Usually, birds only went after my cherries so I netted those cherry tree/bush. They did little damage to green apples and ripe peaches and did not bother plums.
That behavior ended this year. Nadia are dark blue/purple. I did not suspect birds would go after dark colored fruit. Wrong!!
Yup @IL847 , you can see their beak’s marks.
It’s too bad you still got rot. I didn’t do too many more sprays, maybe 4-5, and have no rot. I am guessing the bags is why.
I have been doing pretty well with scare tape for the birds, I think I posted about it somewhere… long pieces going to the ground making a “fence” around the tree.
i tried it like you mentioned and the birds left my blueberries and strawberries alone. definitely need more than just a couple. i had mine surrounded on 4 sides and it worked well.
I need to buy more scare tape for next year.
Yup, the bags are the issues because they are not close tightly all the time. Moisture can sneak in at times. They probably work well for early season peaches or in the areas where it does not rain as often as it does here.
Tippy you have a constant up hill battle. The disappointment must be overwhelming at times. I am so sorry. Your area is too humid for a lot of stone fruit 
, thus, you get horrible brown rot, black knot. Etc. I would edit back my trees to fewer varieties. You have soooo many!! You’re giving the squirrels a smorgasbord instead of a snack!
Mrs. G.,
I am not the only one suffering. I think the majority of fruit growers do!!
That’s why we have the forum to commiserate 
This morning, as soon as I open the front door, a baby groundhog (it is small and cute) galloping from the watermelon patch in the front yard to the side yard as soon as it heard the noise.
So, besides a medium sized groundhog in the backyard that I have not been able to catch, I have a smaller one in the front. I caught one raccoon and two opossums so far. Not sure how many have raided my yard.
The battle continues.
I think you cement the orchard, buy huge pots and netting. Oh and a steel cage! ?hat should do it. The animals would drive me crazy. Acutally they did!!! Here, there are so many outdoor cafe’s the birds do not know what fruit is! They are looking for bread crumbs instead of stone fruit. 
What is going on with the graft of this cherry. I see a hole. Otherwise? The tree is healthy. No insects or yellow leaves.
A
Colleen,
Inhave not encounter borers on my cherry trees but they are out there. I have sprayed pesticide on the trees including the trunks.
I you grow organicalky, you should ask someone like @scottfsmith how he prevents borers that do damage higher in a trunk like this.
It looks like the tree had a limb removed from there a few years ago, either that or it was damaged. It’s definitely not borers, they are rarely in cherries and there is no frass in the sap. The sap is clear so it might not be canker. If it gets cloudy I would get a carving knife and remove all the outer wood looking for darker wood, especially below the wound as the canker usually heads down with gravity. Cut out all wood that has a dark color, that is the cankered wood. Then hit with a blowtorch if you want some extra insurance.
I have a cherry with canker that I have been putting off treating, maybe this weekend I will get it. One limb totally died already.
Spray some chemicals in the hole, find a big rusted bold to fit, the tree will use the iron for the rest of its life. The bolt will be part of the tree.
When I see a hole like that on my trees, I always use a wire to poke in to find out if there is anything movable inside. That’s me.
Scott, it rt near the graft at the base.
I just tried @mamuang method and stuck a wire in there. No movement. It did go in about 1/4 inch. Can I spray alcohol or something on it? I kind of cleaned it out.
It’s not a borer. There is no frass. By “by the base” I mean 1" or less from the ground, and its not that close.
Ok. So not a borer!!! Thank goodness! Can I just leave it or should I spray ? Kind of like the idea of putting a rusty bolt in it!
If you really want to do something put some tree paint over it. It doesn’t really do anything but it feels good 
It does do a bit to potentially keep infection out.
@Colleen7
I know you has heard about the “significant” pests like plum curculio, oriental fruit moths, codling moths, stinkbugs, borers, etc.
Let me show you damage other nasty insects could do when fruit are ripening.
