| |
|
Entry Date
|
Nick Name
|
Location
|
|
Monday, June 01, 2026
|
|
Little Ketchup
|
Grittyville, WA
|
 |
Entry 124 of 129 |
 |
|
|
|
I attempted to observe the culprit. Between 5 am and 6 am there was only one scampering squirrel away down the road. Meanwhile there were numerous yellow-beaked black birds foraging for food and nesting materials. They took straw from near the tomatoes, and attempted to take straw from the (now) covered area. One basically tried to land in the tomatoes only to realize the plastic cover was a real physical barrier.
So, not necessarily the truth, but it's possible these birds were trimming my tomatoes down as part of their foraging-for-straw behavior? Nah... I still think it was a sneaky squirrel. But, those same birds tore out a different row of tomatoes (small cherry tomato starts) as they were foraging for bone meal. This, I am almost certain, was not the squirrels. The birds were keenly into that bone meal... The damage and disappearance of those tomato plants was almost certainly the birds as they were seeking the bone meal.
The squirrels might be off the hook... I'd set up a game cam to be sure, but I dont want to sacrifice my remaining plants as bait. Who knows. The only conclusion is, the bone meal and straw (with wheat seed in it) probably attracted someone who was hungry.
And, that hungry "someone" attacked the tomatoes as a side salad to the wheat and bone meal that I put onto their plate for dinner.
All speculation... I may never know for sure.
|
|
|
