailord]

I think that it may be down to the heat.

I have been told that some birds such as pidgeons get some of their water from eating leafy greens for the water content so you may have been visited by a flock of them if their normal watering place has dried out.

Andy

[Bigmallly]

Could the sparrow have been pecking at a caterpiller? Slugs, snails & caterpillars can destroy plants overnight. Best precaution with such plants is to net them.

[simon12]

Its not slugs (its in pots on a table) and there is no sign of caterpillars. I do sometimes see wood pigeons so there may have been some passing. There are always 1000s of sparrows around so I don't see why they ignored it for so long then ate everything over night. I can still see sparrows today pecking round whats left though.

[Nicos]

Slugs can get into a pot on a table!
Check underneath the pots. They can also hide in the soil.

Could be birds though.

Why not put fleece over a sacrificial one...if it's still being eaten then it'll be something hiding in or under the pot.
If left alone- then it's more likely to be birds

[lottie dolly]

You would be supprised at,just how high a slug will go to get what it wants,then hide in the smallest of places,last year i found some aprox 5.5 on a shelf in the grow barn,at first i noticed the brasicas eaten to near death,they were eventually found,hiding in the little rim of the seed tray,last week noticed a lettuce been mowed on the top,thought birds,next night i saw it when watering late,a big fat slug,now don't ask me where that had been hiding,have a look under the pot,see if one is hiding in the drainage holes,

[Thelma Sanders]

At this time of year sparrers eat everything here if it's not covered.
We have loads atm as all the babies have fledged, and are flying around like gangs of hooligans, scrapping and pecking at everything just to see if it tastes nice

[The Masons]

We're pretty new to this growing malarkey so have made sure we have covered everything we have planted.......just to be on the safe side.

[Two_Sheds]

all of a sudden overnight every leaf has been eaten

Why did they leave it untouched for so long then suddenly eat everything there was?

Well sparrows aren't nocturnal, but slugs & snails are. You need to go outside at night, with a torch and you'll see 100s of the darn things

[simon12]

Sorry overnight was a poor choice of words, it seemed like overnight but was more likely within 24 hours. It must be birds as its different to the slug damage with whats in the ground, also I watched many sparrows yesterday pecking at the little thats left and saw at least 1 fly away with a bit of leaf. Thanks every one for the help my only remaining question really is if I replant when the weather cools is this likely to happen again?

[veggiechicken]

If you replant you can net/fleece them as you know what to expect now!