Love the wind chime idea. I want something to keep the birds out of my tomatoe and that may work. I am also kicking around a larger project idea! I have to build new raised garden beds next year so I just may start collecting old CDs/DVDs from friends that would otherwise end up in landfills and doing a mosaic mural on the raised bed sides!! It may end up not being anything great or it may be really pretty........we'll see!!

Hi Lora! I am in very far southern Love County, so far south that I am almost in Texas. We are in a very rural location less than one mile from the Red River and we have what seems like millions of birds. I am feeding them this year, which in the past is something I have not done--well, I feed them in winter but not the rest of the year. I believe the drought of the last two years and the wildfires have combined to limit the amount of wild food available to the birds. Thus, feeding them seems to be necessary. They do spend a lot of time in my garden, mostly eating bugs, but will occasionally help themselves to some produce. They only seem to bother tomatoes as the first ripe ones are getting ripe....and, after that, they don't tend to bother them as long as easily accessible drinking water is available. We have had record breaking rain here in Love County, too, as has most of Oklahoma in 2007, and the raised beds in my garden have fared better than the parts of the garden that do not have raised beds. Unfortunately, our neighbor's land south of us sits about 8' higher than the garden and water drains down into the garden, both on the surface snd underground, for weeks and weeks. This winter I hope to raise the raised beds even higher, from their current level of 4"-6" above grade, to maybe 12" above grade. I think you will enjoy this forum. I love it. Not only do we 'talk gardening' and share information, ideas and experience with one another, but we also serve as a major source of support for one another during trying times....even if those trying times are not related to gardening. This is a wonderful on-line community. Dawn

The original poster's problem was : "But what I don't love is that they sit on the tomato stakes in the garden and crap all over the plants." This is a different issue that also I have to some extent. Apparently some birds have nests in the trees, maybe also have chicks. So the come and go and sit on top of stakes an poo. I find it just a petty annoyance nothing more. But birds pecking on tomatoes is a different issue. The do than mostly to get some juice. By leaving dishes of water, bird bath around you can minimize that. Sey

I like Sherry Nelson and an trying to figure out which of her DVD I want the most. I have several from Patricia Rawlinson and they are mostly tips on painting, stroke work, etc. I also have one by Corilee on Sunflowers - more impressionistic than I like. The other is by Susan Scheewe and it covers just to many things, but she is easy to follow unlike PR's which you view upside down. DH is making me a holder for my computer so I can turn it upside down to view the DVD right side up. Hope it works. This latest venture into flowers and birds sure has taught me that I am a visual learner. And although I really like Shirley Koenig's patterns, her instructions are hard to follow! You really have to know that there is 20 steps in each of her leaves....just kidding, there are only 6 or 7 or 8 or.......but her work is beautiful and I'll get there someday, God willing and the creek don't rise! Belle