I left the house on Saturday to garden at a friends, all the kids were home with dad. Whilst I was gone there was the most unbelievable carnage, all in just 24 hours. Unbelievably the Bowerbirds mentioned this quite casually, as if it was no big event.
The entire apple harvest - not too many tears hear as some had coddling moth and scab but some were looking good and it would have been nice to get to try at least one.
Pears and cherry plums, not my favourites but still.
More apples, they rip off whole branches and are so wasteful,
The most missed will be the Purple Plums and especially the
Green Gage Plums, soooooooo many Green Gage plums - they seem to love the kernels. This was to be their best ever year, I love their fragrant honey flesh - such a special treat.
Crab Apples
This seems to be the work of just 4 Sulphur Crested Cockatoos that are hanging about - my poor neighbour lost her plums and currants too. It could be more though, they fly over in huge flocks, their witchy screeches sending shivers down my spine. I'm like a backyard banshee if I spy one on the trees - they keep returning now they've found the bounty.
For more on my cockatoo issues visit this earlier post.
The fiendish birds are even penetrating my best laid defences, I hate nets - such a pain to put on and off.
I know what they are eyeing off next.
We have nashis, nectarines, pears, sunflowers, corn, crab apples and the last of the netted plums calling their name.
Fortunately this creation by Mr Bowerbird is helping me grown some melons and corn. the hoops were made from green branches off our cherry plum that wants to grow ever skywards. I took the idea from Suburban Tomato who spied it at the Sydney Botanical Gardens using bamboo for the arches.
How cool is that scarecrow? Looks a bit more like a Kindcrow, not sure if it would do the job of keeping the cockatoos away, my dragon kites are proving useless.
Fortunately not all was lost.....
Not as ripe as I'd like but still usable, I'm thinking more chutney and jam. Like Christine of Slow Living Essentials I've caught the preserving bug.
Just not as much home grown produce to preserve as I'd anticipated.
Our home made selection to have with croissants, buttery, jammy bliss.
What I want to know is, how did they miss the entire avian invasion while I was gone?
Big bugger! What nasty birds. And what were the rest of your family doing while this was going on?
ReplyDeleteOh those Cockys are soooo distructive!!!Ive found when the buggers are feeding/invading they are really quiet.(they are so smart) Mr Bowerbird has done a great job with the branches and netting.
ReplyDeleteYour arches look fabulous! That damage is so annoying though! Glad you could salvage some fruit, mum lost most of her plums to rosellas this year(or maybe it was cockies too). She was as oblivious as your kids.
ReplyDeleteOh no! But your protective covers look awesome...
ReplyDeleteSuch a shame. All that beautiful fruit. And when you were doing good deeds for others!
ReplyDeleteBugger was a nicer word than I used mum.
ReplyDeleteYes they are sneaky Andrea, they've been back when I'm home and they don't usually screech until theyr'e leaving.
I'm pretty impressed with Mr Bowerbird's hoops too. Think they'll be a permanent fixture once the nets come off as they're not really in the way. Think I might ask for some tee-pees next.
Ah Kimbamel, I came home so well fed and thoroughly enjoyed my day. That passionfruit butter is worth a few plums!