Protection from birds

Press, 17 December 1976, Page 8

Protection from birds

A recurring problem in garden and field alike is how to overcome the depredation made by birds. Their attraction to many brightly coloured fruits is very common and generally cherries and strawberries are amongst the keenly sought after ones, no matter where they are grown. In early spring silver beet often receive . a thrashing from these winged feeders and grass seed and peas are greatly favoured also.

In some places it is just not possible to pick more than a few black-currants, for the birds of the locality swoop down on them while they are till hard and green. Reports of devastating attacks on rather unpalatable (to us) nectarines, very tasteless unripe apples and pears, lettuce and other crops and

plants are not at all uncommon.

Sometimes their initial presence may be due '.o other feeding interests such as grubs, but just what appeal there is in the half-developed crops into which they peck their way with such gusto, or why they go for the crops in some locations and not in others, is not apparent. It could be associated with prevailing weather conditions, a shortage of their normal food or perhaps something which is lacking in their diet. A research project in this direction might Drove (literally) fruitful.

There are many methods used by man to protect his crops from birds which, it must be admitted, do a tremendous amount of good (as well as harm) for crops of economic importance.

The stationary scarecrow is one of the oldest devices and is still in widespread use. a mechanical scarecrow is in use in many orchards and this device clanks its way up and down a particular row with varying success. Strips of tinfoil appeared on the market at one time and these were suspended from a line over the crop. The slightest breeze caused them to crackle and in bright sunlight they glinted as well. Similar affairs were and are made up at home utilising milk bottle tops and similar material, and strips of newspaper and cloth also get used for this purpose. A recent caller claims that his method along these lines has worked wonders for him. Instead of tinfoil, etc, his lines have been festooned at intervals with strips of black polythene, 10cm by 60cm, which have left his various fruit crops virtually untouched by birds. Seed and seedlings can be protected by applying additives such as red lead, commonly used with grass seed, or thiram. Wire netting also gives very effective protection and the black cotton is quite successful but a very tedious thing to apply. A firm produced a fine mesh net for this purpose and it serves quite well. Cages can be used. Of course it is essential to close the gate whenever coming or going because otherwise it is only a matter of a short time before what should be kept out is actually being kept in.

One of the most recent introductions of bird protection from a commercial manufacturer is the lightweight polypropylene web. The fine, spider web-like mesh is spread over the crop like a conventional net. It can be used for a very wide range of plants, and is designed to last about five months — by which time it will start to disintegrate into a fine powder and blow away.