BIRCH CROSSING, Nebraska — Bell Orchard has removed a scarecrow from its north pear block after ravens repeatedly repaired and altered the figure when employees dismantled it. Harvest crews will continue picking the block through next week, and the orchard has asked visitors not to leave clothing or food near the trees.
The figure was installed in August on a cedar post between two rows of Bartlett pears. It consisted of a feed-sack head, an old plaid shirt and denim trousers stuffed with straw. Orchard manager Lyle Bell said it was meant mainly for fall school tours. Birds had continued feeding in the block, and workers did not consider the scarecrow an effective control.
Employees first noticed changes September 26. Loose straw had been pushed back into one sleeve, a torn cuff was bound with baling twine and three black feathers had been placed beneath the shirt collar. Bell assumed a visitor had handled the figure and removed the twine before the orchard opened.
The same repair appeared the next morning. During the following four days, workers found the trousers fastened to the shirt with grass stems, the hat secured by loops of green packing tape and a missing wooden button replaced with a round piece of pear bark. The added materials came from separate parts of the orchard and packing shed.
A trail camera set for deer recorded the figure from Wednesday evening through Thursday morning. The images show ravens arriving in groups after the crew left. Some carried straw or short lengths of twine. Two birds stood on the crosspiece while others pushed material into the shirt. At one point, a raven held the empty sleeve open as another placed grass inside it.
Corvids collect unfamiliar objects, learn from one another and can cooperate on tasks involving food, said plains ornithologist Dana Wirth, who reviewed the images for the orchard. Nest building can also involve string, wire and fabric. Wirth said the sustained work on a human-shaped structure was unusual, particularly because the birds did not appear to eat, cache food or remove material for nests.
The activity caused little crop loss. Pecking damage in the north block remained below the orchard's seasonal average, and the ravens left pickers alone. The main disruption came from visitors stopping in active rows to photograph the figure. Bell canceled one school walk Thursday after a group of birds remained in the trees above it instead of leaving when the children approached.
Workers lifted the scarecrow off its post Friday, separated the clothing from the wooden frame and stored the pieces in a locked tool shed. They swept the site and removed the post. The trail camera recorded 27 ravens landing in the cleared row before sunset. Most stayed on the ground facing the shed rather than feeding on fallen pears.
Bell inspected the shed Saturday morning. Its door, window screen and roof vent were intact. The clothing and frame remained separated on a shelf, but several short pear twigs had been pushed beneath the door from outside. Each twig had been stripped of leaves and broken to approximately the width of the scarecrow's former shoulders.
The orchard will not reinstall the figure. Bell said the shirt and trousers will be discarded after the harvest, and staff will use reflective ribbon if bird damage increases. Weekend picking appointments and the farm stand remain on schedule. Visitors have been asked to stay out of the north block until crews finish there.
When the first pickers entered the block Sunday, they found the stripped twigs woven upright against the outside wall of the tool shed. A second branch had been laid across them at shoulder height and held in place with green packing tape. No cloth or straw had been added. The ravens were gathered in the pear trees behind the structure, facing away from the fruit.