Do-it-yourself bird repeller for strawberries. How to protect strawberries from birds: the most effective ways. Options for protecting strawberries from birds

Strawberries are not only the favorite berry of many people with a sweet tooth, but also a crop that requires constant care. To reap a bountiful harvest, the plant must be watered regularly, remove tendrils, dry leaves, fertilize the soil, and much more. Moreover, this must be done clearly within the allotted time frame, and not whenever you want. And therefore it is doubly offensive when the beds are brazenly attacked by voracious birds. How to protect strawberries from birds? This will be discussed further.

Gardeners spend a lot of time and effort caring for plants, but it all pays off when the first berries begin to appear under the leaves.

Birds on the site

This is a pressing problem; the struggle between gardeners and birds has been going on for a very long time. That is why the arsenal of summer residents is constantly replenished with new means of protecting crops from birds. Each method has both its pros and cons. Some remedies are improved over time, and the least effective ones are forgotten. But in any case, each owner has his own favorite ways of dealing with winged thieves.

The main feathered pests are starlings, sparrows, magpies, tits and pigeons. Moreover, they are concerned not only with strawberries, but also with raspberries, currants, cherries, cherries and other garden crops. A flock of such birds can destroy your crop in a matter of hours, so there is a problem. Such a confrontation could drag on for the entire season, until the fall.

There are many methods of protection, so you will have plenty to choose from. However, you should not resort to drastic methods, since birds protect our crops from pests: caterpillars, beetles, larvae, etc. Provide your feathered partners with a water bowl and get ready to choose the most humane means of protection.

Electronic devices

How to scare birds away from strawberries? This can be done using audio-recorded calls of predatory hawks, owls, or warnings about the danger of magpies, blackbirds, starlings, etc. This method is especially suitable for owners of large plantations.

Previously, to purchase such an audio recording, you had to find a specialized agricultural store, but nowadays it can be purchased on the Internet.

By the way, audio recordings are suitable for fighting not only birds, but also rodents. Many gardeners prefer this method. With the help of loud, unpleasant sounds, you will not only repel pests from your crop, but also cause the indignation of your neighbors. Therefore, this method is not suitable for everyone. To solve this problem, there are special electronic devices that have no effect on humans, but cause severe discomfort in birds and force them to leave the area.

You can also use loudspeakers or electronic devices that produce sharp, loud sounds such as claps or gunshots, imitating the sound of a siren. Some devices light up or flash brightly when triggered.

If birds peck at strawberries, you can use old audio or video cassettes, or more precisely, their films. To do this, simply remove the tape from the device and secure it over the entire area. Stretch the web over the bushes; to be sure, you can make a second layer at a height of 30 cm from the plants.

The dazzling shine of magnetic tape in the sun scares away birds. In addition, due to the wind, the film emits ultrasound, which causes fear in birds. To protect strawberries, you can use any shiny objects that move in the wind, reflect the sun, or rustle. For example, plastic bags, strips of foil, rain from the Christmas tree and much more. Secure them to trees near the garden bed.

Use old, unwanted DVDs and CDs to control birds. Drill holes in them, insert twine, tie tightly and hang over the area. They will sway in the wind, shimmer brightly, and create the appearance of movement. The birds won't like it.

Covering material

Bird netting is perhaps the most reliable material; experienced gardeners recommend this product for crop protection. Buy mesh in agricultural stores or online. The material is metal or plastic, most often polypropylene, which has square or diamond-shaped small cells. It protects the strawberries from birds, allows water and sunlight to pass through. What is important is that this does not prevent insects from pollinating the plant. When carrying out foliar feeding, the net will not interfere, so you don’t even have to remove it.

How can you use it to cover strawberries? Everything is quite simple: drive pegs into the ground around the bed, pull the net tightly at a height of 35 cm from the bushes. It can also be attached to a frame in the form of metal arcs or bamboo sticks. This way you can go inside and pick berries without having to disassemble the structure every time. After harvesting, the net can be removed. But in general, this method works and is suitable for gardens, cottages and city apartments.

