Feather-fingered thieves

The barbecue was still sputtering away steadily; the lid was open, as I’d left it. The steaks were gone. To this day I still wonder if neighbours, hungry pedestrians, a passing cat, seagull or other flock of birds stole that meaty treasure.

My money’s on the birds, for the very next night around the same time, several blue jays descended on the arbour gawking at the barbecue, squawking in a most persistent manner.

Yesterday I watched a flock of grackles settle on my fence then drop down onto my neighbour’s blueberry bushes. There was a loud commotion as they argued over who was entitled to the biggest and fattest berries then they all flew off when I peeked over the fence. I was glad I had draped strips of cheesecloth over my strawberries the month before, though in that case I would have been protecting the fruit from robins rather than grackles.

In years to come I’ll be performing gyrations of some sort to keep birds from stealing grapes from the vine I’m training over my arbour. Netting is the most environmentally friendly deterrent.

A product called Birdnet from InterNet is available in roll form or cut-to-size pieces and is widely used to protect crops like grapes, blueberries, cherries, raspberries and apples. It’s sold in several different mesh sizes.

A handy tip for getting net over larger trees is as follows: You’ll need a 12-foot square piece to cover a six to eight foot tree. Spread this flat on the ground and lay a piece of PVC pipe a little longer than the tree is wide, on one edge of the material. Roll the net onto the pipe like a paper towel on a roll. With a friend holding the other side of the pipe, unroll the netting over the top of the tree.

Tie the netting together at the bottom to prevent birds from getting in below, or else your tree will turn into a giant, tasty trap for them.

Another way of foiling birds is to use glitter tape or long strips of tinfoil. Hang these in three-foot strips from tall stakes tied around the tree or shrub.