Angry birds

[Xanthoria]

I went on a delosperma/jordaaniela/oscularia/aptenia/assorted little ice plant things spree in the last few years, and have lots of them hanging out over my xeric beds. This year for the first time a swarm of angry birds has taken up residence in my garden and are eating them. Biting all the little leaves in half with their vicious little beaks. Digging around under them looking for.... grubs? And uprooting them.

Aside from covering with net and making sure cat is on sentry duty, any other suggestions for repelling avian pestilence?

[abborean]

We have mocking birds around here that will do that but never to the point of destroying plants. We grow aptenia in hanging baskets and wrens nest in them but other than that no real bird problems. What kind of birds are doing this damage? Sorry I can't be of more help but found the topic interesting and was surprised that no one had a good answer for your problem.

[Xanthoria]

They are LBBs. Little Brown Birds. Sparrowesque. They might have stripes by their eyes. Nothing remarkable at all. And now they are eating the leaves of other plants - echiums, sonchus and also Dudleyas.

I know birds across the US have been starving but around here I think there’s more food... I’m mystified by this!

[Paul S]

Maybe buy some bird feed, put it into feeders away from the plants?

Then again it might just give them the energy to eat more plants. Tough call.

[Xanthoria]

I have thought about that! But they seem to like eating greenery vs seeds? or maybe they're equal opportunity plant ravagers...

[mcvansoest]

I get some angry birds in my yard as well. They appear to go for the juiciest cacti - someone has suggested to me they are looking for moisture more than food and that providing a water dish might help. Not sure if that is it though we have caught some of those birds landing on the chlorine tablet float and drinking from the pool on occasion, so maybe....

The fake Owl sitting on the fence is no deterrent. They would even get into the shade structure that is essentially one side access only without any fear. Our dog is no help, he only tries to chase ducks landing in the pool, but since he is absolutely terrified by water, chasing the ducks in the pool mainly is running around the pool in circles while the ducks just calmly float in the center, when he does that he even forgets to bark.

The live hawk that occasionally flies over and clearly is roosting somewhere close by does appear to help - since it appeared those birds have not been back. I have some spinners and reflective things hanging around the most attacked beds and the shade structure, but am not sure they really help.

So I guess the conclusion of my story is: get yourself a pet predator bird that likes hanging around you neighborhood.

[Xanthoria]

1FB22802-967D-40E1-AA98-AD7BB2E5D384.JPG (295.88 KiB) Viewed 10295 times

Clockwise from top left:
Top part of Delosperma, ravaged but now growing back thanks to mesh cover.
Evil bird
Aeonium, munched and pooped on
Evil birds

[Stan]

Have mercy on the souls of those poor innocents birds in winter with proper foods hard to find.
Whew! Glad I don't have those problems! signed, Eddie Haskell.

[Xanthoria]

I have found out their name: Fox Sparrows. They eat insects and seeds. And delosperma...

[abborean]

They look a bit like english sparrows but then I can't tell one sparrow from the other. didn't know any of them ate greens.

[Xanthoria]

I didn't know they ate greens either, but we netted everything and after a while they seem to have moved on... plants are gradually recovering, but what a mess!