The Grounded Orchardist

I get asked about bird damage alot. It’s something that’s really annoying but I tolerate it because for the rest of the year, the birds are doing a fantastic job helping to control allsorts of pests, cleaning up the orchard to make nests etc.

Are birds a necessary evil when organically growing fruit?

In terms of apples, pears and stone fruit I would say yes based on the good they do throughout the rest of the year. However…

At the beginning of harvest season their little inquisitive bird pecks create a way in for wasps. Now the wasps have tailed off a bit the birds have decided they’re actually hungry now, not just peckish (see what i did there?!) and are munching on the apples.

It looks like its not a lot of damage, but times that by hundreds or thousands in large orchards and that’s a lot of fruit, or bottles of juice/cider.

The bird damage is much worse in this orchard surrounded by arable fields and a species bare solar farm than the orchard at work surrounded by ornamental gardens, a kitchen garden and mixed wild hedgerows with big ol’ trees. Again, organic growing and working with nature is all about balance.

I’m clearly not so lenient about them with our cherries, nor will we be when our vines are in.

What can we do with bird pecked fruit?

Well, they can juiced or made into cider/perry.

Fruit leather, crumbles, pies, frozen, fruit liqueurs…

Just make sure you process them quick!