Photo: Great grandparents at their farm in Blandinsville, IL, with five of their six children .. my grandpa was yet a twinkle in grandma's eye. Stable boy and governess also pictured. Hodges farm, circa 1903-4

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Cherries .. (Not) For the Birds

In an attempt to thwart the birds from eating all of the sour cherries, I've gone to extreme (comical) measures.  One complete spool of thread has been tossed about-over/under .. tin foil streamers that make a crinkly sound at the slightest breeze .. and my not so scary scare crow has been positioned next to the tree.

I'll update you as to how well this works as the cherries are starting to ripen.

If you have any 'bird proof' ideas, please share.


15 comments:

Trish said...

A few years ago Tom went out and threw a firecracker in our Maple tree out front! It worked...they never came back. Lol.

Felisol said...

The scare crow is at least decorative.
My parents used to throw fishnets over the strawberry field and the red currant shrubs.The definitely made the trick.
They have to be fairly fine masked so that the birds don't get caught and tortured.

Mrs. Mac said...

@ Trish .. it's a delicate balance .. the birds. They've done an excellent job of eating bugs in the garden this year .. so a firecracker might be a bit extreme as I want them in the yard. But, I bet that was funny. Do you remember the scene from Steel Magnolias???

@ Felisol. I have a good plan devised for the busy berries .. and I'll post a picture tomorrow .. works perfect.

Sandy Livesay said...

Mrs. Mac, Have you thought about placing a plastic owl in the tree?
This may help, just a thought.

Sue said...

Best of luck!
I've been having a terrible time with Mrs. Robin eating all the blueberries.

Mrs. Mac said...

@ Sandy .. I'll try and pick up one of those owls today.

@ Sue .. I devised a bird proof blueberry and strawberry cover .. will post a pic today.

Tanya Murray said...

For a moment there I thought there was someone standing next to the tree so I reckon you just might scare a few of those birds off.

Anonymous said...

My next door neighbor has hung old CD's around. Seems to scare them away.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I don't have any ideas, but enjoyed reading the ones you got. You know, I wouldn't mine sharing with the critters, but they don't seem to want to share with us.

I did recently read about someone painting ping pong and tennis balls red, and hanging them from their tomato plants so the birds would peck on the balls and move on.

Reginas Cottage said...

hello mrs.mac
just beautiful!!!love your scare crow.
great blog!!1
wish you a wonderful weekend,
regina

Pat said...

I remember that scene from Steel Magnolias..very funny and that's what I thought of too when Trish mentioned the firecracker!
No advice here, I think you have it covered!

Julie Maloney Handmade said...

Hi Mrs Mac. Thanks for visiting my blog and for your kind comments. Good luck with these ideas. I hope they work. Have a lovely weekend. xxoo

Julie Maloney Handmade said...

I've just had a look through your blog. I love it. I am really sorry to hear about your granddaughter. Sending love and prayers to you and your family. xxoo

Katidids said...

We use plastic or rubber snakes..just toss them up on the tree, in a bushor on the berry fencing. Works wonders for us. I move them every few days when I'm picking berries. Just found your blog and I'm really enjoying it

Kathy Felsted Usher said...

I love the scarecrow!