Photo: European Starling with American Persimmon, Rick Derevan/Audubon Photography Awards
Deidra Bryant
This spring I’ve been growing herbs, cut flowers, fruit, and vegetables on my deck. It’s not a large space, but I use it since the area gets A LOT of sun. Last year I wasn’t so successful, because the birds living in the trees next to my house, as well as in my neighbors’ dryer chute and window shutters, frequented my deck to eat the seeds and fruit I planted. It was frustrating because strawberries start fruiting the year after you plant them, and when they started producing fruit European Starlings, House Sparrows, and House Finches ate nearly all of them! Sometimes my indoor cats would scratch from the other side of the glass door that leads to the deck, because birds would perch right on my railing or even in my planters, eating, scratching, and defecating on my hard work.
Mesh over tomatoes, Deidra Bryant
Mesh over railing planter, Deidra Bryant
This year I did something different to protect my seeds, sprouts, and vegetables. Mesh netting! For 20 days I protected my seeds and Roma tomatoes from curious birds with an ultra-fine 0.04-inch mesh. I still see bird droppings on my deck, so I know they still come, but with the netting they had no way of pulling out tender sprouts, disturbing my seeds, or pecking my unripe tomatoes. That strategy, along with the cool, wet, and sunny weather we had late April and throughout May, allowed my seeds to thrive, and I’m quite proud of their growth in such a short time.
Cosmos successfully sprouted in railing planter, Deidra Bryant
My journey through this process made me think about how birds can be enjoyable to view but can also cause issues for someone growing crops, or owning or renting property, whether a home or office. Often sparrows, starlings, bluebirds, swallows, ravens, pigeons, and even crows will make nests in very inconvenient spots, at least for us humans. They’ll get into roofs, attics, window shutters, walls, ceilings, porches, vents, ducts, chimneys, decks, and crawl spaces, and some birds will annihilate your budding garden if you’re not careful. Birds also can be vectors for spreading diseases such as psittacosis, salmonellosis, avian tuberculosis, avian influenza (bird flu), giardiasis, cryptococcis, histoplasmosis, and cryptosporidiosis. When birds enter a building or structure, they contaminate it with waste and bird mites. If you are trying to grow fruit such as blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, oranges, apples, grapes, plums, oranges, or pears, a concentration of birds (especially non-native starlings or House Sparrows) can really get out of hand.
It’s a conundrum. We want birds to visit us, but only certain species, and even under those conditions we want to see them on our terms. When they get too destructive, some people will try to find ways to get rid of them. They will use outdoor cats to stress them out and chase them away (a VERY bad idea) or remove their nests, either themselves or using a professional.
Instead, I recommend the following practices. If you want native birds such as orioles, grossbeaks, catbirds, robins, thrushes, thrashers, tanagers, woodpeckers, waxwings, kinglets, titmice and warblers to enjoy the fruits of your labor, I suggest creating a space exclusively for feeding wildlife. You can grow some shrubs for wildlife, or take fallen fruit and put it on a plate or table for them to enjoy. Do this while also creating a space for your own harvest. You can use netting to protect the plants you want to grow, or, if you have space and money for it, grow them in a greenhouse. Remember that other animals and insects like fruit, too, so keep that in mind as a part of your planning. You might attract insectivores by growing fruit for your use!
Growing food can be a gratifying experience. Additionally, allowing native birds to have a place to rest and eat fruit, seeds, and insects on your property is good not only for the birds, but also for your soul. On the other hand, it would be a shame if all your work was destroyed or damaged due to lack of planning. If you do find non-natives (starlings or House Sparrows) making a nest on your property in a location that might be hazardous to you or your family’s health, consuming your seeds and fruits, or even causing aesthetic issues to your house or property, call a reputable company and have professionals remove them and the nest. However, if you see native birds perched or nesting on your property, consider helping them out by leaving a plate of seeds and fresh berries out for them.