I know its spring when divots appear in my vegie patch, and mulch is flung all over. Starlings and Blackbirds are in heaven here with plenty of nest making goodness and a bounty of worms for dinner. It’s important work keeping them at bay, otherwise seeds and seedlings don’t stand a chance.
Birdnet is your best bet (my garden looks like it’s getting married with all the white net about), but it’s not always practical. When stakes/ trellises are involved it becomes complicated to drape birdnet, so instead I save the day with a combination of birdsticks (small sticks pushed in the ground around the seedling) and bulky, stalky, un-bird-friendly mulch.
Lay shadecloth or some such cover over newly sown seed and retain as many older crops as you can to keep a living mulch going. Bear with our friends the birds – this fervent activity has its season and will soon abate.
