jbp and jrp seedlings

[pwk5017]

Hello, i started several thousand jbp and jrp seedlings a couple weeks ago. many have germinated, but i have noticed most of the seedlings have been uprooted and the first needles eaten, but the root left. I first thought it might be a mouse or mole and moved the flats up off the ground and onto a bench. However, the seedlings continue to be eaten and uprooted. Am i dealing with a bird or what? also, should i cover the flats with a net to deter the pests? thank you!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Birds! Net your trays or you will lose almost all your seedlings.

 

[pwk5017]

hmm i thought as much after the elevated ones were consumed. damn winged creatures! haha why havent they touched my trident seedlings? Also, at what point are the seedlings safe from attack or are they vulnerable until they are a year old?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

They seemed to bother them most when they are really small. I think the birds pull up the tiny seedlings and then eat the seed underneath - sometimes the little seedlings were left behind without their roots Sometimes just the tops were eaten and the roots left. They were all universally uprooted. Once they were a year old the birds never bothered them again.