Robins are among the worst bird thieves!

Ohhhhh yeah it is robins, sparrows, & mockingbirds..My strawberry fields get terrorized every year by them. I lose about half of my harvest from them and I still put up netting. The only suggestion I have is to harvest around 4:30am before the birds wake up.

Sounds like you'll be winning the battle for the berry soon. My plants had such a boom crop this year it was easy enough to share with the mockingbirds. They actually seemed to only eat the berries for a couple of days then gave up and let me have the rest. The wild berries around here are having a boom year also, so maybe they are spoiled for choice. I've never seen so many large black raspberries.

I agree with you sunni on the battle..my crops have done amazing this year (unlike last year with the drought).

I'd swear all my damage is being done by a single robin this year. He's abandoned the strawberries and taken up ruining my cherries.

Should strawberries be planted vertically? If so, on a trellis?

I once watched as a mother Robin instructed her young offspring in the art of going down my strawberry row selecting ripe berries and pecking each one once. Darned bird, I wouldn't mind so much if they just chose one and ate the whole thing but oh no, it's peck, move to the next one,peck and so on!

I have the same problem. I put netting up and they were still getting them. I started pulling all of the strawberries with bugs or bites taken out and leaving them next to the net covered rows out in the open and it seems like that has really helped; the birds, squirrels and rabbits seem to go for these first and leave the hard to get ones alone.