I'm sure this has happened to just about every orchid grower. After growing an orchid plant for months — or oftentimes, years — there is the great excitement of watching emerging flower buds.

Day by day, you check on its progress, and the anticipation of finally getting to see the beautiful flowers is almost too much to bear. Then one day you wake up to find that your buds are all eaten. Sometimes whole tips of flower sprays are severed. You look down and see the tips on the ground. Who would do this? The crazy next-door neighbor? The grandchildren? A menehune? Most likely it is the dreaded bulbuls.

These birds appeared on O'ahu in the mid-1950s, the result of an unauthorized cage release. There are two species, the red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer), which is about 8.5 inches long, blackish above, with a white belly and tail band in flight. It also has a black crest and distinguishing red vent.

The second, which was released in the mid-1960s, is the red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus). About seven inches long, it has larger white undersides and dark brown upper parts. It has a conspicuous crimson eye patch and an orange-red vent. The two noisy, gregarious species are native to Burma and the South China coast.

Bulbuls are a serious agricultural pest. A 1989 survey found that bulbuls caused $300,000 worth of damage to the orchid industry on O'ahu. From just a handful of birds, they have become one of the most common species on the island. The Neighbor Islands have had bulbul sightings, but so far no permanent establishment.

Bulbuls not only love the sweet orchid buds, they often feed on root tips and new shoots. On top of that, they can carry orchid viruses. They are indiscriminate feeders, making them difficult to control. Bulbuls' favorite foods are papaya, banana, mango, guava and chili peppers. They also like to munch small insects, spiders and baby lizards.

The spread of the bulbul has coincided with the rapid spread of several invasive species such as Miconia calvescens, ivy gourd (Coccinea grandis) and fiddlewood (Citharexylum). There is a great deal of concern that they will facilitate a large leap in the distribution of large-seeded invasive weeds.

The best way to protect our orchids is to grow them in a screened area, using shade cloth. If you grow your orchids outside, you may need to use bird deterrents such as plastic owls, inflatable snakes, aluminum pie pans or foil, or even free CDs that you get in the mail (hang them back to back, shiny side out, so that they flutter in the wind).

The key to success with these methods is to move the deterrent daily. Bulbuls are intelligent birds with a lot of time on their hands. At Foster Garden, I have even tried spraying the orchids with animal repellents, aloe vera juice and other chemicals — to no avail. I finally called the state Forestry and Wildlife office and received a wildlife control permit, which allowed me to eliminate the pesky birds with an air gun.

There is responsibility with this permit; you must submit a monthly report and are responsible for the projectile even if it leaves your property. I checked with O'ahu wildlife manager David Smith, who said that the permitting program is an option as a method for control. For more information, reach him at 973-9786.

We both agree that bulbuls' feeding on the orchid buds is a learned behavior, and that eliminating the problem birds will help protect your plants and even give some people gratification — at least until the next nesting season.