No matter how conscientiously you go about it, there is no getting away from the fact that farming is inherently a disruptive activity. You work hard to provide the proper conditions for your tender plants to thrive by tilling and cultivating the soil and by providing the water and nutrients they need. And at times it feels like nature is trying equally hard to reclaim what is rightfully her’s. In addition to the usual assaults from insects, weeds and diseases, you have to deal with larger pests as well in the form of gophers, ground squirrels, rabbits, deer and at times–birds.
Among the birds that can be problematic for us here are Black birds and Starlings which can damage strawberries and pears, White-crowned Sparrows which love to feast on winter-time leafy brassicas, Wild Turkeys which love tender green lettuces, and increasingly, Crows, which can be an all-around pain in the neck. Crows rarely consume vegetables directly, but they do love seeds–especially big seeds like squash and beans which they can dig up and consume in large numbers. For unknown reasons they also love to pull out freshly planted transplants and leave them on the soil surface to dry out and die.
In general I am a firm believer in the basic philosophy of organic farming that by fostering diversity you will be less likely to have outbreaks because there is always something there to keep things in check. This has been demonstrated to me time and again–even when it comes to birds. By installing perches and owl nesting boxes as well as planting trees on our field edges we have seen the number of raptors increase steadily around here. That has corresponded with a decrease in the amount of damage from small birds, like Starlings, which quickly scatter whenever a raptor is overhead. Likewise, the amount of damage from small rodents, like voles and gophers, has been kept in check by owls working through the night.
That is all fine and good, but what about the Crows? We have always had flocks of them come through, mainly in late summer and fall, but it seems like their numbers have been increasing as of late. The neighboring farm uses pyrotechnic whistlers to scare they out of their fields and they usually end up here, where it is peaceful and there are lots of trees to roost in. If they weren’t so problematic I actually wouldn’t mind them. They are very intelligent, communicative, social birds who can be highly entertaining–but problematic they are. Lately they have been pulling out transplants in increasing numbers. But what to do about them? They are so large and boisterous, surely nothing would go after them?
One night last week during dinner, we were interrupted by a raucous commotion in the field outside our kitchen window. Dozens of crows were circling and cawing loudly at the far edge of the field. To our amazement, there on the ground was a Peregrine Falcon eating an unsuspecting crow that it had just picked off of the telephone line. It left briefly to chase off a bald eagle that had come over to investigate, then stayed out there for at least 40 minutes meticulously consuming its prey as a dozen or so crows sat on the line berating it from above. That was four or five days ago and we haven’t seen the crows since. Natural pest control on a spectacular scale.
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