North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[erdmanj@uwstout.edu]

-----Original Message-----
>From: Betty Mayfield

>In Sam's comments on birds in regards to raspberries or other berries, I
>was interested to note the reference to birds and tomatoes. Until a week
>or
>so ago I had never heard of birds as a danger to tomatoes. I have never
>seen it in my own garden, nor had I heard anyone complain before. The
>complaint I heard recently involved the little cherry tomatoes. Is it
>possible that the birds attack only the small tomatoes, perhaps
>confusing
>them with real cherries? Does anyone have any experience with this?

We get an occassional pecked tomato, but can't be sure of what animal did
the damage.  We built permanent cages around our blueberries to protect them
from rabbits in winter and birds in summer.  Before the cages, we just
thought we were doing something wrong that caused loss of berries and poor
growth of the plants.  Turned out to be rabbits eating them back in the
winter, and birds eating the berries in the summer.

However, we do have to net our newly planted tomatoes in the spring, or
birds will clip off the new plants the first week they are in the ground.
Often, then just clip the leaves and let them lay.  I have witnessed
red-wing blackbirds and others doing this.

Jim Erdman (Menomonie, WI) 

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
FREE COLLEGE MONEY
CLICK HERE to search
600,000 scholarships!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/zoU8wD/4m7CAA/ySSFAA/VAOolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->





------------------LIST GUIDELINES----------------------

1) Please sign your posting.  Include climate and location information if 
relevent.
2) Attached files will be stripped from your messages.  Post attachments on 
the www.YahooGroups.com website.
3) To unsubscribe send a BLANK message to 
        nafex-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
4) Include only pertinent comments/questions when replying to a posting and 
NOT the entire message (especially if the initial posting was large). 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/