Its highly unlikely that birds are the culprits. They often pull up corn seedlings to eat the kernal that's attached, but I've never heard of them damaging 4' tall pea vines. Rabbits or groundhogs are more likely to be causing the damage. Young of either could be getting through the holes in 2" chicken wire or they could be forcing their way under it. Wire with smaller openings such as hardware cloth placed around the bottom of your cages might help. Also, extending the wire along the ground around the plants or burying it a few inches into the ground might help.

Sandy

Hi from Rohnert Park. I have to protect my seedlings from birds. I think you're right that the emerging peas look like tiny worms. I find the seeds pulled up. I use deer netting which works wonders against birds and the neighborhood cats that want to use my beds as a litter box. Not sure what you mean about not being able to use it because you've got to get into the garden.

I stake my peas and let them climb up a chicken wire trellis. The bird netting is attached to the trellis and brought down to the ground around the peas like a pup tent. So in short, it just covers the peas, not the whole area.

I've never had my birds do that much damage, though. So I wouldn't rule out other critters.

The same thing happened to me and until I read here that someone used tulle to cover their vines until they were bigger my seedlings were pulled out and shaved off by birds over and over and over again. And I knew it was birds because I had a potted pea vine by my back door and saw the little stinkers do it!

I think they are hungrier this year than usual or something.

So the stuff used in wedding dresses (tulle) draped over your vines with stakes underneath works. If you can manage that it will help FWIW.

Angie

Had the same problem here in MA with Robins and Grackles. I floating row cover fixed the problem.It is quick and simple. Nothing fancy. No hoops or supports. Just let them float gently on the peas. I remove it when the plants are too big to interest the birds. End of problem.
The row covers are also the only way I can successfully grow cucumbers here.

Birds, definitely. In RI I saw newly planted tomatoes being pulled out or bitten off by a starling or grackle. None of our other birds bothered any of our veg. plants, and I saw this one just hanging around on a fencepost top as if waiting for the maitre d' to seat him for dinner.

So I put up bird netting hung over 2 long clotheslines, only over the tomato bed. Now that the plants are bigger - and perhaps the bird has moved on to a different nesting/breeding phase - they all seem OK and intact.

It's a jungle out there! What with birds, woodchucks, bunnyrabbits, deer, mice and all those plant-eating insects, it's a wonder we get any harvest at all.

Carol

I would doubt birds eating larger pea vines, but newly sprouted peas and beans - yes.

During the summer, I like to keep fresh water in my yard, to reduce the amount of damage done by birds. Sometimes, they will chew on leaves for moisture also.

Pea and bean vines will grow OK on wire trellis-type supports, but the wire sometimes gets too hot for young tendrils and they will die back if there is a sudden heat wave. Once the vines cover the wire there is no damage. I prefer to use bamboo poles and straw bale twine laced in between instead.

Bejay

Thanks for responses. The water part makes sense, so that is a good idea. The heat wave part - no! Very cool spring. And, the vines are getting sheared off at the base. So other critters, maybe, yes: squirrels or rats are the most likely, unless moles or gophers are crawling above ground several yards, which doesn't make sense.

I am having young shoots eaten and pulled up AND I am having mature peavines�sheared off at the ground. So I probably have two different large pests.

I have a mocking bird pecking holes in my largest beefsteak tomatoes. He seems to have a preference for the one pound, very green ones. I've lost at least ten pounds! I've netted the plants but he's still pecking the lower trusses around the edges, where the biggest tomatoes are. I just threw out four huge, rotting green tomatoes yesterday. I've caught him red handed so I know it's a mocking bird. Makes me so mad!
I wonder if a bowl of water might help? I might try that, and leaving the rotted ones out for him to eat. Maybe I can also feed him some more appropropriate food, since I think he is helping with a nest. What do mocking birds like besides green tomatoes?

No Corn or Peas left in my garden! I first thought it was rabbits but the wire is secure but then I saw the culprit. The California Towhee a little brown bird that scratches like a chicken then plucks the newly sprouted corn or pea. He eats the sprout and the seed. He also ate my newly sprouted green beans and cucumbers. He's a little crop destroyer. I should have took a video.