As stated in an earlier post, I have assembled and deployed 15 "Peregrine" JacKites along the perimeter, with the grower deploying 2 more in the center of the field.
I thought it would useful for this blog's readers to see what these devices look like and how they work.
Here is a video of what it looks like in actual conditions.
CS
REMEMBER: The Starlings are the villain. It is not the grower.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Lots of heat and growing degree days for plants right now. Berries of all kinds are ripening fast. Early blue varieties showing exponential increase in Sizing and color. Watch for increased predation. Be cautious about removing depredation prevention devices of any kind as a form of habituation prevention. It is not only the number of birds being the problem as much as it is the speed and extent of damage that even a small flock can inflict.
Thank you Anonymous. Your comment about "the speed and extent of damage..." is wise.
This effort we are undertaking is trying to find that mysterious balance between keeping the array of preventative tools active vs. changing, altered, or temporarily suspended. It is our belief that anything that is CONSTANT and UNCHANGING will eventually become non-threatening to the Starlings...habituated. Then the pressure and predation will be present and persistent.
So the question in our minds is, how do we change the depredation regime? Do we shut all of it down for a day, so there is a break in preventative device action? Or do we shift from one set of tools to another set of tools, without any "down" days? I think we will try both, and see what happens.
The safety value, as per your concern, is if there is someone present in the field on a daily basis (as it should be), then a the first sign of significant bird pressure, the preventative tools come back online.
Thanks for your comment...this contributes to the overall effort ALL of us are part of.
CS
Post a Comment