Well, I also made a couple of wild blackberry cobblers. Missouri has some good native/wild plants. My Granny used to make wild black berry/grape jelly every year.
We Placed Huge Hoops around the bushes and covered with nets. Birds still got lots of the produce before the drought ruined them.
Wrens like to eat ensects, and are territorial. They will drive the fruit - loving birds away(at least that is what I read). So we have put up some wren houses around the grapes and blackberries for this year as an additional preventative.
I BOUGHT A PELLET HANDGUN TO KILL SQUIRRELS AND BIRDS THAT EAT TOMATOES! (See, I said great progress.)
(Tomato plants still living.)