This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Birds caught in netting
LeifUK
Posts: 573
Last year I had many juvenile blackbirds and a sparrow trapped inside my fruit cage. This year I took more care when fastening it down and thus far no birds have got in.
But I returned home one day to find a baby sparrow caught in my strawberry netting. I used my penknife scissors to free it, and it eventually flew off, not before it had sunk its beak into my finger. 
Ah well, there's gratitude for you. A day later I did see a juvenile sparrow on the fence not far from where I was gardening, normally they scarper when they see me, so maybe I made a little friend.
Anyway, is it normal for birds to get caught in netting? I will be using finer strawberry netting next year, I don't want to harm birds.
0
Posts
Yes, it's so sad to see birds entangled or even strangled in netting and it's not uncommon.
As you say, use a fine mesh and always peg it down so that it's taut to try to prevent entanglement, and check at least twice a day.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
My neighbour had a pheasant in his fruit cage one day when I visited to the allotment I took the liberty to trespass onto his plot and open the door to let it out.
Chicken wire would be better. I've seen birds trapped in loose netting. Considering that bird ringers use loose netting to catch birds, you can't expect it to do one job in one place and a different job somewhere else.
True but the netting was supplied with the fruit cages, and chicken wire does not move as plants grow! The fine stuff is really the only answer for birds.
If your fruitcage is the right size the netting doesn't need to move
I haven't tried this - but it says it doesn't harm birds http://www.gardening-naturally.com/acatalog/Bird_Netting.html
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I just hang cds every where above strawberries and such. Some get eaten by mostly by slugs. It would seem that slugs don't mind cds... but birds do, mostly, as long as they are bright and shiny, not old and faded.