Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/72545
VINEYARD a vineyard block on one particular variety. It's important for a grower to be attentive and record 1) when the damage is occurring; 2) where it is occurring; 3) which varieties are being impacted, and if pos- sible, 4) the bird species causing the problem. This approach allows the grower to assess his particular problem while not having to rely on other sources or reports that may have limited applicability to his or her particular farm. WHAT CAUSES BIRDS TO EAT GRAPES? The ecology of every landscape has a starting point. In some parts of the winegrowing world, that ecology has been altered for a very long time (Europe), while in other parts the alterations have been rela- tively recent (California). In either example the "natural' condition would favor a suite of birds that may or may not feed on grapes. Even if "grape eaters" were pres- ent in the natural condition, their abundance would be limited through availability of suitable for- aging and nesting sites, and com- petition with other species living in the same space. Subsequent changes in vegeta- One BirdGard SuperPROcan control birds in up to 48 acres cast distress calls up to 1000 ft in all directions. And one Controller/ transmitter can control up to eight 4-Speaker Wireless Receivers. No need to buy 8 complete Bird Gard Super PROs. Each 4-Speaker Wireless Receiver protects up to 6 acres. Buy 2, 3, 4, up to eight 4-Speaker Wireless Receivers. You get not only wireless speakers, but also the distress calls randomly jump from speaker to speaker keeping the birds from getting used to the sounds. One BirdGard SuperPRO Controller/ transmitter and one 4-Speaker Wireless Receiver is $799. Each additional 4-Speaker Wireless Receiver that covers up to 6 acres is $399. More and more vineyard managers are replacing netting with the Bird GardPRO series. "Last year we got the SuperPRO Wireless. Had the starling flocks been there, we would have lost $20,000-$30,000 worth of grapes," Mgr, Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards BirdGard The Bird Gard SuperPRO Controller/transmitter can broad- JWB Marketing LLC birddamage.com 800.555.9634 56 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT JULY - AUG 2012 Wireless tion composition and structure from a "wildland" to a vineyard will favor some species and eliminate others. Once the vineyard is in place it pro- vides an opening for a suite of birds that are opportunistic foragers, while limiting those species that have narrow feeding or foraging behaviors, such as woodpeckers. In other words, the vineyard has now become attractive habitat for some and not for others. Power lines near vineyards can be an attractive perch for hungry birds. Photo: Thinkstock Other factors come into play that affect vineyard feeding behavior in birds. Ecologists often talk about the temporal (time) and spatial (space) relationships found across a landscape or within habitats. For example, if we examine the behav- ior of an opportunistic species like the starling, we'll find that the "temporal" relationship between grapes and starlings coincide as the summer food sources (insects, WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM