My most annoying species is the red-breasted nuthatch. Not only are they hard to photograph because they move so much, but they are overly greedy at the bird feeder, spill seed all over the place, and scare off potential competitors which are usually other birds I’d like to get photos of.
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Mine is Collybiopsis peronata. It is an invasive species of mushroom here in the Pacific Northwest. It is not native, and thrives in leaf litter, or just about any woody or leafy detritus. Their only redeeming factor is that sometimes they smell like rootbeer. Other than that, they are not a good edible species, they’re not exactly toxic, and they are absolutely EVERYWHERE! I’ve even found them growing in Cedar duff, which is notoriously hostile to any fungal activity! They are truly pests, and have to be my least favourite species.
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It varies.
This year, it’s definitely Arion vulgaris. We had a veritable explosion of those this year, so much so that at times even leaving the house without stepping on one was difficult. And I absolutely hate to step on living things!
Not to mention what they did to my veggies. We seem to have very similar (good) tastes when it comes to lettuce and cabbage, so I can’t really blame them for that, can I?
My strategy for next year: use raised beds for veggies for human consumption (with a 10cm-wide band of Schnexagon® painted all around the middle of the external side of the boards – tried it this year experimentally on one ground-level bed, and it did help) and plant the odd lettuce and Chinese cabbage in the ground, but a distance away, hoping it will work as a distraction.
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But the seeds they scatter are much appreciated by the ground feeders!
Love the photo of you shaking your fist at them.
I guess with mushrooms you can’t just yell “Scram! Scat! Shoo!” and have them go away.
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There is that, but a lot of it goes to waste because there aren’t enough ground feeders to keep it cleaned. I’m hoping that there’ll be a lot of redpolls and chickadees this winter. They do a good job keeping the seed under control.
ALL invasives, including but not limited to:
Japanese barberry
Garlic mustard
Japanese knotweed
Hairy vetch
Buckthorns
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Poison ivy.
Enough said.
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I have three
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Ligustrum sinense - Chinese privet. horrible invasive, near impossible to get rid of
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Toxicodendron radicans - currently itchy because of poison ivy all over my arms
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Aedes albopictus- horrid, very common mosquito that loves my blood!
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My most annoying species? Definitely Kinglets. They never stop moving, and it’s like they’re actively avoiding my camera. It’s as if their sole mission in life is to make sure I get blurry photos.
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What about mice and the like? They’re ground feeders too, aren’t they?
Mice are pretty scarce where I live. There are squirrels though, but they seem to enjoy the challenge of getting it from the feeder instead of off the ground.
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Nettles might be native and valuable ecosystem plants where I am but I don’t half curse them every time I brush against one whilst trying to get a better look at something else.
Otherwise Himalayan balsam (nasty invasive that carpets riverbanks unlike anything else).
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Why do you guys complain about native, so adorable and important birds? The fact that they won’t smile and say cheese for you is not their problem.
My most annoying species are mostly invasive, although not annoying because of invasiveness, but because they are intrinsically annoying. Eurasian Collared-Doves have established here (and I think they’ve done so all across North America), and they are so annoying. They’ve pooed on my clothes, they are always making baby pigeons on cables, and they are always spying me. Besides, they are just too abundant, I would say, they are the most abundant bird in the city. The true flying rats!
Many blood-sucking vermin like mosquitoes and midges are also very annoying, particularly after a strong rain, when mosquito legions come out to eat you. Midges are also particularly annoying, because you can’t see them! They are so tiny!
It is always so annoying when you start feeling a tick crawling on you. And I also have a particular aversion towards American roaches.
There are also some extremely annoying ants, as I’ve mentioned in the past, and not to mention rats and… uughhh, cut this out.
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I do agree, they are adorable and very important but they do get on my nerves once in a while and the fact that they chase other birds away from the feeder is annoying.
I’ve never experienced that, glad to say.
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My most annoying animal would be chipmunks. They have gotten into my quail feed before (which has become more expensive). They always decide to sing the song of their people when I’m recording the most faint and delicate of bird calls, which is pretty annoying, especially since I can’t hear well, and my phone’s recording quality isn’t the best.
As for plants, I have and always will dislike autumn olive. We have far too much on my street, and they grow and spread rapidly. They also shade out native plants, like my beloved asters.
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That is cute.
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Hope you never do so.
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I had not thought about how annoying are feral dogs and cats. It’s like, throwing stones at them or running away. And of course, my neighbours’ dogs are even more annoying. They suddenly start screaming neurotically.
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For the field biologists in the audience, especially in the areas it’s invasive…Armenian blackberry*. Need I say more?
*I have been stabbed 100000000 times
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