Scarecrow

If sparrows are pecking at your strawberries, make a stuffed one:

Connect two boards crosswise - this will be the body.
Separately, take a bag and fill it with dry grass or newspapers - this is the head.
Connect the body with the head, put unnecessary things on your scarecrow, a hat, draw a face.

The downside is that the birds get used to the stuffed animal very quickly. Over time, the scarecrow becomes a location for the feathered bullies.

Many gardeners combine two methods: they decorate the scarecrow with plastic bags, magnetic tapes, and old computer disks. They move in the wind, shimmer in the sun, and rustle, which causes fear in birds. You can also attach a variety of rattles to the stuffed animal, which will knock and scare away the birds.

Scarecrows in the form of birds of prey are extremely popular among summer residents. For example, a plastic owl in shiny ribbons with an audio recording of his cry. You can purchase such a kit in a store or online.

Rattles and wind chimes

You can use homemade ratchets as a means of protection. To create them, any trash (preferably metal) that knocks when collided is suitable. Tie old beer or tin cans together; they rattle a lot in the wind, and this is not to the taste of birds. Birds generally do not like noise, as they have perfect hearing. This method may work, but only in windy conditions.

Some gardeners use air bells to scare away birds. Despite the soothing melody, they are able to detain birds for a while. Pests quickly get used to sharp sounds and after some time they no longer pay attention to them.

Colored repellers

There is an opinion that birds are afraid of the color white, and therefore some gardeners stretch white fabric along the plot. If there are trees near the beds, then white ribbons made of fabric or film can be tied to the branches. It is not known exactly how effective this method is.

Blue and red flags can be used as colored repellers. Place them in the bed between the plants.

Homemade turntables

Don't throw away empty plastic bottles; you can use them to make a small windmill, windmill, etc. These spinning and fluttering crafts not only repel winged pests, but are also a decorative element for decorating the yard. But unfortunately, birds quickly get used to the turntables.

Distracting Cultures

The most humane method of protecting a strawberry plantation from birds is to plant distracting crops. Plant rowan, cherry or sea buckthorn on the plot, this way you will distract the birds from the garden bed. However, no one guarantees that birds will give preference to these crops and will not fly to feast on strawberries.

And if you create an artificial water source near fruit trees, then the birds will spend most of their time near it. The sensitive hearing of birds will immediately pick up the murmur of a stream or the sound of a small waterfall. They will flock en masse to these sounds.

The downside is that after resting near the source, a flock of birds can still pay attention to the strawberry beds, which they will empty in a few minutes.

Other methods of bird control

There are other methods of crop protection; they are less popular, but, according to gardeners, they are effective.

Birds on the site
Electronic devices
Film and CDs (tips and videos)
Covering material
Scarecrow
Colored repellers
Homemade turntables
Distracting Cultures
The benefits of birds in the garden

Gardeners spend a lot of time and effort caring for plants, but it all pays off when the first berries begin to appear under the leaves.

Birds on the site

Electronic devices

Previously, to purchase such an audio recording, you had to find a specialized agricultural store, but nowadays it can be purchased on the Internet.

You can also use loudspeakers or electronic devices that produce sharp, loud sounds such as claps or gunshots, imitating the sound of a siren. Some devices light up or flash brightly when triggered.

Covering material

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Scarecrow

If sparrows are pecking at your strawberries, make a stuffed one:

Connect two boards crosswise - this will be the body.
Separately, take a bag and fill it with dry grass or newspapers - this is the head.
Connect the body with the head, put unnecessary things on your scarecrow, a hat, draw a face.

The downside is that the birds get used to the stuffed animal very quickly. Over time, the scarecrow becomes a location for the feathered bullies.

Rattles and wind chimes

Colored repellers

Blue and red flags can be used as colored repellers. Place them in the bed between the plants.

Homemade turntables

Distracting Cultures

The downside is that after resting near the source, a flock of birds can still pay attention to the strawberry beds, which they will empty in a few minutes.

Other methods of bird control

There are other methods of crop protection; they are less popular, but, according to gardeners, they are effective.

