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If I grew a bunch of large fruit trees of a sort very, very desirable to birds (robins, mockingbirds, etc.), out in the middle of nowhere where few birds had previously dared to roam (no trees besides mine), would this increase my harvest potential, or would it draw birds like flies?

This is a hypothetical question. I'm not actually doing it right now, and perhaps not anytime soon, if I do it at all.

Potential kinds of trees might be cherries, mulberries, or whatever else.

It seems like there were a lot less birds in my area years ago when there were less trees (and less birds as pests). So, it seems like it might work, but I wanted to get the perspective of others.

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  • Robins like to get drunk on fermented cherries. Every year it's a week long party over the fruit we can't reach for harvest.
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Commented Apr 30, 2016 at 15:20
  • Birds love to eat mulberries, which they eat JUST before they ripen enough for me. I think you will attract at least some birds eventually.
    – Bulrush
    Commented May 3, 2016 at 13:12

2 Answers 2

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Birds are no different than other animals. They look for food, water and shelter. If all you have is food in the form of fruit then you will get birds dropping in for breakfast or a snack before bed.

Usually with fruit trees and homeowners the methods to keep the harvest are to:

  • plant trees on dwarf root stock and prune to keep small. Then you can harvest from the ground.
  • netting a smaller tree is easier and usually only necessary just before and during harvest
  • give some consideration to the other usual suspects that can make it hard to harvest: insects and mice/squirrels. Larger mammal like deer, elk and moose are not above snacking either.

To misquote from the Field of Dreams, "If you plant it, they will come"

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Birds were very absent in my garden when I moved in, but there again there was no where for them the perch or roost on. Now there is and I have a good population. If I put food for them , there are a lot more. Birds will be attracted to an orchard, along with bees I would hope to pollinate the flowers. I'm sure a lovely crop of cherries, would be very welcomed by your bird population. An orchard may well become an oasis in a desert. Encourage your neighbours to do something similar and your area can be used as a beautiful blossom trail. It would be a lovely space for a community annual picnic. Go for it.

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  • I think he wants to avoid birds eating his produce, not encourage them though some birds are insect predators
    – Graham Chiu
    Commented Apr 30, 2016 at 8:16
  • I can see that may be a problem, but as this is a hypothetical question. Hypothetically hire or keep a bird of prey to keep the pest birds at bay.
    – user13638
    Commented Apr 30, 2016 at 8:30
  • Birds of prey don't work. But bird netting does :)
    – Graham Chiu
    Commented Apr 30, 2016 at 8:42

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