Any recommendations for keeping the birds off my strawberries

I would add that I bought loads of children's windmills and put those in the pots in the hope that they would be a deterrent, but the plants have grown so tall this year that the windmills are either dwarfed by them, or the plant leaves stop them from turning.

I was very upset to see not one but two dead blackbirds caught in netting at the local allotment Could you get a form of metal 'cage' to put over them whilst they are fruiting?

look on amazon, loads of cages and polytunnel stuff

I've yet to see or hear of birds being caught in netting of a suitable gauge but I daresay this could happen.

I use chicken wire. They don’t seem to get caught in it.

I used to put jam jars round mine. It also helped them ripen.

I've had mesh size 20mm x 20mm netting up for 5 years and no birds have been tangled in it. We live surrounded by trees and large shrubs. Bird song all day. The netting is over a cage and pegged to the ground. It doesn't flap around.

I do keep feeders up for the birds. They are away from the fruit I grow though.

Hang muslin from top to bottom of pot. Birds wont get caught in it. Think Boots sell muslin.

Birds do get caught in loose plastic netting, wire mesh is best bend it the shape of your bed it will last for many years. Bend it to shape and secure it with garden wire

I use mesh and have had no problems with bids getting caught in it.

How about a cat?

Old net curtains, or newly bought ones. My grandad used them on all his soft fruit, with great success. Also had canes with tin foil on.

Thank you. Some really good ideas to try

Debris netting, too fine for the birds to get caught, it’s very fine, I used to use net curtains too.

My daughter pops hers in jam jars as Ro60 suggests. I expect you could use "pop" bottles too.

I gave my friend's Mum my CD's, she strung them up on a rail above her fruit.

Strawberry cage HERE.

We tried netting one year. I got quite used to rescuing blackbirds every morning. We haven't had much luch with strawberries since, just a handful each morning fit for human consumption.

Now DH has planted flowers in the beds.

Net curtains for my strawberries this year too Lin52. I have a similar problem with squirrels and when I netted them the little blighters just chewed through and nabbed the lot! I also use net curtains around a raised bed with carrots in to keep out carrot fly. Not the prettiest of sights, but the carrots are lovely!

I bought a cage, and have attached several foil windmills to it to hopefully determine the bird's.

If amy birds get caught, the thing will have to go, and we will rethink

HurdyGurdy

I bought a cage, and have attached several foil windmills to it to hopefully determine the bird's.

If amy birds get caught, the thing will have to go, and we will rethink

that's a great cage, can i ask where you got it please?

Find some small strawberry shaped stones. Paint them to look like strawberries and leave them lying close to your plants. The birds should be put off after trying to eat the stone strawberries. It does work quite well.

greenlady102 I bought it from Littlefieldsfarm.com.

It was easy to put together, but we made the error, when opening the netting, of removing the two tiny cable ties. Which, of course, were there for a reason! Then we had a bit of faffing around to get the netting to fit neatly, but got there in the end, using (ironically), cable ties