Oh No :( What caused this???

[Raindancer411]

Just got up this morning to go and water the garden and noticed that the jasmin is all blow over and the thrushes nest empty and two big babies dead on the floor. First thought it was the wind and a cat had found them where the nest was exposed. Looked at trying to tie the jasmin back in to place and found about 1-2 foot off the floor the main stems of the jasmin are totally shreaded and not joined anymore. What on earth would have done damage like that to a mature jasmin main stem? I am so disappointed Just hoping I see Mum and Dad later today...

[IgglePiggle]

Poor birds Was there any footprints in the soil? What support was it growing up? maybe that broke and the plant snapped under its own weight

[Raindancer411]

Hi IgglePiggle... sorry was so upset I put jasmin, but it was actually honeysuckle. The honeysuckle is a mature plant grown up a wooden trelis attached to a big strong wooden frame. There were no footprints and I dont think its the plant snapped looking at it. There is an inch gap of stem missing so its defiently been chewed/clawed away. Will put up some pictures when I get home tonight. Looks like most of the plant is going to die away and I will have to grow a younger plant up the base to fill in the big hole that is going to be left

[Nicos]

How strange!!!...poor little things.

[SueA]

I was wondering if you have any wildlife which comes into your garden Donna such as foxes or badgers which would eat the young birds or eggs & would be capable of damaging the plant stems? But then I would have thought they would have eaten the chicks not left them on the ground. Cats also could have maybe damaged the stems trying to climb up to the nest but it sounds as though they may have been broken by something larger. We have a blackbird nest with chicks in honeysuckle growing over our fence which is only about 5ft high & the local cats are always trying to get into it but it's fairly well hidden & I chase them off whenever I see them.

[pdblake]

Our dog has eaten through one of our jasmines before. It was growing up a trellis around the patio. She stuck her head through the gaps and chewed it off to a couple of inches above the soil.

A fox or a badger would be just as capable I'd have thought.

It should all grow back eventually, ours did, but unfortunately it won't bring the birds back.

[IgglePiggle]

You could take cuttings from the honeysuckle, if its a big plant it might not have dried out yet! Strange about the plant, does it looked like it been chewed off? Maybe it is a fox like others have said...

[Raindancer411]

Here are some pictures of the chewed main stems and also one of the exposed nest and the last one is what it now looks like after I cut off all the stems on the chewed branches. Looks so bare, just hoping that it grows from the bottom so I can recover the robin box

[Nicos]

How strange!

Try and get some of the broken off stuff to root- just in case ...

I used snap bits off my honeysuckle, take off the bottom few laves and put 6 or so in a glass by the window- takes a feew weeks , but at least youll stand a chance of recuing a bit of the plant.

I'm sure there's a better way of rooting 'cuttings' - but that used to work for me!

[crichmond]

I had that sort of damage last year to a couple of fruit trees on the allotment, it was caused by a fox.

I have since put protection around the stems of everything.

[BumbleB]

Oh what a shame. I bet you are upset for your robin.

[Raindancer411]

BumbleB it was the thrush who was nesting on top of the robin box... Mr Robin is ok and I am glad to say so are his babies

[seasprout]

My moneys on Squirrel, they do take young birds and not necessarily small ones.!