This newsletter item from my local birdseed store made me smile:
“Winery Used Wild birds for pest control
The Solution for Local Organic Vinyard Left Bend Winery of Los Gatos has enlisted birds in pest control at their organic vineyard. They have installed 10 bluebird boxes, 2 barn owl boxes plus several raptor perches. These boxes, plus a strip of native habitat in the middle of the vineyard give the birds a place to live and raise young. They in turn will fly out into the vineyard and snatch unwanted insects, while the owls and hawks work on rodent control.” Newsletter link
Any one know of similar endeavors using wild life to reduce human impacts?
You might enjoy this Netflix documentary. The Biggest Little Farm
Over about 7 years time the farmers were able to turn around a rather arid farm and with consideration of trying to return a balance to the land were able to use domestic and wild species to achieve something.
We watched it on Hulu this afternoon. It was both inspiring and entertaining. It’s just a really well done documentary. My husband even suggested we go visit Apricot Lane Farm some day
I don’t know that there’s anything to read about, but I drove through Napa Valley today and passed several vinyards with bird boxes up along the fencelines. I also know the Castillo di Amorosa Winery in particular keeps peacocks. Don’t know that it helps at all with pest control, but they’re amusing birds. Especially when they scare the visitors with a loud call or a sudden tail fanning
Here in California many introduced species are running rampant. Often it is because whatever keeps them in check in their native area is missing here. There has been some pretty good luck with introducing whatever normally eats them in their native range to here Several invasive species have been reduced from major threats to minor annoyances. The alternative is to use pesticides, that are never selective enough. There have been a few cases of “the Old Lady that Swallowed a Fly,” but overall it has worked pretty well.
