holes in lawn bit of digging too

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119255199#Comment_119255199

You'll find the answer was given and it's not fox. 😊

looksee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119255199#Comment_119255199

Are you suggesting there are no rats in suburban gardens? 'some posters' is right!

bobbyss

Let's start with what could be causing the golf ball size holes. No mess whatsoever. A clean hole. But it goes nowhere. It is not a tunnel.

My feeling is that it might be a rook or something pecking away. Yet if it was a rook or a bird what explains no clay or dirt on the grass?

bobbyss

Problem solved. Although in the city and an enclosed garden we do have metal side gate with bars. Last night I looked out into the garden and saw hedgehog. I shone a torch at it to make sure and yes a hedgehog. The torch had no effect on it at all by the way. So it makes nice, little perfect holes. Who would have believed.

looksee

Since this thread I discovered a very neat round hole in the gravel drive, just about 2 inches deep and about 4 inches across with a bit of scatter to one side. Filled it in but following day two or three of them. Filled them in again, next day several scattered about. This was during the very dry spell. So I found an old bowl and filled it with water and left it beside the route from the grass to the drive. Result! No more holes. There is a young fox in the garden and I guessed it was looking for water - there are no streams etc near us for about a kilometer min. around us.

standardg60

Happy to admit i was wrong, never considered a hedgehog given a suburban garden, well done Pawrick!

Thanks OP for posting the solution, after earthworms no doubt.

10-10-20

I'm laughing at this thread. I had images of Peter Rabbit during the big long who-dunnit.

The guilty hedgehog is bottom right. 😂

bobbyss

Well I cut the grass for the first time this year recently and I see those holes are back again. And they are slightly bigger. Evidence of soil now around the hole.

I still have no idea of what they are.

I YouTubed to see any possibilities but lots of them are American and talk about possibility of racoons or coyotes and all that. One person said it could be dampness due to rain causing worms wanting to come upwards and birds exploiting this?

Someone said a fox above but again, how could a fox make perfect holes like that? I said last year (above) that I had the solution-a hedgehog but now I am not too sure at all.

Could it be crows, magpies early in the morning pecking away? They are strong and could leave some soil around?

garden1.jpg

cap.in.hand.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120864602#Comment_120864602

It doesn't look like a very healthy lawn to start with ...

bobbyss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120864929#Comment_120864929

100% correct. But frankly that's the least of my concerns. When I did manage to cut it everything was like straw not a blade of green anywhere. But grass is a survivor so I have no worries.