Feathered Friend or Foe? - theHumm June 2025

By David Hinks

I have fond memories of my maternal grandmother and her ongoing battle with grackles and robins that were inordinately attracted to her sweet cherry tree. At least in my childhood memories, this was a huge cherry tree, about 30 feet broad and 30 feet tall. A number of old cow bells had been hung from one of the higher branches. A rope stretched a few hundred feet from the tree to my grandmother’s veranda. The routine was to yank on the rope anytime you went in or out of the house, and truth be told, it was a favourite pastime for young grandkids.

Fast forward a few decades, and I have become a bit of an obsessive birder (birdwatcher) and am generally very happy to see more birds drawn into the garden. But, as always, the relationship of gardeners with nature tends to be complicated. After a long difficult winter, many of us are looking forward to those first succulent, juicy berries that we have carefully nurtured, only to find that the birds have been joyfully pecking away at everything in sight. The most frustrating aspect is that birds like their fruit a bit less sweet than we do, so they swoop in a day or so before we had planned to do our first picking!

For a professional take on birds in the garden, I reached out to a couple of local market gardeners — keen organic growers who care deeply about our natural world. Alberto, of Nature’s Apprentice, operates a market garden near Pakenham. He is a scientist and a passionate gardener who gardens to regenerate our ecosystems. For much more about his approach to growing food and options for purchasing some of his amazing produce, visit naturesapprenticefarm.ca .

Scott and Marisa of Indian Creek Orchard Garden, halfway between Almonte and Pakenham, are also fervent believers in regenerative agriculture and agroforestry. Check out their offerings at indiancreekorchard.ca .

I can do no better than to quote their views.

In the words of Alberto: “Birds do mostly positive things for us, particularly during the growing season, as they incessantly feed insects to their young. They are one of the best allies of a gardener. I do everything I can to attract them. This includes creating nesting and resting habitat (nest boxes, shrubs, trees), providing food (by planting native plants, which attract native insects) and water, and keeping a safe, chemical-free environment. We also don’t cut our hay until late in the summer so that grassland birds can nest safely. I also try to make sure my structures (trellises, posts, etc.) provide good perches for birds. We don’t remove dead trees unless they are a hazard. They are fantastic perches, particularly for hawks. Finally, we have made all our windows safe for birds by either drawing patterns on them or having our screens on the outside, so that the birds can see the window is actually an obstacle.”

Alberto’s views on the challenges that birds may pose: “Some birds like to eat from the garden. For example, goldfinches occasionally munch on beet greens. The main challenge is with fruit. We have all kinds of fruits and berries. When they are getting close to being ripe, I see flocks of birds on the plants every morning. They seem particularly attracted to small, blue fruits (blueberries, haskaps, elderberries). I personally like to share with them. It is my way to reciprocate for their hard work at keeping the ecosystem in balance and giving me so much joy with their presence. But for people who are concerned about this, there are nets that can be used for protecting your crops. Birds sometimes get tangled in these nets, so it is critical to not only choose a net that is bird-safe, but also to check them regularly in case birds need to be released, particularly during extreme weather.”

Scott conveys a similar sentiment: “Birds are an important component of our pest management strategy at Indian Creek Orchard Gardens. Since we converted the hay field we purchased in 2015 to the very biodiverse ecosystem the orchard is today, we have seen a dramatic uptick in both the numbers and species of birds that either reside or forage here. We have also been proactive in attracting them through the installation of birdhouses and by allowing barn swallows to nest in our barn. Part of the property has been left feral, especially along the creek, to provide habitat. Many of our plantings such as chokecherry, black currant, sunflowers and native flowers are there specifically to provide bird forage.

“Since the early days of our market garden when insect pressure was much greater, we have seen a steady decrease in insect pressure as the resident birds have become more numerous and diverse. One example is flea beetles. Initially our kale patch had to be covered to protect it. It has now been several years since our kale planting has required any protection. We have also noted that other problems such as cabbage moth, and many of the orchard moth complex, have been effectively managed by our intact and functional ecosystem. The birds are an essential component of that ecosystem. We continue to encourage their residency and presence, and plan to continue adding birdhouses and beneficial plantings. They are also a joy to behold and the appearance and disappearance of each species each year is a calendar of the year’s progress. (At the time of writing) the tree swallows have finished choosing their birdhouses and are busy mating atop the pole the houses are mounted on while the barn swallows have just returned.”

Lorrie Potvin — Repurposed - theHumm June 2025

By Sally Hansen

Art… and Soul

Lorrie Potvin creates highly imaginative metal sculptures from scrap metal that she can’t resist collecting everywhere she goes. Her spontaneous response to “Why?” is that she can’t look at anything without imagining a way in which it could be repurposed. So discarded forks and chopped up harrow disks and metal vegetable strainer pieces are combined with a career-long collection of metal automotive scraps to become original sculptures in her professionally trained hands......

Feathered Friend or Foe? - theHumm June 2025