Saini Vineyards
Saini Vineyards Tests the Falcon Replica
Saini Vineyards is a well established and well known family business producing premium quality grapes in Healdsburg. We were introduced to Mike who had serious bird problems in past years and was interested in what the Falcon Replica could do and how it would perform. In 2016 he was not having the typical bird pressure that he had experienced in prior years but nevertheless was willing to test the product.
Portable, Durable, and Strikingly Realistic in Flight
We installed a 22ft Falcon on a portable base (umbrella stand) so it could be moved around to be effective against birds and also to move it out of the way when harvest was in progress. The above photo hows one of the main access roads through the vineyard and the location of the falcon on its base at one of the cross roads. The Falcon easily launched in the winds that are present virtually every day in that location and throughout the remainder of the season did not have to be taken down nor did it suffer any damage.Here are some further photos of the installation.
Notice how in the upper right photo the Falcon has its wings bent upwards which happens as the carbon fiber spars bend in strong winds to give the product a realistic and moving wing appearance just like a real falcon. This 22ft pole had a 16ft flight line so the kite was approximately 35-38ft up in the air. This is easily visible to approaching birds and gives them plenty of advance warning of a predator bird ahead and take evasive action.
A Smarter Scare: How the Falcon Outsmarts Vineyard Pests
The shape of the Falcon closely replicates a real falcon as does it color and movements which are always changing. Typical "scare" repellents like owls and scarecrows etc do not move in a random manner and birds quickly learn that they are nothing to be scared of and continue to invade the vineyard. Not so for the Falcon.
Early mornings in Healdsburg can be times of low wind and the unique design of the Falcon incorporates design features of a regular one-plane kite and a box kite, allowing it to rise quickly in light winds, hold position in the air and also dart around sharply as wind gusts change in intensity.
As the end of season approached, Saini moved the Falcon to the fields which were last to ripen before finally taking it down and storing for next year.
We did not experience the same bird problems in 2016 as we had in prior years however we were interested to see just what effect it did have on those that were present. We moved the Falcon from vineyard to vineyard easily as different varietals were being picked at different times. At the end of our testing we can say that the results justified our purchasing the product for use in coming years.