The benefits of birds in the garden

In the rush of struggle, many gardeners forget that birds initially protect gardens from pests. For example, a female sparrow brings at least 600 insects to her chicks per day, including May beetles, caterpillars, larvae, etc.

And in winter, these small birds eat plant seeds to survive. Thus, they eliminate most of the weed seeds that could grow in the garden. As for starlings, their record is 400 insects per day. Tits eat at least 250 pests per day. As scientists have calculated, for an area to be healthy, 3–5 pairs of passerines, 2 families of starlings and 4 tits should live on it.

Don't forget that birds are our helpers and friends. This, of course, does not mean that the struggle for the harvest should be stopped, just choose more humane methods for this.

Garden crops and their fruits are of interest not only to the owner of the site, but also to birds. To minimize the damage that the latter can cause, today there are a lot of effective methods and options that allow you to preserve the harvest without radical measures regarding the destruction of uninvited guests.

Ways to protect berries

Strawberries are held in special regard by gardeners, so their cultivation occurs everywhere and not only in open ground, but also in greenhouse conditions in regions where its cultivation is impossible in light of the climate. In the latter case, there is much less risk of losing the harvest, since the berries are reliably protected due to their placement inside the greenhouse. As for the garden, there are quite a lot of people who want to eat strawberries. Sparrows, starlings, crows and many other species of birds quite often visit vegetable gardens and orchards, consuming not only ripe Victoria, but also unripe fruits.

As a result, summer residents who are irregularly present on their plots, and land owners who permanently live nearby, have to take measures to preserve the harvest. And since this issue has been relevant for decades, the owners of berry crops have a large arsenal of all kinds of effective methods to protect strawberries from birds and protect their harvest.

Summer residents and gardeners, along with folk remedies, use modern options, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. The most effective methods are modernized, the less effective ones are forgotten.

Most often they resort to covering the beds with netting or other similar raw materials. Such materials are freely available in markets and supermarkets; in addition, the selection of products allows you to choose a product to suit every taste. As practice shows, if you cover berry bushes with a plastic or metal mesh, the honeycombs will not become an obstacle to the penetration of sunlight, moisture and will allow insects to pollinate the crop, but will become a barrier for birds.

The cells can have different shapes, for example, a square or a rhombus, the main thing is to correctly determine the size.

Also, in order to save the beds, you can use a breathable, opaque material - Agril or Spunboard, which will hide the berries from birds and create the effect of a greenhouse inside. But in this option, natural pollination for plants will become impossible, and without sunlight The strawberries will noticeably lag behind in ripening.

The berry plantations are closed along the entire perimeter; to secure the material, pegs are driven into the ground in half-meter increments. As additional reinforcement, the raw materials are pressed to the ground with heavy objects. The tension should be as tight as possible to avoid sagging in the center. The recommended height of the structure should be an average of 20 centimeters higher than the bushes.

However, the work may be fraught with some difficulties when choosing a mesh, since the material must have maximum density, but at the same time a fine-mesh structure. You should avoid using a fishing net, since it will be ineffective in this matter.

In addition, the final cost of such a protective structure is important. If there is a need to cover a small area, then financially it will not be so expensive, but for those who cultivate the plant on an industrial scale, purchasing the material will seriously hit their pockets.

It is also worth noting that such a fence will bring some inconveniences associated with agricultural technology related to the crop, since for any work the question may arise of removing the mesh, which significantly reduces its service life.

To brighten up negative side method, you can build a special frame structure using arcs made of metal or other material. This option does not require an additional foundation; the arcs are placed at a selected distance from each other based on the landing area, and a mesh is fixed on top of them. To solve the issue of comfortable maintenance work, you can think about the height of the structure, which would allow the summer resident to freely penetrate inside. This structure is seasonal in nature, so after the end of fruiting it is dismantled.

To prevent birds from becoming entangled in the net, it is still worth purchasing polypropylene material. In addition, this option has a rather attractive appearance.

In addition to using netting and covering material, planting crops near ridges that will distract the birds' attention would be a good protection. The bait can be rowan, cherry or other plants with bright fruits. However, in this case, there is no guarantee that when planting a bush or tree you can guess the taste preferences of birds.

