I usually have between 75 and 100 mater plants in the ground.
If I get one bird peck it’s unusual. It’s said birds are after moisture.
As long as I keep my birdbath full birds never bother my maters.
My birdbath is about 15 steps from my garden.
BTW - I trapped a mama possum with 6 babies on her back in one of my larger traps once.
She just hissed as I opened the door and just walked away.
That was the most squirrel free growing season I’ve ever had.
I did set up a bird bath near the garden last year so hopefully that will help - I never had as many bird “pecks” as last year.
I had a medium size live trap out near the garden a couple of years ago and caught a skunk. Oh boy!! I was supposed to go watch my nephew in a college athletic event later that day - 3 hour drive. I knew if I got “skunk” on me, no way my brother would let me in the car. Using black plastic barrel liner bags (wore one myself which covered me to the ankles & put one over the trap so the skunk could not see me & if it did spray, the plastic would catch it), a bungee cord and I forget what else, I managed to get the trap door open - skunk ran out, looked around and took off across the field. My garden shoes smelled slightly like skunk for a while - evidently it had sprayed when the door sprang shut & that “perfumed” the grass around the trap, then I walked through it getting the skunk released.