Solutions

I recently posted on an organic gardening online community about the recent goings ons in my garden and asked if the others had had similar problems. Here are some of the responses:

-YES!
In fact seedlings are the fave choice for crows and that family.
Squirrels and other birds seem to be convinced that under that little plant is something the need.
I have an eggplant that has been dug up many times by the same damn squirrel!
Good luck and let us know if you come up with something.

-omg yes. I live in an apartment, and there is a small tree near my balcony where birds hang out. when I am home I periodically run out there and shoo them away. Especially the crows/whatever the giant black birds that hang out on my porch are.

If you hang CDs outside that helps deter them, but you have to periodically switch out what you keep out there to scare them away otherwise they get used to it and start back up.

-Hang a house and let a wren be your seedlings' guardian. I have heard they are very territorial and 'do not tolerate' birds and other animals in their area. I saw this tip in a forum about protecting a berry patch, and I thought it might help you.

-Several kinds of birds do this, most notably corvids (ravens, crows, magpies, and jays). I have to cover many of my beds until the seedlings have grown enough to be well-rooted, to keep the jays from pulling them all out just for fun. Starlings are notorious as well, and will usually eat what they pull. Sparrows also pull and eat a lot of seedlings sometimes; peas are a favorite target.

Bird netting is your best bet - just keep the birds off long enough for the plants to get bigger and well-anchored. Flash tape sometimes works, sometimes not. Corvids in particular are quite bold and will quickly adapt to most scare tactics.

from http://community.livejournal.com/organic_garden/