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Apples being pecked by magpies.

Juniper4Juniper4 Posts: 79
in Problem solving
What do people used to prevent birds pecking on thier apples?
I had 4 dessert apples growing on my tree and a couple of weeks ago I found that one of them had been eaten, then the rest followed.  :'(

Posts

  • strelitzia32strelitzia32 Posts: 758
    Nothing. It's the nature of, err, nature! You can try netting parts of your tree but you are unlikely to succeed (corvids like jays are smart and will get in), and you'll need to be careful not to trap any birds.

    Perhaps a better way forward is to figure out why you're only getting a few apples. There might be a good reason (new tree etc), but if you increase your harvest you won't notice the losses, and you'll enjoy the wildlife. Blackbirds especially love fallen fruit...

    Post a photo of your tree and let's see if we can help...
  • Juniper4Juniper4 Posts: 79
    @sterelitza its a new tree. Only bought last year. A baby, so I understand why I only got 9 apples. Which only 4 got to grow on. 
    Hoping that next year my green sleeve will produce more. :)

  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    We have had similar issues with pigeons in the spring eating the leaves of the plums, gages and cherries. We hung long lenghts of bonded fibre in the trees and this stopped them as the wind made the fibre move about a lot.
    Then as the apples developed the blackbirds started to peck at the fruit ignoring any on the ground. So we removed the fibre from the previous trees and hung them on the apple trees. So far so good.
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    Too late for this year's crop perhaps but you could try hanging old CDs on string from the branches, they twist round and 'flash' in the winds so the birds don't like them.
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • strelitzia32strelitzia32 Posts: 758
    If you want to try the scarecrow method, hang something patterned with houndstooth in brown. It triggers the predator flee response in most birds...
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    That's an interesting idea, @strelitzia32.  I wonder if it would work for the bullfinches, or if they'd get used to it...  and where do I find a brown houndstooth-patterned something...
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • strelitzia32strelitzia32 Posts: 758
    @Liriodendron I don't think birds will get used to it, it's a genetic flee response that can't be trained out. That's why pet bird keepers (especially macaws, cockatoo, parrots etc) are careful with brown striped patterns. Would be interesting to find out over the course of a season though.

    If you don't have an old piece of clothing or jacket to cut up, maybe try a drapers? (If those even exist anymore!)

  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    Thanks for the info, @strelitzia32.  I Googled "brown houndstooth material" and there are a lot of suppliers, apparently, which is useful because it's not a pattern I've ever worn.   :)
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • ShepherdsBarnShepherdsBarn Posts: 401
    I had exactly the same problem with blackbirds eating my apples in July - they were not even nearly ripe which was really infuriating! I have no problem with the blackbirds eating the windfalls but when they take a peck out of loads of apples which then fall, rotting, to the ground I am not happy - such a waste! It has become a war between us and them. BUT we found the answer ...

    350Ft/106M Bird Repellent Scare Tape, Bird-proof Tape Deterrent Ribbon Stops Damage and Deters Pests, Bird Scare Sound and Reflective Tape Silver Diamond Pattern with Hanging Reflector Small Bell

    £12.99 on Amazon UK. The blackbirds have left our garden ... probably until the winter when we feed them well! I think the problem has been that we have had so many blackbirds this year that they need feeding - no problem, but not for a beakful of every apple in sight! Just cut 4' strips and tie securely to the branches. It really does work.
    Good luck!
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    I used cut up strips of white plastic bag tied to my red currants, it worked for around 2 weeks which was enough time for me to get some fruit.
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