Birds that consume ripening fruit can be a significant problem for grapes. The only foolproof way to keep birds from feeding on grapes is exclusion. Excluding birds from the vineyard entails the use of bird netting. The netting must be placed completely over the vine and pinned to the ground or tied to the trunk and should be done at or very near veraison. Hanging aluminum pie pans that blow in the breeze, stretching Mylar reflective tape over the tops of plants, placing rubber snakes and owls on or above the plants, using bird scare balloons with large eyes on their sides, and several other techniques prevent bird damage to some extent. The devices are more effective when employed before the bird problem develops and if they are moved and repositioned frequently; however, birds eventually become accustomed to the scare devices. For more information, see Late Season Bird and Deer Control in Vineyards.

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