Strawberries and Birds

I love strawberries. They taste great. You can eat them plain. You can blend them with a little sugar and make a terrific sauce for ice cream. Strawberry Pie is yummy. Fruit salad just isn't fruit salad without strawberries. I could go on and on.

Unfortunately, I'm not the only one who likes strawberries.

Last year my dad bought several strawberry plants and tended them. He got bored I guess because they require a good deal of work and yield very little at first. He thought all the plants had died.

This year I uncovered a few surviving plants. The key word here is uncovered. They were hidden by an old gate and lots of grass and weeds. I removed the gate and carefully pulled the grass and weeds away. I've been watering and tending. And I was so surprised! Lots and lots of blooms. Then lots and lots of strawberries.

I waited patiently for the berries to ripen. And just as they would turn that brilliant red, they would disappear. My mother suggested the culprits could be these invisible creatures that only come out at night. She put out bait for me. Nothing changed. The verdict? Birds were eating my strawberries. Just plucking the ripened berries and flying away with my food! I was not amused.

Two days ago, I hung tin plates in an attempt to scare the birds away. You know the kind I'm talking about. Frozen rolls or pies come in these disposable plates. Cut them in two pieces, then use scissors or a knife to make holes. The idea is that the wind rattles the tin and the noise keeps the birds away. I was quite proud of the results. Very country, if I do say so myself.

Yesterday, I went out to check my strawberries. I guess the tin plates glittering in the sun blinded the birds. Now, they're eating the ripened red strawberries and the green ones too!!!

Bad birds. Bad, bad birds.

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