Bird damage in the Barbera

The birds dove like rebel forces from the Tall Trees adjoining the third year Barbera and Petit Verdot into the vineyard blocks. They sought both insects and fruit—and after snagging whichever they could find first—then flew back into the Tall Trees to enjoy their catch. When we drove up to the vineyard, we just groaned as we watched the birds’ graceful swooping back and forth. We were here to thin the Vidal Blanc. Netting is scheduled for next week.

Originally, I thought these birds were catbirds, but they may actually be mockingbirds. Both birds belong to the Mimidae family and both feast upon insects and berries. I read that 20 percent of the catbird’s diet is made up of fruit! How daunting! The birds I saw had flashes of white feathers in the long tails and had a lean, graceful silhouette. That makes me think they were Northern Mockingbirds. I couldn’t adequately capture a picture of one of the grape-berry predators with my older iPhone camera and the vineyard camera was in Big Red.

Birds are beneficial in the vineyard and for most of the season, we are happy to see them. Robins and Bluebirds eat a variety of insects that are harmful to our vines and fruits. We’re especially grateful to the Robins, who love to eat stinkbugs. We don’t employ much bird management practices, although we do net our vineyard after veraison. The fruit is too delicious. Who could blame the birds?!

As we finished the remaining leaf canopy management in the Petit Verdot with the Gishboyz, Ger and I discussed the netting and the bird issue. “We’re a week behind,” Ger worried. “We should be netting today. We could have netted this week.”

I am a vineyard wife and I do try to support the Vineman’s efforts as much as possible—but we booked our first real family beach vacation (personally, I define “real” vacation as more than an amusement park visit or 2 day beach stay). This vacation was “go,” def, but I didn’t want Ger to worry so much. “I could tie Compact Discs to the cordon wires, like you did in the proofing vineyard a long time ago,” I offered.

Catbird scare tactics involve compact discs and green plastic string

Glare of CDs scare the birds

We collect CDs from a variety of sources and Ger keeps them on this threaded steel rod. I lugged the CDs over to the vineyard and got to work tying the CDs to the cordon wires with the biodegradable green vineyard string. As Ger and the Gishboyz worked on dropping 263 pounds of excess Vidal Blanc grape clusters, I worked my way down the rows of the Barbera and Petit Verdot. I tied them to the cordon wires in a variety of heights and placements, making sure each CD could easily swing in the breeze. The effect was a crazy vineyard disco, the sunlight flashing of the CDs like a mirror ball. I felt like striking a pose, but was blinded myself from a CD glint. When we left the vineyard to start our vacation, we could see the CDs flashing among the Barbera rows from the little farmette.

We’ve decided the flashing will deter the birds until our return next Saturday, when the netting begins.

I found myself, once again, with a sledgehammer and rebar in the vineyard. Its a good thing—it means there are young healthy vines requiring a bamboo stake to scramble up straight to the cordorn wire. Sort of like vinifera training wheels.

Do you remember way back to when I spent a long, hot summer setting bamboo stakes in the Vidal Blanc block? The vineyard is a much different place, now. The Gishboyz set a blistering pace to follow. In fact, much of the Albarino and Merlot was already staked. When boy1 & I got to the blocks, they were working their way up the top of the hill, with maybe 8 rows left.

We all grabbed bamboo stakes and walked down the rows, throwing a stake down beside each vine. I tried to match the boyz pace and even the effort to push the stakes into the ground on their own. In some areas, the sandy soil would give way, but it was impossible for me in other areas. Boy1 brought me the sledgehammer and rebar and I set back to work, but my progress slowed exponentially in comparison to the young men’s pace. I finished my row, grabbed a pocket full of black rubber ties and fixed the stakes to the cordon wires. Finally done with my  row, I checked boy1′s row and found most needed to be reworked, as he met little success trying to push the bamboo into the soil, too. I demonstrated how I made the holes for the bamboo and sent him on his way. By then, it was 11:30 and I needed a drink of cool water. I headed up the house, my head swimming with the heat & humidity and swearing I would drop all this weight I gained.

I met Uncle Pete and we discussed the Port of Leonardtown Winery labels. It felt so good to sit in the house for a little bit. We called the boys in for lunch. The Gishboyz shared their secret for pushing in the bamboo stakes. The Albarino & Merlot were mechanically planted, so Samuel would look to see the where the discs met in the soil. That area was generally weaker and he could push the bamboo in easier.

It didn’t help me much, since I ended up back at the farmhaus to rest for a couple of hours. When I came back, Ger set boy1 and me to leaf canopy management in the proofing rows. That went much quicker and felt much easier to accomplish, since we pull from the east side of the row and are shaded from the hot western sun.

