JF>        No actually they haven't actually done any real damage yet... they
JF>were just in my little tomato area (that's fenced in because of my tomato
JF>eating dog)... I'm just worried that the birds will attack my future
JF>tomatoes  when I get some!
  Not very likely, Janis, not till the tomatoes are ripening, and
  usually not even then. Tomatoes have a very strongly scented foliage
  that discourages most animals and bugs. I find mice a bigger threat,
  after garden-raiding turkeys and chickens, when the tomatoes are ripe.
  Chickens may injure seedling plants by scratching, and exhuberant dogs
  break off major branches chasing cats through the tomato patch, but
  as for eating them - nah.
  Tomato worms (aka tobacco hornworms), Colorado potato beetles, and
  blights such as Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) are my worst threats. Last
  year, between a hard winter, interplanting potatoes with dill, and
  lots of mulch, I saw nary a Colorado beetle (not even on my eggplants,
  which they eat like candy!), and hornworms are becoming rare, due to
  tobacco farmers changing to other crops, and my organic growing. Now
  that TMV resistant cultivars are available, tomato growing is easier.
JF> > Large mesh screening over the area should stop them from stealing the
JF> > seeds while allowing the sun and water to do their jobs.
  Seeds are relatively safe also, as they still contain that distinctive
  aroma as soon as they germinate. But I use plants - only volunteers
  spring from seed in my garden. One thing about the mesh - if the holes
  are too large, the mesh is useless as bird deterrent. If the holes are
  too small, any tomato shoots growing through will eventually
  strangulate and become non-productive.  If you do use mesh. it's best
  to use small holes, and either remove as soon as the seedlings reach
  it, or shape the mesh around each seedling to form an open top cage.
  (I use 4 foot high cages made of livestock fence with large openings
  so that I can reach through to harvest my fruits.)
  BTW, if you're losing ripe tomatoes to birds, it may be that your
  weather is too dry. In a dry spell, the mice go crazy over my nice
  watered JUICY tomatoes. And I've had some damaged tomatoes that I
  couldn't tell whether the birds were after those pesky black and brown
  beetles - did the beetles come before or after the damage? Regardless,
  birds are not a real problem in my garden - but those beetles are! :-(
  Anyway, in dry weather it wouldn't hurt to provide safe water for the
  birds - and keep a couple of cats in the garden!
                   ...Sandra...
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