Patience, birds!

When we arrived home on Friday after a two-week journey to visit family and friends in the BC lower mainland and on Vancouver Island, it quickly became apparent that if I didn't act quickly, this year's Saskatoon berry crop would be history. We have an abundance of juvenile magpies, blue jays and robins once again this year, and on Saturday morning, a bold bird with a red breast raided our berry patch with me not five feet away.

Suzanna and I pulled out what scraps of green netting I had (after using most of it for a sweet pea trellis) and did our best to wrap the tree, but not an hour later, the robin had found his way under the netting for another sweet feast. 

So this morning, catching a blue jay sitting on top of the netting with a saucy look in her eye, as if she was daring me to do something about her raiding of the berries, I took drastic action. Even though it would be better to wait another week and let them ripen further, I got a pail and started picking the biggest, ripest ones. 

Several robins and at least three blue jays came by to scold me. Telling them to be patient, that I just wanted my share, and that I would leave plenty for them, I picked enough for a pie (two if I add rhubarb) or maybe I'll just put them in my smoothies for a week or two. At any rate, I pulled down the netting as I went, so the birds have free reign now.

There are still many berries, but they're not as ripe as the ones I picked. My flying friends will have to be patient for a few days if they want sweet black ones again. I learned, after a year when the birds got them all, that if I take my half first, there's still enough for everyone to enjoy.