Finches Eating Sweet Corn

[Gravelle]

My parents are having problems with both the golden finches and purple finches eating the sweet corn they have growing in their garden. What can be done to keep them from doing this?

Thanks!

Carol

[Travis]

How do those little birds peel back the husks?

[Gravelle]

My parents haven't quite figured that out yet!! But they see them flying in and out of the rows of corn all the time, so most likely they are the culprits! At first they thought it was the raccoons eating it, but the 'coons pull down the stocks when they eat the corn. As the corn is still standing, it's not the 'coons.

Carol

[Cereus-validus.......]

Do the golden finches eat the yellow kernels and purple finches eat the purple ones or does it make a difference?

More likely they are eating the kernels off the ears that have already been damaged by another critter first.

Where was the Scarecrow during all this drama?

[Fragile "Joseph" Warrior]

Sounds like they may be eating what's eating the corn.

[Pat Kiewicz]

In my garden, the worst offenders seem to be cowbirds and starlings. They start pecking at the ends of the ear and slowly shred the husks back.

(Tiny scratch marks and bird poo are pretty convincing evidence that it's the birds, even if you haven't caught them in the act.)

I take heavy duty paper lunch bags and pull them down over the ears (after the silks have started drying). The only problem is that when the bags get wet, the birds can tear through them. This is less likely to happen if you leave a good 'air gap' above the ear. I have small 'tents' made of hardware cloth which I use to protect sunflower and squash seedings from birds, which I've had to use to supplement paper bags when the birds have been very persistent.

I'm toying with the idea of making cloth bags from old sheets...

A local sweet corn grower (for a farm stand) uses those 'terror eye' balloons you see in some seed catalogs, with lots of flash tape streaming from them. Don't know if that is truly effective, or just a sign of desperation.

(I don't want to chase all the birds out of my garden, just stop them from eating my corn.)

[Warren]

Sounds like a lot of work.

It's probably too late for this year, but if there were an easier desirable food source available they might never start working so hard.

[SVTKate]

My bet is that another critter is doing the peeling and the finches are cleaning up afterward. Deer, squirrels or coons likely doing the peeling, look for tracks.

Kate OH, and a feeder for the finches might work ;¬D

: > How do those little birds peel back the husks? : >

: > -- : >

: > Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington : > USDA Zone 8 : > Sunset Zone 5 : :

[Cereus-validus.......]

Starting to sound like a conspiracy.

Maybe the pigs are them masterminds behind it all?

[Doug Kanter]

Plastic garden netting might work, if you can figure out a way to suspend it from the tops of the corn. Clothespins, maybe. Birds don't like getting their wings & feet tangled in this stuff - makes them nervous about being able to make a quick escape.

[Lady Blacksword]

[Cereus-validus.......]

Its just like you people not to give the COONS any credit.