It’s a common frustration: you finally look forward to the first aronia harvest in your own garden, only to find the bush, which was laden with fruit just yesterday, now completely bare. Before you hastily suspect your neighbors – the culprits are birds, especially blackbirds. It happens overnight, and often not a single berry is left.
These days, we are often asked, “What do you do to protect against birds?” The answer to how to protect your aronia berries, especially from blackbirds just before harvest, is as simple as it is unsatisfying: you just need to be faster, and perhaps a bird protection net can help.
Aronia berries – a valuable food source for birds
I personally do nothing “against birds” at all; on the contrary, I support bird conservation in general and especially by including dried aronia berries in homemade bird feed on cold winter days. I also always leave some berries on the bushes for birds and other animals. Aronia berries are a valuable food source for them, unmatched in nature, providing important nutrients. They instinctively know what nutrients they need and what is good for them. Aronia berries are clearly a favorite among birds. We can certainly learn from the animals, in my opinion.
Birds – good indicators of berry ripeness
Blackbirds and starlings in particular enjoy eating aronia berries. However, they usually only do this when the berries are fully ripe and have developed sufficient fruit sugar. Blackbirds are clever. Before they raid the berries of an aronia bush, they cautiously taste one or two berries a few days beforehand. If they are not sweet enough, the birds lose interest. They often do this tasting in the early evening or morning. By observing this behavior, you can determine the right time to harvest.
Birds are then good informants when it comes to catching the perfect harvest time. The question is: who will get the harvest, you or the birds?
Before harvesting, however, always cut open a few berries with a sharp knife. The flesh should be fully colored, indicating the right harvest time and that the aronia berries are fully ripe. This is also when all the nutrients are optimally balanced – like a well-tuned orchestra.
If the flesh is still mostly green, the berries will simply be bitter and will not have developed their beneficial nutrients yet. Blackbirds will also avoid such berries.