A good humane option for protecting strawberries would be to arrange a small source of water nearby, since birds will pay more attention to it and will be attracted by the sound of flowing water. However, the disadvantage of this method is that after resting near a water source, the birds can calmly go in search of food, and still peck at the beds with garden strawberries.

More in a modern way One way to save crops at the dacha is to use bird mordant. This method consists of treating berry plantations with special agents that negatively affect the taste of the fruit specifically for birds, but do not in any way affect humans or animals.

What can you do to scare away?

Various methods of scaring away birds act as a unique method of protecting strawberries.

This can be done using the sounds of birds of prey recorded on any media. This option is a win-win for owners of large plantations with berries. Nowadays there is no need to spend a long time searching for suitable audio recordings in pet stores, since audio files are freely available on the Internet.

Many gardeners prefer this option, since it makes it possible to scare away not only small birds from the area, but also rodents, which also eat the ripe berry crop.

A significant disadvantage of using loud sounds is the fact that in this way you can cause an unpleasant reaction from your neighbors, in light of which not everyone can use it. The way out of the situation will be the use of specialized electronic devices that produce low-frequency sounds that do not cause discomfort in humans, but have an effect on birds.

If birds eat berries in the garden beds, you can resort to using tape from old cassettes to scare them away. A stretched film in the form of a web on the site, with its shine from the sun, will help discourage those who want to feast on the fruits. In addition to the visual effect, the film will make sounds in the wind, which will also discourage birds from visiting the area.

A similar result can be achieved if you place any other shiny and rustling objects in the garden, for example, pieces of foil or cellophane bags. It will be enough to hang them on trees near berry crops.

You can also choose CDs or DVDs as objects on the surface of which bright and repellent glare from the sun's rays is created.

A proven way to combat bird infestations is to install a scarecrow. You can do it yourself. To do this, you need to connect two boards with a cross, which will act as a body. You can simply make a head from a bag or sack filled with lightweight material, such as newspapers. Having connected all the parts, you can put unnecessary things on the scarecrow and draw a face or put on a mask.

The disadvantage of such a “guard” will be that birds will get used to it quite quickly, as a result the stuffed animal will become a place for birds to be placed in the garden. To avoid this, the scarecrow can also be supplemented with bright accessories in the form of the same disks or ribbons, which will move in the wind and make sounds that are guaranteed to scare away the birds. Some more advanced summer residents and gardeners specifically purchase stuffed animals of large birds of prey for installation in the garden, which can make frightening sounds. Similar specimens can be purchased at garden stores.

Rattles or bells will also serve as a deterrent. You can make similar ratchets yourself. Any unnecessary things will do for this, but it is better if they are made of metal. Homemade rattles can be made from tin cans. Such things will make quite a lot of noise, which will help drive out the birds, but the disadvantage of this method is that they can only function in windy weather.

Sometimes bells are placed in areas, but their sound will become a nuisance for the birds only for the first time; gradually they will get used to it and stop reacting.

While studying birds, scientists noticed that they are wary of the color white, so gardeners often wear light-colored textiles near strawberry beds. Sometimes branches of trees growing in the garden are tied with white film or pieces of fabric. As color options for scaring away birds, flags painted bright blue or red are used, which are usually placed between rows.

Another homemade item that allows you to save your harvest is making windmills from plastic containers. If you add elements to such mills that produce sounds during movement, moving multi-colored blades and noise are guaranteed to bring the expected result. In addition, such items can become a decorative element to decorate the garden. The downside of the products will be that birds quickly get used to such things in the garden.

The list of items and inventions that gardeners use to scare birds away from their crops is quite large, so we can highlight the most effective of them.

It has been established that birds cannot tolerate the smell of onions. If you place chopped heads near the beds with garden strawberries or fasten them on tree branches, you can protect the berries. In addition, there are also available for sale special means in the form of a gel, which contains the aromas of plants that have a repellent effect.
Having a cat can make some adjustments to the behavior of birds that eat strawberries in garden plots. The animal is unlikely to be able to catch all the birds that peck at the beds, but its presence will be beneficial.
Today on sale you can find various devices with infrared sensors that will prevent even small birds from approaching the garden bed.

