Be Proactive
Getting bird control in place before the birds start scavenging your ripening grapes will dramatically decrease loss of grapes and the chance of birds causing rot.
Installing birds deterrents prior to veraison and before birds get a taste of your grapes is key - prevention is easier than eradication
-
- Focus on deterring birds from where they are living - trees / hedges
- Ensure your bird deterrents are operating at dawn and dusk - this is when birds leave or return to where they are living
- If using lasers - program in low light conditions so you can clearly see where they are operating
- Some bird species mostly attack a crop from the edges, so it is important to protect the outer rows
- Ensure solar panels have full sunlight and are not shaded at all, even partially
- For sound deterrents use 3 - 4 different sounds at a time, and change these every week (or use the new Birdzout Bioacoustic Units which automatically vary the sounds used)
- Move the location of predator kite kits every couple of weeks
- Carry portable bird deterrents with you to scare birds away as you see them - the Birdzout Bird Eraser and Pyrotechnics are great for this
The Importance of Synergy
-
- Multiple bird deterrents work together having an effect on birds that is far greater than using just one deterrent or another.
- Using deterrents that target more than one of the birds senses (sight, hearing, taste smell) is more effective.
- Birds navigate by sight and communicate with sound. Disrupting both (e.g. use of laser and bioacoustic deterrents together), causes them to feel more threatened than targeting just their sight or hearing.
