Deterring Birds in the Vineyard (or anywhere really.)
[ There are some useful links at the bottom of this article ]
Birds are a well known occurrence in vineyards especially towards the end of August as the grapes go through veraison (colour change). During this time the birds will send scouts into the vineyards to try the fruit resulting in minor grape loss and damage. As the grapes gain ripeness these scouts inform the flocks leading to large masses of birds feeding on the grapes. Depending on the severity of the bird presence, it is estimated that 10% or more of the crop can be lost to the feeding birds alone. Add to that the loss of fruit due to infection by Botrytis or sour rot, caused by bird damage, and you can see extensive loss in excess of 20%.
We don’t take any defensive actions that would be harmful to the birds (or the bees, for that matter.) But we do go out of our way to encourage them to go elsewhere! Luckily, we have many tools in our tool box to help deter the birds and the damage they can cause.
There are three main categories of items that we can use to deter or prevent birds from feeding in the vineyard: noise deterrents, visual deterrents, and physical exclusion. We will first take a look at the noise deterrents available to us at the vineyard. The most common noise deterrent is the bird banger, which grape growers learned about from corn farmers; They called them ‘Corn Poppers’. Bird bangers come in all shapes in sizes but generally work on the same principle. They ignite a small amount of propane at the end of a large cone which amplifies the sound produced by the combusting gas. They can be mounted high on a stand or sit on the ground amidst the rows in the vineyard. Bird bangers are relatively effective if used properly. But, like anything that produces a loud, consistent noise throughout the day, they can become a nuisance for the neighbours\hood. There are also stringent regulations about time-of-day use,
Here at Harwood, we take great care to ensure that our bird bangers are pointed away from Inn guests and neighbouring houses and are only used during peak feeding hours. Bird bangers must be moved frequently to increase their effectiveness as the birds can and do get use to them if left firing at the same times from the same locations. We also use hand held pop guns that fire small fire crackers into the air to disrupt the birds if they’re in the vineyard. The pop guns are very effective but require them to be on hand at all times and a person to be present in the field when the birds arrive. Another effective noise based deterrent is a “Squawker”. These electronic systems are hooked up to speakers and placed around the vineyard. The speakers then emit bird distress calls, bird of prey calls, and other various noises to keep the birds at bay.
Have you ever driven past a vineyard and wondered why there might be thousands of bright streamers hanging in the vineyard or why there might be Cds tied to end posts and t-rails? These are some of the visual deterrents we use to keep the birds out of the vineyard. It is thought that the streamers make the vineyard look like it is moving from overhead and the bright lights can be disorienting. The Cds works much the same way and also can provide some noise deterrence as well as they flap in the wind.
Here at Harwood we also use paper hawk kites, scary-eye balloons, and wacky, wavy-arm inflatables. The paper hawks and scare eye balloons, especially when used with the squawker mentioned above, can be very effective at keeping birds out of high pressure areas. The silhouette it casts and it’s general presence in the air above makes the birds unsettled and on high alert slowing or completely eliminating feeding in that small area. However, just like the bird bangers these paper hawks and balloons must be moved around the vineyard to remain effective and have some strict weather requirements to keep them functioning properly. The real secret weapon however, is the wacky, wavy-arm inflatables. Their erratic movements and large stature provide exceptional bird deterrence and for a reasonable price. They do need a power source and cannot be left out in high winds or rain but their effectiveness makes these small hassles worth the effort.
By far however, the most effective measure to prevent bird damage is by physical exclusion by netting. There are two different types of bird netting generally used in vineyards: full drape and side (fruit zone) netting. Both have their merits but here at Harwood we use side netting as it allows us to easily continue managing the canopy as the season progresses as we generally have a long harvest period from when veraison starts and picking ends. Side netting can also be rolled up and tied to a catch wire allowing it to be quickly dropped in the next season reducing labour costs in the vineyard. That begin said, vineyard netting is always expensive and can be very time consuming to put up and take down every year. On average, vineyard netting costs $2500 per acre and lasts 5-10 years. However, if used properly it can be over 90% effective at reducing bird loss justifying the cost and extra work involved.
Overall, it is a combination of all of the methods mentioned above that help prevent bird damage and the subsequent losses it would cause. But as we all know, the results are always worth the effort!
________________________ Links of Interest ________________________
I’m going to pass along some links to companies we’re purchased deterrents from over the years. We have no connection to thosee companies. They are just people we have bought from and everything went well. I’m including these links because they also have products that are useful to home gardeners at approachable prices.
BannerBuzz for “Inflatable Tube Man” (Wavy-Arm Guys) [ Usually, quick shipping. Prices star at ~$130. ]
https://www.bannerbuzz.ca/search/go?q=INFLATABLE%20TUBE%20MAN
C. Frensch for “Weather-resistant Paper Bird Scaring Kites” (These are the ‘fancier’ ones. More expensive.)
(905) 563-4774 [ Beamsville, ON. Reliable supplier. Many bird deterrent items including nets and ‘Squawkers’. ]
Temu.com for inexpensive “Bird Scare Kites” [ China. Shipping, about 2-weeks. Low price. ]
https://www.temu.com and search for “Bird scaring” or “Bird kite” (Their $10 bird is quite effective.)