The work scheme consists of the following sequential actions.

A box is made from the boards with jumpers every 50-60 centimeters. It is important to make it of such a size that the structure is not too high, as this will negatively affect the ventilation of the beds. However, the size largely depends on the area of plantings and the variety of garden strawberries.
Legs made of treated or fired timber are nailed to the bottom of the box. Wood processing is mandatory, as this will avoid rotting of the raw materials.
The box goes deep into the ground, after which the material must be treated from the effects of negative factors environment such as precipitation, freezing temperatures and wind.
Next you need to assemble the frames for the lids. They are secured with hinges so that they open outwards. For convenience, each one should have a handle attached.
After this, work is carried out with a covering material - mesh. It is necessary to cut pieces of the appropriate size from the total roll and secure them to the frames using small nails and a stapler.

There is always someone on the Internet who will share their experience. And we will remember. And tell us your ways.

I think many gardeners are faced with the problem of how to protect their strawberry plantation from voracious birds. Especially if there is a forest near the site, where the birds feel very at ease. I encountered the same problem a few years ago. Sparrows have taken to our site. They swoop down on the strawberry beds in a whole flock and choose the largest and ripest berries! I started looking for a radical way that I could do with my own hands for protecting strawberries from birds.

I read a bunch of literature. I found a lot of offers there. The most radical method, which is mostly proposed, is to cover the strawberry plantation with a fine mesh. A good, effective method, but it has a number of disadvantages. We need to find such a grid somewhere. What you need is not always on sale. Then, when enough berries are ripe for picking, the net can be removed for a while. What if you decided to just eat a few berries from the garden? It is inconvenient to open the mesh every time. And aesthetically, a bed of strawberries covered with netting doesn’t look very good.

It is proposed to place a scarecrow in the beds. But our birds have long chosen the shoulders of this stuffed animal to look for sweeter berries.

Another way is to hang empty cans in pairs. When there is wind, they will rattle and scare away birds. And when there is no wind?

In one place I found a very interesting way to scare away birds using old CDs! You need to punch a hole along the edge of the old disk, thread the twine and hang it all next to the beds. The discs shimmering in the sun will scare away birds. I wonder where I can get a bunch of old CDs? Well, I have two or three. which you won’t mind making holes in.

And this method gave me a rather simple idea. Well, it was invented and done. I placed small pegs, about a meter high, at the ends of the beds. He pulled the twine between them. Then I rummaged through the box of Christmas tree decorations. I think almost everyone has such a box in a treasured corner of their home, waiting for the next New Year's holiday. And I found an interesting thing. Christmas tree rain! Long, narrow strips of bright, shiny polyethylene. In! I tied the raindrops to a stretched twine and began to observe. And it worked! The rain is very light and at the slightest movement of air they begin to “move” and sparkle. The robber sparrows flew in a couple of times, circled and circled, but did not dare to land. That's all. I didn’t see any other birds on the site. And our strawberry beds looked festive and elegantly decorated until the fall.

Gardeners and gardeners grow strawberries (or, more precisely, garden strawberries) wherever the climate allows. This is a very tasty berry. Unfortunately, both people and birds know about this. Starlings, thrushes, sparrows, magpies, and even crows enjoy eating both ripe and unripe berries. Summer residents, especially those who do not live on the site permanently, have nothing left. Therefore, it is important to know what you can do to protect your strawberry crop.

How to protect strawberries: mesh and covering material

The most common solution is to cover the strawberry beds with netting or covering material. All this can be purchased in construction and agricultural stores or on the Internet. Plastic, polypropylene or metal mesh with cells in the shape of diamonds, rectangles and squares does not interfere with access to sunlight and moisture to plants, as well as the process of pollination of strawberries by insects.

