Hey Grant,

Two suggestions:

The flexible fibreglass rod is available at any good camping
outfitters to replace those used in lightweight camping tents.
And netting is available at any "Pond Supply" store (think Koi fish),
used to do exactly what you want. They may even have a suspension
suggestion to do what you want. Consider doing it high enough that
Karen can work UNDER it, so she doesn't have to move it except a place
for entry.

And another thought is to get an "Owl" scarecrow, mount it so it
moves around a bit. Most birds do not like owls.

Take care. Good luck.

Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.
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On Mon, 15 May 2006 18:03:52 -0700, Grant Erwin
wrote:

We grow strawberries, and the birds get a lot more than we do if we don't net
the beds. This year Karen built a raised strawberry bed about 3x10', and she now
wants to put bird netting over it. It has to be something you can also take the
netting off of so you can work on the bed, pick berries, etc.

I was thinking of a sort of quonset hut arrangement with some long skinny whippy
bendy things bent into half-hoops over the bed, and we could just lay the bird
net over the frame. I was thinking of something like the stuff they make mobile
ham antennas out of. Only problem is I don't have a clue where to buy it. Green
bamboo would be nice too, if it will bend in a 3' diameter, doubt it would. I
was thinking of heavy electrical wire, but I don't have any, and 100' or so of
say 6 gauge copper would run some do-re-mi.

Ideas?

Grant Erwin
Kirkland, Washington