I ordered a 14 by 75 foot net so I can cut it in half and make 2 out of it.I have a 7 by 35 footer over each row now but it's time to put the supports in place so they can climb.The 14 foot should be enough to keep them protected until picking starts.It amazes me that these birds will mow the vines down to nothing in only a few hours.I thought that there would be some type of bitter apple spray that would leave a bad taste in the birds mouth but the net seems like the only way out for now. I was going to use a zon gun but the police told me I could not.I asked them what the differance was between the kid's stereo that vibrates my windows vs the zon gun and just got a laugh out of them. Bella: My wife brought one of those reflective spinners home and I put it in the garden near my carrot sprouts and it is working for now.It seems the birds figure every device out over time. I told the neighbors kid's that I would give them 25 cents per sparrow and finch.They have the BB gun's !!Thanks for the replies.PJ

Catching wild crawfish might tell you something about them. In various parts of Kentucky, Arizona, Colorado and Florida, I've caught many crawfish using a cloth bag and a piece of dead fish, or even raw chicken. They will cling to the cloth bag trying to eat the food inside so singlemindedly, that you could just tie a string to it, throw it in, wait 10 minutes then slowly pull it out. Depending on the season, it may be completely covered and you could get an instant meal. I've kept a pond with my dad in Tucson Arizona for many years with gold fish, 1 coy and some very small black fish I don't know the name of. I attempted to introduce crawfish several times and once they get to a certain size they try to run away and in arizona, that never ends well for them. I've found that if you have a shallow pond with liner, don't bother trying to keep crayfish unless you want to feed the birds. If you can keep a pond by digging into solid dirt or clay and just fill it with a hose with no liner, crawfish do well. The ponds in my families land in kentucky has a huge number of crawfish, and they are totally untended, but about 15 feet deep in the center and about 50 feet in diameter. They like to burrow into hard clay and if they don't find that they generally don't flourish. If you are able to get them to flourish, they will always run away when their population reaches a certain amount of fully grown members. If you want something to keep the fish population down, buy a small snapping turtle, but expect all you fish to have injuries.

Robins already! Nice. Spring will be around the corner for you. I haven't seen any here yet. We have 3 crab apple trees and a pear tree and I swear the birds love them. I think this time of year, they get drunk off the bad fruit. LOL

Yes, Raven, you should tell your neighbor before she loses all her fish and plants. We took numerous steps trying to keep the herons out but were unsuccessful. I don't want to have to completely cover the pond to keep the birds out because that takes away from the enjoyment of it. I do miss my fish and was quite attached to them. The guilt...... Honestly, now thinking about it, I don't think I will do fish again. It was a horrific sight finding the bigger ones torn to shreds.