The mesh for beds is presented in stores in a wide range

Breathable, opaque covering material (Lutrasil, Spunbond, Agril, Agrospan) provides a greenhouse effect. Birds do not see the berries, and therefore do not try to get into the garden bed. But pollination in a natural way is impossible in this case. Without sun, strawberry bushes grow poorly, the berries take longer to ripen, and the harvest decreases. Excessive watering may cause plantings to rot.

Covering material allows you to hide the crop from birds

When closing the bed, pegs are driven in around the perimeter at intervals of 45–50 cm, onto which the material is attached so that it goes down to the ground. There it also needs to be fixed, for example, with bricks. Pull it quite tightly so that the mesh does not sag in the center. The height of the structure is 15–20 cm higher than the strawberry bushes.

Video: how to secure covering material to a garden bed?

Indeed, in this case it is problematic for birds to get to the berries, but the solution is not without its drawbacks:

You need to find a fairly dense fine mesh. An ordinary fishing rod will not work. Birds freely enter the cells. If the mesh is too thin, it will simply be torn. Consequently, finding the right material can take a lot of time and effort.
Price issue. If you have a small plot and 1-2 beds, you shouldn’t even think about it. And those who grow strawberries on an industrial scale must purchase covering material and netting in the hundreds. square meters. It turns out to be quite expensive.
Caring for plantings becomes significantly more complicated. It is also impossible to walk through the garden, picking a couple of berries along the way. For any weeding, loosening, fertilizing, watering, or harvesting, the net and material must be removed and then the bed covered again. This frequent use sharply reduces the service life of the material - holes are formed, which are immediately expanded by birds.
Birds that see tasty berries do not consider the netting a serious nuisance. Trying to get to them at all costs, they become entangled and stuck so that they cannot free themselves from the cells without outside help. We have to help people. Birds do not appreciate this and bite painfully.
An important factor is aesthetic. Just a net thrown over the beds looks very sloppy. This means you need to think about how to secure it beautifully. This means additional expenditure of effort, time and money.

The net stretched over the beds interferes with the normal care of strawberries and harvesting

The disadvantages can be partially mitigated by purchasing a set of special frame arches made of metal, plastic or bamboo. They are quite light, so no foundation is required. Their number depends on the length of the bed. The optimal distance between the arcs is 60–80 cm. They must be installed and the mesh secured on top - you should get a structure that resembles a section of a tunnel. If you find high enough arches, you can go inside, like into a greenhouse or greenhouse. This greatly facilitates planting care and harvesting. But the beds turn out to be very narrow.

When fruiting is over, the net is removed and the frame is dismantled until next year.

Hence, best solution- a mesh made of plastic, fine-mesh (so that birds don’t get confused), quite rigid (so it doesn’t sag), fixed on frame arches. Separate pieces will be needed to cover the resulting “tunnel” from the ends. Otherwise the design loses all meaning.

If you decide to use the mesh and arc method, the birds will not be able to reach the strawberries, and it will be convenient for you to care for the beds

Video: net for protecting strawberry beds

Boxes with mesh lids

Another option for protecting strawberries using a net does not have the listed disadvantages, but requires certain practical skills. If you have carpentry or joinery experience, build boxes with mesh lids for planting.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

Select boards of suitable length and width.
Assemble a wooden box with crossbars every 60–80 cm, fastening the boards with screws and corner bars. There is no need to make it very high - ventilation worsens, the berries do not have enough sun. It is enough that the future cover does not touch the plantings. Other parameters are determined by the size of the bed.
Attach legs made of short bars to the box in each corner, sharpening them at the bottom. If the bed is very long, you will need additional legs on the long side. Since the legs will be driven into the ground, treat the tree with a special compound that prevents rotting. You can simply burn them.
Place the box on the bed and drive the legs into the ground, gently tapping the corners with a hammer.
Protect the structure from negative impact natural factors - rain, snow, cold, wind. A primer will help with this. It is sold in construction stores, but the composition prepared independently is no worse. 1 kg of slaked lime should be diluted in 2 liters of water and added 100 g of laundry soap shavings. All this is thoroughly mixed and filtered immediately before processing the boards.
Based on the dimensions of the resulting sections, assemble the frames for the lids from thin bars.
Attach the covers to the frame using hinged hinges installed on the outside so that it opens outward.
Cut out pieces of mesh of the required size and secure it with staples using a furniture stapler, bent small nails, and thin slats.
Attach a handle, loop or something else to each lid that allows it to be opened freely.

