The Blueberry Cannons are Warming Up

I heard the first blueberry cannon of the season yesterday. It was one huge bang. I heard quieter bangs a few more times yesterday and figured one of the local farmers must be putting their cannons out in their blueberry fields and testing them.

I heard the cannons again this morning. The only reason I paid attention was because there were several bangs within seconds of each other which is a violation of Surrey bylaws. I think they're allowed one bang every 5 minutes. But if they're setting them up and testing them I guess that's a different story. What are the farmers going to do? Stand around all day positioning their propane cannons and testing one every 5 minutes. I haven't heard those cannons again but I do hear some off in the distance.

Its probably just about time for those hungry birds to flock to the blueberry bushes. I have a dozen blueberry plants in my yard with decent sized berries on them and some are starting to turn blue. I pulled one off to try yesterday and it was sour. Needs a couple more days of sun which doesn't seem to be in the forecast for the next 5 days.

So how do I protect my blueberries from bands of marauding birds? Simple. I cover them with nets.

Some blueberry farmers do that too because of the impact to neighbors. I know Save On Foods was advertising last year that they only sell blueberries from farms that do not use propane cannons.

I say farmers have to do what they have to do. Nets over acres of blueberries is not a good option for many. It is expensive to set up and if the farm uses a mechanical blueberry picker it can be a pain taking the netting down so the machine can go down the rows. However some farmers have said these nets pay for themselves rather quickly.

I'ts my opinion, and this dates back to the mid-70's growing up in Cloverdale when the cannons first started firing, that the cannons don't work. The birds get used to the noise and stay in the field chowing down on blueberries.

Somewhere out there are some very good blueberry cannon salesmen.