Herbie the Hawk kite soars on a wind burst.
We harvested Petite Pearl on Monday. We still have Itasca, Verona, Foch, and Steuben to harvest and should have all except the Steuben harvested by the end of this week.
Protecting our ripening grapes from hungry birds is a major challenge. We used to use propane cannons and bird calls but the neighbors complained so we have started using “Hawk Kites” that silently mimic the flights of actual hawks. They are not perfect but birds are really skittish and if they see a hawk kite, they usually go somewhere else for dinner. The final (and least desirable) alternative is to net the vines. We use this as a last resort because while it is effective, it is VERY time consuming. The only variety we are netting this year is our Foch.
We continue to sample, test, and taste grapes to determine where we will harvest next.