Beds in boxes look very neat and reliably protected

How can you scare birds?

Any methods common among people are not very useful. In the first few days the effect may be noticeable, but the birds are not stupid and quickly figure out what they are dealing with. Having discovered that something scary-looking poses no real danger, they boldly continue to destroy your berries.

Birds, flying into the garden in flocks, can destroy your harvest in a couple of days

Therefore, the methods described below should be alternated and combined as often as possible. This is the only way you will achieve a more or less permanent result.

Scarecrow

The “old-fashioned” method, used since time immemorial. Currently, the classic effigy of two cross-shaped poles or boards, dressed in old clothes stuffed with straw, with a bag representing the head, is practically not used for obvious reasons. The birds are not at all afraid of him. On the contrary, they happily rest on the “shoulders” of this structure after a delicious lunch. This is also an excellent position for looking out for the most delicious and ripe berries.

But your children will get great pleasure from the process of building a scarecrow. This is a great opportunity for them to show their imagination and creativity. You can use, for example, an old mannequin as a basis.

If you still decide to protect your beds with a scarecrow, regularly move it from place to place and change its appearance. The more radical the better. It is also useful to secure the structure so that it rotates on a support.

Scarecrow is a traditional but ineffective method of scaring away birds

Somewhat more effective are plastic and rubber naturalistic models of birds of prey sold in agricultural stores, made in compliance with dimensions and proportions. Especially if they are “decorated” with something shiny and are accompanied by a device for reproducing and recording the sounds made by these birds.

An electrified mannequin equipped with a motion sensor, which would start making sounds and, for example, waving its “arms” when birds approach, would greatly help gardeners. But the introduction of such structures into production is a matter of the future. And the price will be appropriate. On small plots of land, such a “scarecrow” simply will not pay off.

Video: how to make a scarecrow?

Noise

Birds' hearing is much more subtle than that of humans. Therefore, they do not tolerate sharp loud sounds well. Try to save the beds like this:

Stretch several threads or thin wires over them and hang cans from them at different heights close to each other. A more aesthetic option is “wind music”. At the slightest breath, the jars and tubes will swing and hit each other, making noise. But you will have to endure it too. This is especially pleasing late at night or early in the morning. And every day, removing the cans and hanging them back will quickly get boring. In addition, the wind does not always blow.
Every day, turn on special audio recordings that reproduce the cries of birds of prey or the cries of feathered “pests”, signaling to relatives about danger. They are sold in gardening stores and online. If you want to save money, just turn the radio on loud. However, such sound will most likely not please your neighbors.

Color and shine

High posts are driven into the corners of the bed. A thin rope or wire is stretched around the perimeter and crosswise at different heights. They hang on it:

Old CDs and DVDs. Oscillating under gusts of wind, they reflect the sun's rays, throwing away “bunnies”. But in cloudy weather the birds pay almost no attention to them.
Unnecessary Christmas tree decorations, “rain” and tinsel, ordinary foil, as well as polyethylene or cellophane cut into “fringe”. In this case, the beds look elegant and festive. But if you overdo it with “decorations”, they are almost impossible to care for.
A tape extracted from an audio or video tape. It can be hung as a fringe and additionally pulled tightly around the perimeter, surrounding the bed several times. The tape not only shines and moves, but also makes a rattling sound that is unpleasant for birds at the slightest breath. It is almost on the verge of ultrasound, therefore it is almost inaudible to humans.
Bandages, white ribbons, flags and balloons filled with helium. There is an opinion that birds do not like the color white and are afraid of it. The balls can be made even more terrifying by painting something resembling an eye on them with red, blue or black paint.
Homemade pinwheels from plastic bottles. The plastic reflects light, and the structure rotates in the wind. This can be a stunning addition to your garden decor.

Birds quickly understand that all this shine and rustle does not pose any real danger.

