We were planning to harvest today. There are birds stealing grapes daily. We had to wait until the afternoon as we had heavy rain in the morning and other responsibilities.
But Alex did something to his back and he's in agony. So I went up to start picking on my own, but I realised they are not ready yet. Perhaps tomorrow, if the birds don't pre-empt us.
Alex hung old CDs in the vineyard to keep the birds away. I brought in one of my herons to stand guard. The bags we tied on last year worked well but were such a pain to put on and take off. We'll take our chances for one more day.
There are many red Rondo to pick and far fewer white Solaris. But the Solaris are very tasty. Next year, we should have more.
Here are a few inventive ways of protecting grapes from birds.
