Coexisting with Crows

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Crows also are skittish around owl effigies and balloons designed to scare them, though again it’s best to plan a bit of movement into the scene. You can use bird flash tape made of reflective Mylar as a tail for a bobbing balloon, or mount an owl effigy atop a post that includes whirligig blades that spin in the wind. Many bird-scare devices truly look nightmarish, so you may need to strike a balance between their deterrence value and how much terror you can tolerate in your garden

Where crow pressure is modest, you may get good protection with reflective tape alone, which can be tied to posts, tomato cages or plant supports. In a small garden, try tying string or fishing line, spaced several feet apart, between tall posts installed along your garden’s edge, so they form a wide overhead grid. Wildlife biologists are not certain exactly how such strings work, but they theorize that when crows hit the lines they decide that the site is unsafe for feeding. If crow damage is limited to the birds pecking into ripening ears of corn, placing paper cups or paper bags over the ears after the silk turns brown often gives good protection. When pilfered seedlings are the main problem, protecting seedling beds with any type of barrier — from bird netting to an old upside-down shopping cart — may do the trick

In dire situations, you may need to use bird netting to declare large sections of your garden off limits. If they are hungry enough, crows will feed through netting that is draped directly over plants, but they can’t penetrate through to fruits and vegetables secured beneath a tent of bird netting

An energetic dog also will do the trick. In Barnardstown, Mass., organic grower Elaine Morley solved a serious crow problem by training Tasha, her black lab/border collie mix, to chase any crow that dared to enter her garden

With all of these crow-control measures, remember that early intervention is key. Once crows find a patch of watermelons, they will return each morning to peck on the rind a few times. All too often, the crows will throw an early morning watermelon party on the day when a melon is perfectly ripe.

And don’t make the mistake of trusting crows that are obviously watching your garden, but not actively causing damage. Proving that patience and wisdom go hand-in-hand, crows don’t mind waiting for weeks until grapes or pumpkins are perfect for picking. When you know crows are watching your garden, the most important thing you can do is to watch them back and use your intelligence to counter one of Mother Nature’s smartest animals.

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