r/xeriscape

I live in the Mojave desert and have finally gotten the chance to have my own yard here. I started with a barren wasteland of gravel, so I cleared all of that and have planted/sowed seeds for a lot of native species. I've also experimented with various Sedum species, 'ice plants' (Delosperma), and moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora) to see what will survive the hot, dry summers here. Several of them were doing really well until the house sparrows and mourning doves found them, and now they tear apart anything that isn't hard and/or spiny.

Ultimately, I want my yard to be welcoming to wildlife, but I have to actually grow things first, and the birds are really hindering that.

• I have two clean water sources outside, so they don't need the succulents for water.
• I've put a couple of plants—including a native tree/shrub sapling they were killing—under wire cages for now, but it's not practical to do that with more than a few of them (I can't reach the irrigation emitters, prune the plants, or clear 'weeds' away from more vulnerable plants, for example).
• I've tried feeding the birds and not feeding the birds to see if either tactic helps the situation, but no luck.
• Even potted succulents that I put outside on the covered patio get ripped to shreds.

Obviously, I don't want to harm the birds, but has anyone had luck with deterring them from demolishing half the things you plant? Do I just have to give up? Any constructive advice is very much appreciated.