What about getting a plastic owl or a rubber snake. Both seem to work. The snake kept birds from eating our apricots when I was a kid.

Ooh, a cool excuse to hang rubber snakes in your trees! :D

Well, better Ramon than Onan, or you'd have seeds all over the place!

The Old People have a hanging owl on their patio. It worked pretty good for the first 2 years, but then the doves got wise and tried to build on top of it.

There's a crazy cardinal that lives near my parents' house. It attacks my car's side mirrors thinking there's another bird in there. I have to remember to fold my mirrors in every time I go to visit them.