Old disks hanging over the garden bed glare in the sun, scaring away birds

Special devices

Science does not stand still, so special devices that scare away birds have appeared on sale. Most often, they are equipped with a built-in infrared or laser motion sensor, so they turn on only when a landing party of birds approaches.

The devices produce high-range sounds that are unpleasant to birds and inaudible to the human ear.

The device is equipped with a motion sensor

There are also devices that periodically emit loud, sharp sounds, reminiscent of a siren, claps or gunshots. Sometimes this is supplemented by flashing or glowing. On some, you can adjust the frequency and volume of the sound.

The sound gun makes loud noises when birds approach

Such devices are certainly effective, but are quite expensive. Therefore, owners of small plots of land do not even consider the possibility of such an acquisition. The harvest is not worth it; there are less expensive methods of protecting it.

Video: how to scare away birds

What to plant to distract attention?

Gardeners sympathetic to Greenpeace, IFAW and other wildlife organizations can offer birds an alternative source of food.

In a row with strawberry beds, berries are planted that ripen at about the same time as strawberries, the loss of which will upset you less. This can be bird cherry, sea buckthorn, serviceberry, chokeberry and red rowan, wild cherry. The method does not guarantee anything. Birds are not obligated to eat only the berries intended for them. It is very likely that they will destroy both them and the strawberries. But not a single bird will be harmed. Even morally, seeing the berries and not being able to get to them.

How else can you protect the crop grown with such difficulty?

The easiest way is to increase the planting area. This way there will be enough berries for both the birds and you. But not all summer residents are ready to share with the “freeloaders” the harvest, on the cultivation of which they spent so much time, effort and money. In fact, almost no one is ready, except for individual fanatical nature lovers.
Get a cat, or better yet several. Or at least periodically lure neighbor or stray animals to your place. To do this, you can, for example, plant valerian. Hunting, as a rule, turns out to be fruitless, but the very fact of the presence of natural enemies in the area will force the birds to be less impudent. A significant disadvantage is that animals carried away by the process of catching birds can trample the beds. And not only with strawberries. In addition, the presence of wild cats and small children on the property at the same time means the need for constant monitoring by their parents.
Much better and more efficient than cats birds of prey(hawks, falcons). Crows are also useful in this sense. They do not trample the beds and do not feed on strawberries. Before visiting your site, a flock of birds sends “scouts” ahead. They will certainly inform others about those who protect your plantings, and will fly around the beds on the tenth route. However, maintaining one bird of prey is more expensive than ten cats.
Arrange a small stream, a waterfall, or a decorative fountain next to the strawberry plantings. Birds' hearing is much sharper than that of humans; they will certainly be attracted by coolness and murmuring water. There is a chance that, flocking to the water source, they will ignore the beds. But nothing prevents them, having rested in a pleasant place, then destroy your crop.
Place onion bulbs or onion feathers cut into several pieces on the strawberry beds. Birds really don't like this smell. The downside is that you have to endure it too. In addition, berries can also absorb the smell.
Before the strawberries ripen, scatter bright red wooden cubes, plastic bottle caps, and so on in and around the beds. Birds will try to peck them and find out that it is inedible. When the berries are ripe, the birds, remembering the absence of anything edible here, will pay less attention to your beds.
An option for the squeamish and strong-willed. Find a dead bird somewhere, bring it to your own plot and hang it next to the strawberry beds. This will help you get rid of birds not only for this season, but also for the next few years. It looks rather unaesthetic, in no way decorating the rural pastoral, and the smell is appropriate.
Laying out poisonous baits on the site or total shooting of birds. An extremely unfortunate decision, even if you have the appropriate skills to prevent accidental hits on relatives, guests and neighbors, and the absence of pets, which can also be poisoned. Few people think about this, but in addition to the visible harm in the form of crop destruction, birds also bring significant benefits to the garden. In addition to berries, they feed on insect larvae and weed seeds. Now we have to fight them. By destroying birds, you will deprive insects of natural enemies, increasing their population significantly, and also doom yourself to endless weeding. This will require even more time and effort.