The Falcon v. the Starlings in the Vineyards of California

StarlingWhat would you guess would be the arch-nemesis of the California wine-growers and their grapes? Would you guess droughts, floods, fires, or the innocent little starling birds?  If you chose the starling as your final answer, you are absolutely correct. The starlings are known as gluttonous fans of the grapes and can reportedly eat their way through the fields in record time.

How do you fight a small bird with a bad reputation? Of course, with a larger, tougher bird known for kicking ass of smaller prey. In California, some vineyard owners are turning to falconry not to send messages as in the Falcon and the Snowman, but to  ward off the "evil" starlings and preserve their crops. According to this NPR article, the amazing falcon eyes can "spot starlings from a half mile away" and travel at speeds up to 150 miles an hour. One falcon, a man, and a dog can patrol a whole vineyard no problem.

You might not be able to try this at home because the art of Falconry, which is the use of falcons for hunting smaller prey is not easy to learn. In order to become a master falconer, a year-apprenticeship and a grand total of five years training are necessary. While seemingly simple, the falconer needs to train under a master and have certain equipment on hand. Not only does a falconer need the equipment and the training, he or she must pass a state exam that can sometimes consist of more than 1,000 questions. For more information on the art of falconry, check out this site.

What's interesting to me about the falconry permit process is that it is considerably easier to get a permit for a gun than a permit to hunt using a falcon. You would think it would be the other way around, but of course, we live in a country with a right to bear arms and as far as I know, the constitution says nothing about a right to use "birds of prey".

Other methods attempted by the vineyard owners to fight the starlings have been less than effective, possibly proving once and for all that a bird of prey kicks ass over a gun any day. And, while I am typically a fan of all birds, I am also a lover of the vino, which presents me with a dilemma in this particular case.