Iris vs. the Wildlife

New hypothesis re broken stalks:   blame it on the bird santuary.  The sparrows
have discovered that an iris branch makes a nice perch!  One landing isn't
enough to break the stalk, of course, but I suspect that repeated ones might,
expecially if executed when the stalk was already being stressed by the wind.

I'd noticed some broken stalks on quarterbreds in the east garden, while those
in the west garden were standing tall, and attributed it to the better wind
protection the west garden enjoys by virtue of its proximity to the canebreak.
After seeing a sparrow land on a branch of Quick Change Artist, though, I
checked and found that all of the broken stalks had been within 25 feet of the
quail shelter.   I'd never have suspected the quail, as they  usually stay on
their side of the fence except in heat of summer when the dormant iris beds lure
them into the garden for dust baths.   But the sparrows do raid the quail feed
and aren't exactly shy around people.  If one will land within a few feet of me
like that, what do they do when I'm not around?

Does anyone else have a problem with birds, or is this an isolated phenomenon of
an oasis in the desert?

Sharon McAllister (73372.1745@compuserve.com)
Hot, dry & windy Southern New Mexico
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