“Bird netting is not really eco-friendly, as it traps many non-target species like hummingbirds, dragonflies, and seed- and bug-eating songbirds.”įalcons are more cost effective on a per-acre basis than bird netting (which requires purchase, installation, lifting for harvest, de-installation labor, and storage space). “Not having to deal with bird netting or noise cannons makes it so worth it,” says Kari Flores, farming operations manager at Robert Sinskey Vineyards, which has been employing Rosen and her falcons for eight years. “Using falconry, the birds have been scared off our vineyard, and the quality of the grapes we harvest increases exponentially.” “Pest birds peck the grape, which then leaks juice creating a medium that bacteria and mold grow on,” says Kajani. “Birds really want grapes, so they land on the net or scamper up the trunk underneath the nets, and feast.” “Previous to falcons, we only used bird netting on our vineyard with OK results,” says Chris Kajani, winemaker and general manager at Bouchaine. When local birds have been habituated to the falcons, they recognize the truck and often lift off of their own accord. The natural presence of a bird of prey keeps large flocks of birds split up into smaller groups that can’t do as much damage to the grapes, instead of maintaining a huge cloud of looters. Rosen’s team of 10 falcons work sunup to sundown, soaring over the vineyards of her winery clients, “like dogs in the air,” she says. “Over the course of a decade, managing the habitat becomes a babysitting thing and not a war.” EB, a peregrine falcon, flies at a vineyard on Saturday, Oct. A longtime falconer, Rosen started her own company, Authentic Abatement, in 2011. “People think we’re training falcons, but we’re just training wild birds, and falcons are the tools,” Rosen says. Hungry pest birds like starlings, house finches and red-winged blackbirds treat vineyards as an open buffet and threaten winemakers’ valuable annual crop. The falcons in Rosen’s care are wine workers, hired to protect Bouchaine’s award-winning grapes during a crucial period in their growth. While driving, Rosen absentmindedly rubs the owl’s head, and it leans into her hand as if asking for more pressure. But inside the cab are a young spectacled owl on a perch and a border collie mix riding shotgun, with two falcons in the shell-covered truck bed. Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle Show More Show Lessįor more stories like this, check out The Chronicle’s weekly Travel newsletter! Sign up here.ĭriving along rows at Bouchaine Vineyards during fall harvest season in Napa Valley, Rebecca Rosen’s Toyota Tundra looks like a typical Wine Country pickup truck, packed with tools for the harvest. Paul Kuroda/Special to The Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of3 Rebecca Rosen's pet owl, Bubble, waits in her truck on Saturday, Oct. Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of3 Rambo, a peregrine falcon, takes off from Rebecca Rosen on Saturday, Oct. ![]() 1 of3 Rebecca Rosen prepares Rambo, a peregrine falcon, for his hood on Saturday, Oct.
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