.....Bird Attack!....uh, oh

[Lonesomedave]

my better bush tomato that was getting ripe has been bird pecked...more than pecked...about a quarter of it was eaten

I am thinking of using netting, but I have heard that birds don't get tomatoes because they are hungry...they get tomatoes because they are thirsty

I have also heard that if you leave pans of water around your garden and keep it fresh, the birds will go after this and leave your tomatoes alone

any truth?

[applestar]

I believe this tends to be true at least around here -- apparently different story in Hawaii and extreme southern states like Louisiana, Florida, as well as Ecuador. Different kinds of birds. I assume.

It may also depend on if the local birds have "learned" to like the taste of tomatoes and passed it on to their progeny.

From what I have read in the forum memeber's reports, it seems like most of the time, smaller bite marks on eaten tomatoes are due to rats and tree rats (squirrels) as will as -- in my case -- chipmunks. Then of course there are the hornworms. One other I can remember is turtles.

Less often reported are raccoons and ... opposums, maybe?

Larger culprits include deer and groundHOGs and pet dogs....

[ElizabethB]

Hate when that happens. If you decide to use netting make sure to pin it or weigh it down at the bottom. The birds will make their way under the netting if you don't.

What I hate is that they don't choose one to peck. They will move from one to another and damage several at one time.

Good luck

[applestar]

I'm curious -- What kind of birds ElizabethB?

[feldon30]

Mockingbirds. They just go down the line, pecking a hole in each tomato out of curiosity, not any hunger or thirst. This is why I harvest tomatoes once they are blushed at least halfway up the side. No loss of flavor, and less risk of bird damage.

[ElizabethB]

Mostly mocking birds and blue jays also grackles. The cardinals, doves and thrashers leave the garden alone. The neighbor behind me has a couple of free roaming cats that occasionally visit and make a deposit in the garden.

[Lonesomedave]

NOW....THAT WAS BOLD!

so...I'm standing on my patio, in the midst of my container garden, looking over everything, thinking man, this is great....got about a total of 26-27 tomato plants, none getting red yet, except my better bush....

I have put bird netting around all my red tomatoes, including the Better Bush...which is the subject of this thread, and which got bird pecked earlier

what to my wondering eyes do appear (hint- it was not 8 tiny reindeer... )....a whole family of mocking birds, which has a nest next door....swoops down and lights on my better bush container, and appears with great consternation to try and get thru the net....bear in mind, I'm standing not 4 feet away, in the open, not hiding, and they ignore me and try to get my ripening tomatoes...

I watch for a couple of minutes, fascinated...the adults get discouraged and fly away, the young one stays put for another minute, and then flitters up on my fence, no more than 2 feet away from where I am standing, and looks at me....I was in awe....I whistled a couple of times at him and eventually he flew away

maybe my net will be effective...I am going to put out some bird waterers this week...any birds which will do that deserve SOMETHING, but I am really amazed....obviously, I have been falling down on the job...or so I am led to believe