There have been two "attacks" on the garden. Last week, I thought the deer were nipping off the ends of my Sun Sugar that were getting beyond the wire it is growing on. I was putting up plastic netting when I noticed what looked like some kind of "poop". That got me to looking closer & I found 3 huge green tomato hornworms muching on that poor plant. I checked the rest of the tomatoes & found another one on my Mr. Stripey. Those 4 hornworms had not been parasitized by wasps (that I could tell) so they ended up squished. The Sun Sugar tomato looks really happy since the 3 hornworms were taken off - I'm getting pretty orange cherry tomatoes every day now.
The next "attack" is still ongoing. The crows, about a week ago, started scouting out the garden. Since the tomatoes were still very green, I figured I had some time. Last year, the crows were pecking out the pulp of ripe tomatoes. Monday, I saw crows land on a board fence very near the garden & got a funny feeling that the ones I wasn't seeing (there are 7) were up to no good. When I went out the door to shoo them off, 3 flew out of the raised beds. One had my biggest, prettiest green Roma in its beak. I found a pecked up zucchini & a pecked up Black Beauty eggplant. No one else was around at the time - if they had been, they'd probably have seen steam coming out of my ears & blue smoke from the (ahem) not-so-nice things I was saying about those crows.
I won't go into the details, but last year I had to put up plastic mesh/metal post fencing that, although it kept the crows out, hindered me in getting to the garden as well - it was a total pain & made mowing around the beds a miserable task. I have taken some pieces of plastic netting and draped them over the tomato plants for now, but I'm working on a fence idea that will be made in panels of plastic mesh/pvc that I can easily move to mow & also set up in different configurations. I could also use them for trellises when not being used as fencing. I am going to try making the fencing for one raised bed this weekend and see how it goes - if it works, I'll for sure do the 2nd bed & maybe even a third.
In the meanwhile, I made a "dead crow" dummy (I didn't feel like spending $69 to buy one) & hung it near the garden. I don't think the crows are fooled, but they haven't been coming as frequently since I've had it up ... they usually arrive by 8 a.m. & maybe come back 2-3 times in the morning, then show up again between 3-4. I haven't seen them in the afternoons at all and I only had to shoo them off twice this morning. The collective noun for a group of crows is a "murder" of crows .... apt name because they can really murder plants/gardens, grape vines, etc. Always something going on in the garden!
We have blue jays and cardinals, haven’t seen any Crows, thank goodness. I need to get some new wren boxes, and get them hung up for next year - they like bugs, not berries.
I am having trouble with crows this year. There hasn’t been any changes in our yard but never have seen so many. Looked up what to do about crows:
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Crows
It is the same thing said about Wrens from nesting in the eaves of the house and that didn’t work.
Anyone have any suggestions other than shooting them as I live a neighborhood
environment.
They wear black; they destroy your stuff, they mock you and crap all over.
You saw something; now say something: TERRORISTS!!!
Call the Feds to get rid of your uninvited border invaders: uh; I mean undocumented avian immigrants.
I think it was you last year who got an old double tub sink thing on a rusting stand. Did you ever do anything with it?
Would something like this keep crows away? http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Gardener-6050-DeerBlock-100-Foot/dp/B00004RA0N?ie=UTF8&keywords=fencing&qid=1463961522&ref_=sr_1_2&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-2
One of the things that I really enjoy about living out in the country - when the varmints invade I get to fight back!
Crows are fast learners - if they see one of their compadres get a taste of hot lead they will keep their distance for a good long time.