War!

Last night when I got home, Paul gave me the bad news...our fabulous vegetable garden, which we'd worked so hard to get planted last weekend, has been pillaged by the scrub jays!

They seem to be a little picky, pulling out newly sprouting corn here and there...nearly a full row of Kandy Korn decimated at one end, some Early Sunglow nipped out here and there in the second row from the other end, and yet for some reason, an entire row of the "middle stuff" (can't remember what variety it is) totally left untouched. What's up with that? Those cute little scrub jays we've enjoyed watching so much are now the enemy. Am I sure it was them? Oh, yes. I've seen them careening wildly across the garden fence, landing in the apple tree in the paddock, pretending not to notice the fresh green sprouts. I've seen them sitting innocently on the fence posts eating peanuts from the neighbor's. Well, guys, this is war. You can have your nest in the little redwood tree in the front, you can swing back and forth on the bird feeder in the plum tree...but you CAN NOT eat our garden. Not allowed!

All we had available to defend our poor sprout children with last night was one measly piece of bird netting, 20 feet long by 7 feet wide. It only covered three full rows (we covered the untouched rows for now). We'll have to buy more, and you can sure bet we will. We might just cover the entire garden at people-height with bird netting! (Yes, for those of you who remember...that would be 46' by 30+' of bird netting. This is serious.)

We may need to replant some of our corn. Paul tenderly pushed the ones he could salvage back in the ground (one errant bean, too, boo hoo). They didnt' touch the broccoli or cauliflower seedlings, and the cucumbers, spinach and beets haven't sprouted yet, having only been planted last weekend. They were spared.

Westnern Scrub-jays, you'd better just watch yourselves.