Boundary drama: Neighbour trying to scare birds out my garden? With disco mirrors!?

silvercar

BarelySentientAI said:

Sapindus said:

If they thought the disco mirrors would deter the birds, why didn't they direct them at their own lawn??  

Because the theory is they deter birds from approaching the unusual objecr.  On that basis, pointing them at their own lawn would encourage the birds to stay.

Would any of the posters who were calling this obvious bullying and recommending immediate police attendance like to row back their opinions now that it's been discovered to be a massive overreaction and misunderstanding?

Then logically, you put them in the centre of your own lawn in a circle facing outwards to create a ‘no fly zone’.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

As others said I'd just ignore. 

Only a snippet of the garden on view but the birds will be happy with bushes to nest in, a bird bath, perhaps a few bird boxes (check online for correct locations to avoid sun, predators, etc) and I don't think you necessarily need to spend much to make a garden a nice home for them.

Investing a bit of time in the garden for the birds might help you reclaim the garden as your own and forget the issues with neighbour somewhat.  
 

ThisIsWeird

actually_a_llama said:

The boundary fence is indeed shared, whatever that means. They've done this sort of thing before but with cat spikes running the entire fence... most fell off. Again, no permission asked - just a random head peering into our garden glueing them down on the fence tops. The birds weren't bothered by them and even walked on them.

Tbh, I started spending most of my time down the gym the past couple years so I've kinda been able to detach from having our stint of good neighbours broken.

The birds are mostly left to enjoy the garden as a sort of undisturbed park so we regularly find collared doves, wood pigeons, blackbirds, house sparrows, magpies or other birds very close to our windows.

We think it's the feral pidgies this neighbour doesn't like, there's a some regulars and we did avoid all bird feeding for a while but they're persistent so you just adapt, reduce or stop feeding if they flock. We never leave food out overnight; there's certainly no rats or mice.
Three wood pigeons, a feral pigeon, one collared dove and three magpies out back currently - magpies like shiny things; they're stood next to them cackling.. so clearly the flat disco balls aren't working 🤷.

Nice!

If you can ignore it, then great. By 'ignore', I mean you can truly live with it by accepting that they are thoughtless twits, but it's otherwise harmless enough and doesn't impinge on you to the extent it prevents you from enjoying your garden. But do keep a chronological written and photographic record of everything that occurs, just in case.

From what you say, you seem to have a perfectly reasonable approach to garden wildlife, and are careful to not overdo things and cause issues (unlike my mil - but that's a different story...)

I would like to think you could (and should) reclaim your garden fully, and not feel discouraged by these idiots. Perhaps set up a seating area that's away from their smoke? You may find it helps if you first fit a discrete CCTV camera - they are only around £30 or so - set to cover your garden and boundary, but it'll also capture sound. That way, you will know that anything else they say or do will be captured - and that can be very comforting! 

So, if you start using your garden fully, any silly attempts by them to 'intimidate' you should be picked up. Eg, if they try and 'provoke' you over the reflectors; "You enjoying the disco lights, eh?!" type thing, then it would be evidence of their intention, and that would be harassment. Obviously, you DO reply to anything they say, factually and matter-of-factly; "No, I'm not enjoying them, as they flash in the sun - so I would like you to remove them. It could very well be a statutory nuisance - I may need to ask the council about this." That way you can evidence that you have told them you find it unacceptable. How they react to such a statement will be very telling - if they 'mock', then bingo - you've got them.

I don't agree with folk who suggest - clearly well-intentioned - to try and laugh it off, or put on disco music, or 'pretend' it doesn't bother you when it does. Ask yourself, 'what will that achieve'? I'd suggest that it'll more likely provoke them to escalate, but could also give them a get-out should action be required; "They laughed it off! Thought it were great!"

Jude57

actually_a_llama said:

Small update; we've discovered what likely led to this drama. Nextdoor has a severely clover-infested lawn (50%) so they're farming a tasty snack that's attracted birds their side of the fence and they elected to go nuclear on us with the next UNESCO world heritage art installation. Don't think they've figured out it's their own clover.

Once again, thanks for the help, support and advice. We'll try to keep the birds eating to the disco beat so they're not snorting clover.

Why not play this on a loop?:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S5eoH4-5z4w

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

ThisIsWeird said: or 'pretend' it doesn't bother you. 

I don't think pretending it doesn't bother you helps because such things fester and then the frustration can be released in a way that isn't pragmatic. 

If it's possible to actually let something not bother you that would be best but obviously easier said than done  

BonaDea

Is there an environmentally-friendly way of killing clover?  If so, perhaps suggest that to your neighbour or buy him whatever it is?

SuzeQStan

BonaDea said:

Is there an environmentally-friendly way of killing clover?  If so, perhaps suggest that to your neighbour or buy him whatever it is?

Your average weed/feed grass product should do it

Martico

BonaDea said:

Is there an environmentally-friendly way of killing clover?  If so, perhaps suggest that to your neighbour or buy him whatever it is?

Get birds to eat it

thegreenone

It won't take long for the birds to start resting on and poo'ing all over them.  You could then ask your neighbour to clean them as you were enjoying the light reflections.

ThisIsWeird

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

ThisIsWeird said: or 'pretend' it doesn't bother you. 

I don't think pretending it doesn't bother you helps because such things fester and then the frustration can be released in a way that isn't pragmatic. 

If it's possible to actually let something not bother you that would be best but obviously easier said than done  

Ah, sorry, my comment was easy to misinterpret. I agree with you - if the situation justifiably annoys you, then don't pretend to the miscreant, or anyone concerned, that it doesn't. 
Only say it doesn't bother you, if it's true :-)