Comments on: Olive harvest 2005 disappointing http://blog.limestonehills.co.nz/olive-harvest-2005-disappointing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=olive-harvest-2005-disappointing Truffles and stuff Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:59:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Gareth http://blog.limestonehills.co.nz/olive-harvest-2005-disappointing/comment-page-1/#comment-13 Gareth Mon, 04 Feb 2008 07:10:17 +0000 http://blog.limestonehills.co.nz/olive-harvest-2005-disappointing/#comment-13 Wind? We have wind. In spades. A Chinook-type thing called the nor'wester: gives many of my trees a most intemperate lean. I've got some <a href="http://blog.limestonehills.co.nz/under-a-northwest-sky/" rel="nofollow">pix </a>of that already transferred over from <a href="http://www.limestonehills.co.nz/Down%20On%20The%20Farm/index.html" rel="nofollow"> the old site</a>. One of the header pictures for <em>On The Farm</em> (there are five that rotate randomly) is a "norwest arch" - the characteristic wave cloud of the east coast of the South Island. Funnily enough I was looking at hawk kites at our local agricultural supplies store yesterday. It's the time to put nets on vineyards (ours is done already because of bird depredations in the pinot last year), and so out come all the fancy scaring devices. I have borrowed a few from my neighbour at Waipara West - my favourite's the rotating owl that clanks and flashes. But one of the best ways is to utilise our own hawks - we have lots of australasian harriers, buzzard-sized things, wheeling around - by shooting rabbits (no shortage of them either) and then pegging the corpses on fenceposts, belly up. Irresistible. The aforementioned neighbour constructs large bird tables on his fences... Wind? We have wind. In spades. A Chinook-type thing called the nor’wester: gives many of my trees a most intemperate lean. I’ve got some pix of that already transferred over from the old site. One of the header pictures for On The Farm (there are five that rotate randomly) is a “norwest arch” – the characteristic wave cloud of the east coast of the South Island.

Funnily enough I was looking at hawk kites at our local agricultural supplies store yesterday. It’s the time to put nets on vineyards (ours is done already because of bird depredations in the pinot last year), and so out come all the fancy scaring devices. I have borrowed a few from my neighbour at Waipara West – my favourite’s the rotating owl that clanks and flashes.

But one of the best ways is to utilise our own hawks – we have lots of australasian harriers, buzzard-sized things, wheeling around – by shooting rabbits (no shortage of them either) and then pegging the corpses on fenceposts, belly up. Irresistible. The aforementioned neighbour constructs large bird tables on his fences…

]]> By: Hank Roberts http://blog.limestonehills.co.nz/olive-harvest-2005-disappointing/comment-page-1/#comment-12 Hank Roberts Mon, 04 Feb 2008 06:17:11 +0000 http://blog.limestonehills.co.nz/olive-harvest-2005-disappointing/#comment-12 >bird-scaring Got enough wind for "hawk kite" use? A friend who grows chestnuts and hazelnuts in Minnesota swears by them. Big lightweight kite --- goes way up high, and from it dangles a fake raptor. Apparently quite convincing. He said after the birds and beasts that raid their trees started to get acclamated to the fake hawks, and so became careless, real hawks decided this was the place to go for an easy lunch. >bird-scaring
Got enough wind for “hawk kite” use? A friend who grows chestnuts and hazelnuts in Minnesota swears by them. Big lightweight kite — goes way up high, and from it dangles a fake raptor.
Apparently quite convincing.

He said after the birds and beasts that raid their trees started to get acclamated to the fake hawks, and so became careless, real hawks decided this was the place to go for an easy lunch.

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