I’m quickly entering this before Ger picks us up again to finish the Viognier. We were to get an early start this morning, but it was raining. We’ll finish the job in the heat of the day, instead. Makes a girl cranky.

So if you ever are staking a first year vineyard block that was machine planted, look for where the discs meet in the soil. And keep the weight off. And don’t leave the field to rest in the heat of the day, it will just make you crankier. And don’t let your husband let you sleep in since its raining when you would rather leaf canopy manage in the rain than the resulting humidity and heat later.

And keep a better perspective about life. Who wants to read a cranky post?

Altho I feed the Rain Maker often, he's a quick-growing teen—all angles and joints.

While Gerald, Uncle Pete and the Gishboyz shoot-positioned and thinned the Viognier, the Rain Maker and I set out to inject water to the replanted Barbera. While the 3-year Barbera vines are thriving, the first year replacements do not have a sufficient root system to bear the intense Southern Maryland summer. We hadn’t much rain in May (according to Uncle Pete, a little over 2″) and no rain for the past two weeks with record breaking temperatures, last week. The vines were looking a bit peaked. Everyone and thing in the vineyard looked peaked. We all wished mightily for rain, scanning the sky for clouds. The afternoon clouds were high racers and looked like they had no intent to stop for a shower. The first year Barbera vines would have their water.

We loaded BigRed up with the portable water tank, 150 feet of water hose and Dad’s mother of necessity invention: the mobile pump and generator.

The Rain Maker and I rode out to the Barbera block and set immediately to work. Remember way back in 2006, when I discussed how Ger and Uncle Pete used a T-shaped water tool to supply water directly to a vine’s roots? The Rain Maker was no more than a pup, back then! Five years later, Rain Maker attached the T-shaped water tool to the 150′ of water hose and trudged out to the rows.

First year vine after first year vine, the Rain Maker made sure each of them received a good dose of water directly applied to the roots. This method is better than surface watering, which promotes weed growth. We are also lucky to have such porous sand and clay soil—it makes it much easier to break the ground with the water wand. The Rain Maker was diligent in hitting all the first year vines, while the third year vines looked on, longingly, at the good drinks the first year vines were receiving.

As any one who works the land can attest, there is nothing like watering anything in order to make big clouds in the sky well up and ask, “why are you doing that?”

The Rain Maker asked, “should I stop?” “No, keep going,” I said. “I’ll watch the sky for you.” I was a longshore woman of the watering hose. With arm over arm motion, I would pull the hose back from the row so the Rain Maker could more efficiently move between vineyard rows. I would then move BigRed a couple of rows ahead, get out and set the hose right for the Rain Maker to keep working. “I hear thunder,” the Rain Maker said, nervously. “Keep going, I’m watching for you. You have plenty of time,” I said. “I bet you can finish the last two rows.” I kept a good eye out for the pacing of the advancing, threatening clouds—all distant thunder rumble and no lightening. At last, I could smell the rain—is there ever a more beautiful aroma? The tower was still as sharp and visible as before, so I knew we had time.

The Rain Maker finished the last two rows and ran up with the T-shape water tool as I was looping the hose around the pumps. “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast,” I reminded him, glancing back at the growling grey sky. I calculated we had just enough time to get back to the shed and unload the bed of the truck before the sky unloaded upon us.

The RainMaker disentangled his wild throws into the bed of the truck and we carefully finished looping the hose. Then we tore into the cab of BigRed and threaded our way through the vineyard blocks. Halfway, Uncle Pete, Gerald and Boy2 met us in Uncle Pete’s truck. Ger was worried when he couldn’t pick me up on the cell phone. We righted the trucks, tore up to the shed, unloaded (this time, Ger admonished me, “don’t rush!”) the bed of Big Red and tore back up to the little white farm haus. We slid under the porch and the sky tore open with rain. We all laughed, congratulated the Rain Maker for getting the critical North side of the Barbera block watered and sending a strong enough signal for the sky to rain. Then we watched the clouds swirl and roil and we sobered up a bit—but the sky was the wrong color and the clouds, while menacing, were moving fast. A consultation to Twitter and The Weather Channel app showed we were on the outside edge of a severe thunderstorm that hit the southern part of St. Mary’s County, downing trees and power lines.

We did get rain for a half hour, but then the skies cleared again—leaving our vineyard rain appetite still not abated. With a chance at rain this afternoon at 60%, we are hoping the clouds are still a attracted by the efforts of our Rain Maker.