"Joshua Slocum" wrote in message
ups.com...
Does anyone have any experience of bowerbirds eating vegetables
recently?

Two of my friends who have been gardening for many years in different
locations around Sydney tell me that they have been recently having
their gardens attacked by bower birds. The birds are having a big
impact on their productivity.

Has anyone else had this experience?

Does anyone have any suggestions as to why this might be happening
recently?

habitat/feeding site loss? perhaps they have young ones & need more food
than previously? perhaps they just moved in nearby?

Has anyone got any suggestions about how to stop bower birds from
eating vegetables?

well, afaik they prefer fruit, so maybe they should grow some of that & the
veg will be left alone ;-)

more realistically, i put more store on barrier methods more than anything
else for this sort of thing: strong netting, etc.

we're being harrassed by (amongst other things) what they call wingless
grasshoppers - i'm going to have to make chilli or garlic spray, or one of
those foul-tasting concoctions. perhaps these types of things work for birds
also? i'm inclined to think they would.

we were having a great deal of trouble with bowerbirds in the house, because
they are quick learners & knew how & when to come in, & what to go for when
they did come in. i kept the house closed up when i wasn't literally in it,
& now the problem has gone away. whatever solution your friends find,
they'll just have to keep at it for as long as it takes until their visitors
realise there's no use, and go away.
kylie