Written and edited by Tammy 19th December 2023
There's nothing more frustrating than finding the mulch you've tediously spread around your garden beds flicked out all over the lawns and quite simply, everywhere it shouldn't be! The culprit.....Blackbirds.
Trust me, they've made a mess of my yard too, the better part of a bag of Who Flung Dung is now spread all over my pavers instead of around the base of my fruit trees where I put it.
Coconut fibre pot insert -If you've got plants in pots this will work for you too.
you'll need........
A roll of coconut fibre.
Sharp pair of scissors.
Measuring tape.
Roll the coconut fibre out flat on the ground, measure the dimesions of your container and mark them out on the coconut fibre. Cut a piece to fit and cover the entire top of your container. Measure the distance from the outer edge of your container to the centre where you plant is, then cut a slit to that point to create an opening to be able to place it around your plant. Obviously this wouldn't be practical for a large area.
Other options you could try are..
Install a physical barrier .
Jute twine laced between hardwood or bamboo cane stakes to create a weblike barrier. The idea being that the birds can't land and walk around without getting tangled.
Bird netting. Pending on the size of your garden, install bird netting over a polypipe frame.
 Blackbird Deterrent .
Strategically place rubber fake snakes throughout the garden, birds are always cautious of snakes.
Fake larger predatory birds such as owls and magpies moved around regularly might just outsmart them.
Cats and dogs. Their presence is often enough. My little Jack Russell terrier loves to run out and give chase when she sees them near my plants. I always praise her for scaring the birds away!
Brightly coloured or shiny bird scarers.
Solar or battery powered ultra sonic animal deterrents. For larger areas electric devices come in a range of sizes and prices according to their features. Motion sensors within the device detect movement activating the untra sonic deterrent. Try this company Pestrol in NSW https://www.pestrol.com.au/ they offer a range options.
Prickle spikes also available through Pestrol are another simple solution. I don't think I'd like to tread on one of those either.
Despite the frustration of blackbirds messing up my mulch, I'm not entirely against them. Waking in the mornings would not be the same without the familiar melody of these little songbirds. And what about the earwigs, bugs and grubs who sneak out from beneath the mulch under the cover of darkness to munch, crunch and decimate the strawberries and seedlings? Well that's exactly what the blackbirds are foraging for, their lunch. So in actual fact they are doing us a favour, chemical free pest control.
There's reasons and solutions for everything, you've just got to find what's right for you.
Happy Gardening!đđŚ
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