Birds eating my figs!!

[darwin101]

Hi all

Is there a way to keep the birds form eating my figs besides netting the whole tree?  Safe & natural is preferred.  My neighbors have the plastic owls to keep a way the pigeons, but that don't do any good, all sorts of birds land on them. I had to net my chiltepin & pequin to keep a mocking bird from eating them, he now bounces around the plants trying to figure a way in.  

If I pick the figs twice a day and before they are fully ripe I can get a few, but I would prefer to let them ripen on the tree.  Back in southern Louisiana there where so many fig trees I think the birds got tired of them. 

thanks