Blueberries

Are you smarter than a robin? or can you just hack into a Facebook account?

I ask this to everyone, because apparently I'm not. I love watching the birds. I have two birdbaths in my perennial gardens in the front and really enjoy seeing how much they enjoy fresh water and knowing that I'll always have it available. A good bath, a little drink...lovely, except the crows who enjoy leaving chicken bones, not so pretty and they don't look good with the poppies.

Since I planted my new berry garden in the back, I put netting over the raspberries so that the birds wouldn't bother them. Well I had extra netting and thought I'd put it over my blueberries, which I baby every single plant and berry. The crop this year is great. I'd see how many green ones I have on the limbs and anxiously wait the turning of green, pink, blue to purple....time to pick and make something delicious! The darling little girls next door do come over when I'm home and we pick a few berries and they love it as much as I do. But what is happening??? Where are all the berries going? Let me tell you. The monsters that I have been treating with fresh water have not been detoured by the netting to get to my berries because they are posting themselves on stakes that I keep to make the plants straight - okay now I have pulled those out of the ground. So then I see them, mind you 4-6 birds at a time, on the ground and hopping like frogs to get under the plant and snap a berry whatever color it is and pull it off! One big gulp and gone!

These guys were my friends, but I don't share my precious berries with anyone other than family. The birds have taken so many of the berries that I will now go to the farmers market and purchase some to freeze. What a pity.