Starlings love cherries. So that the harvest is not endangered, the tree must be protected from the birds. We present different options here.
For many hobby gardeners, the cherry harvest is one of the best times of the year. No wonder, because the sometimes sweet, sometimes sour fruits not only have a wonderfully fresh taste, they are also relatively expensive if you want to buy them in normal shops. On the other hand, if you have a well-grown cherry tree in your garden, you have several kilos of cherries available for private use every year, which, apart from a few hours of work when picking the fruit, do not incur any costs. However, when the cherry harvest begins and the hobby gardener realizes that large parts of the cherry harvest have been destroyed by hungry birds, the anticipation can quickly turn into bitter disappointment. There are simple ways and means to keep starlings and other bird species out of your home garden.
It is primarily important to know what attracts the birds to the cherry tree. On the one hand it is of course the striking signal color of the cherries. The bright red with which the fruit shines in the sun magically attracts starlings and other birds. In addition, cherries are relatively easy prey. Hanging high in the treetop and on the various branches, the fruit is easily accessible and quick and easy for birds perching on the branches of the cherry tree to reach. In addition, cherries provide a lot of nutrients and are also extremely tasty - also for the taste of starlings. And of course starlings can usually plunder the cherry tree unhindered if there isn't a person around - because the starling doesn't have to fear natural enemies around the cherry tree. All of this makes cherries a popular target for starlings and other foraging birds.
» By the way: If your tree has so far been spared from being eaten by birds, you don't necessarily have to take preventive action. But once a tree has been "discovered" by a flock of birds for the first time, there is a risk that these birds will come back to the tree every yearto harvest.
What exactly do you have to consider if you want to protect your cherry tree from starlings?
If you want to protect your cherry tree from starlings, you should definitely pay attention to a few points. On the one hand, starlings are living creatures and animal cruelty is forbidden in Germany. Even if you, as the proud owner of a cherry tree, can feel a certain anger when birds tamper with the cherry harvest, you have to be careful when choosing the means that you want to use against the birds that the animals do not do it come to harm. In addition, not all damage to the cherry tree is automatically caused by bird damage. Overripe fruit that burst open due to the high moisture content can also ruin the harvest. In addition, there is always the danger that the cherry fruit fly will attack your trees and your cherries will become maggots. It is therefore important to first check whether the damage to the cherry harvest was really caused by birds before considering which countermeasures are the most sensible.
You also have to try out different ways of keeping starlings away from your own cherry tree. Although the animals share a common instinct, that does not mean that all animals react the same way in every situation. A measure that works for a while doesn't necessarily have to keep the birds away forever. So it's important to keep the following things in mind:
- First you should check what exactly caused the crop damage
- If it really was birds, the birds must not be harmed by any countermeasures
- Not all birds react the same to every method of deterrence
- You should check from time to time whether your method works
- Sometimes you have to combine two or three common methods to be really successful
Promising measures against starlings
There are six ways to keep starlings away from your garden or cherry tree effectively and as gently as possible. We would like to introduce these in more detail below:
The Scarecrow
What the farmer does in the field also partly works in the local cherry tree. Starlings are quite skittish birds that can be deterred by other animals in the tree. Old cuddly toys or classic little straw scarecrows with appropriate clothing and a hat are ideal as scarecrows. The problem with this - one or more scarecrows in the tree is no guarantee thatthat the birds stay away permanently. Because some birds are quite capable of learning and "understand" that there is no danger from the scarecrows. When the time comes, the animals simply return and ignore the scarecrows.
Colorful Ribbons
Birds and especially starlings have a much harder time ignoring colorful ribbons hanging in the tree. Because these quickly distract the, as mentioned, quite skittish birds, so that they are more busy keeping an eye on the ribbons than devoting themselves to the cherries. Above all, the fact that ribbons change shape quickly in the wind and are always in motion makes these small tools more effective than a scarecrow that is usually largely motionless.
Sparkly Items
The birds are even more distracted when not only colorful ribbons but also glittering mirrors or reflective objects such as these pendants are hanging in the tree. The light reflecting off the reflective objects is extremely annoying to the birds and prevents a peaceful feast in your cherry tree. Many starlings are so deterred by the sparkle and glitter that they will not even approach your tree. This method is probably the most effective of the three mentioned so far, because the flashing of the light is not something the starlings get used to. As long as the mirrors or CDs are bright enough to effectively reflect incident light, no matter how faint, they will also effectively protect your tree from flocks of birds.
bird of prey dummy
Even starlings respect larger birds of prey. Placing a dummy bird of prey like this in your cherry tree will keep a lot of birds away. However, this measure only works as long as the birds have not noticed that the figures are lifeless. Leaving your dummy bird of prey attached to the same branch at all times, or allowing the dummy to fall over and hang from the branch in light winds, is unlikely to have any real deterrent effect on predatory birds that have chosen your cherry tree for harvest.
Acoustic Noise
There are also devices, such as this one, that react to movements in the tree with noise. Others are connected to a timer and emit appropriate noise at certain times. Depending on the sound set and the programmed volume, this can also be very annoying for you or your neighbors in the garden. If you decide to use such a remedy, you shouldbe sure to choose a tone that comes naturally and isn't too disruptive - for example, the starlings' warning call is a warm-up tune that works well to get rid of starlings while still having a more natural touch than any high-pitched tone that will scare the animals away just as much as you and your neighbors.
Bird Nets
If you want to ward off the starlings as effectively as possible, you can't avoid netting your cherry tree. However, with this type of bird control, it is important to ensure that no birds or other animals are harmed. For this reason, the net must not be too coarse-meshed. A mesh size of more than 30 mm is not recommended, as there is a risk of birds getting caught in the net and dying miserably if the mesh is too large. For example, if the net reaches down to the ground, moles or hedgehogs, for example, can get caught in the net and die, as can birds that get caught in the net. So it makes the most sense to attach the net in such a way that the entire crown of the tree is netted in the case of smaller trees and individual parts of the tree, such as overhanging branches, in the case of larger trees. It is particularly useful to choose the mesh size of the net so that the net not only protects against birds but also against harmful insects - this requires a mesh size of less than 1.8 mm. With such a net there is also no risk of birds or other animals getting caught in the net.
You also have to pay attention to the quality when choosing a bird net. There is little point in deciding on a very cheap model that shows the first holes after just a few days, since the protection is then only given to a very limited extent. If a bird can get through the net quickly and easily, it won't deter even larger flocks of birds for long. In this respect, if you opt for the bird net variant, you should definitely rely on a high-quality net.
Conclusion:
There are a number of good and inexpensive ways to keep starlings out of your cherry tree. Just make sure that the birds are not harmed unnecessarily and keep an eye on your cherry tree from time to time. If you find that the method you have chosen is not working, you should simply try something new. Once you've kept your cherry tree outlawed for an entire harvest season, chances are the animals won't come back anytime soon, and will instead look for other feeding grounds where they're easier to feedtheir food come.