Birds and netting are things I never considered when I started planting on our property. We have a fig tree that's on steroids. Every year when the figs are ready, the birds will beat us to the ripe figs. When the tree was still small, we could put bird netting around it easily and stop the thieves, but now the tree is huge and not even scare tape can scare them away. They are accustomed to their yearly feast as you mentioned. I have totally given up on protecting the fig harvest. We will enjoy whatever we can get and that's still plenty for us.
I do think about the birds when I plant new crops now. Bird netting is such a pain to deal with sometimes. I always somehow find myself tangled up in it.