AusBonsai

hey I am in a pickle,
got well had a lovely cover of moss on my trees and with in a week the black birds have stripped most of it off
apart from using bird shot and shredding my trees what other solutions do you use

Hi Rawhide , the best solution is to cover them with bird netting , simply make a frame to droop the netting over . If the moss is in the pot cut a piece of shade cloth slighly bigger than the pot with a hole for the trunk and use wire hooksto the bottom of the pot to hold it in place .Hope this helps Cheers Alpineart

Cheers Alpineheart
let me get this straight the netting goes over the pot and soil not the tree ?
thought about usind rubber snakes
real snakes

Hi Rawhide . if the moss/lychen is on your tree then cover the tree and pot if the birds are removing it , if its in the pot use a shade cloth cover over the soil .I've tried fake snakes but they work out its not the real deal very quickly .Cheers Alpine

Alpine is right Rawhide, netting it is.
I have trialed many things in the past, few actually work to any acceptable level with the exception of the above.
Blackbirds nest in nearby dense vegetation around the 1 to 2 metre mark above the ground. If they are feeding their young your moss and trees are really in for it.
Even a cat can do more damage as it can go crashing through your collection to catch the bird (or catch native birds) but it can work as a deterrent.
Some birds such as Wattle Birds are territorial and can help to chase them away but they can't be on the job all of the time.
Blackbirds are a curse of sorts, thankfully the acclimatisation society no longer exists.

I have a similar problem, I have had birds destroying my moss, which is annoying, but I can live with that as my trees are nowhere near show ready yet. But I notices that a bird/ or birds had been having a field day foraging through my seedling trays and destroying half my seedlings

I have my trees on pallet racking from bunnings with shade cloth over the top and 2 sides, I have hung some CDs on string at various hieghts to try and scare the birds until I can get some netting. Has anyone tried this before? Also I read recently that I should get an old feather duster and cut the handle off and hang the feathers up. Apparently this will scare away the birds as they think it is some kind of funky looking bird or predator!?!

My gf has a cat which is outside during work hours and has caught a few black birds

Anyone have any other suggestions? I would prefer not having to put netting up if I can avoid it. But if need be, where is a good place to buy netting at a reasonable price?

Thanks everyone

I found some bird netting 5m x 10m for $10 in the off-cut bargain bin at a local business that sells to vineyards. Not sure of the company name, but I could find out for anyone in SA who is interested. That certainly should solve the bird problem!!

If anyone will be trying the rubber snakes, make sure you have a few on rotation, and move them to new spots frequently. They will be more effective like this, rather than just leaving them in one spot where the birds get used to them.

low density shade cloth does the job very nicely especially if one wants to green up the moss ahead of showing

If you go for fake snakes try "wiring"them with light wire so you can sit some up "cobra" style and let the wind "bounce"them - a little movement helps to keep the birds on their toes.

I recently found bird netting (I cover my vegy garden beds) in the Reject Shop - $15 for 5m x 10m.

Best of luck,

Jan

dogs work well, but failing that, i have a hot wire that I string up there occasionally, it's always fun to watch the dogs touch it... the birds seem to stay away from it

paddles wrote:dogs work well, but failing that, i have a hot wire that I string up there occasionally, it's always fun to watch the dogs touch it... the birds seem to stay away from it

I might be asking a dumb question, but what is a hot wire?

Luke308 wrote:

paddles wrote:dogs work well, but failing that, i have a hot wire that I string up there occasionally, it's always fun to watch the dogs touch it... the birds seem to stay away from it

I might be asking a dumb question, but what is a hot wire?

no, not dumb, just showing a lack of farming background.. lol, a hot wire is an electric fence, we use a strip grazing unit, (runs on batteries) and tend to move it around the yard. if it looks like anything is having a go at the trees, I run a wire around the trunks and along the bench... (wood doesn't conduct) the bird/dog/cat/possum, touches the wire... zap... hubby keeps threatening to put 240 volts through the wire... (puppy ate the hot water service, hubby hasn't forgiven him yet)

240 volts is a bit extreme, but then again I would not be happy if my dog ate the hot water service.