Let the battle begin

We are in verasion!



Usually I go around the vineyard with camera in hand on the 28-th of February to take photos. This enables me to compare the beginning of ripening time from year to year. This year we are EARLY. So early that the birds noticed the colouring berries before me :-(
But I've noticed the BIRDS :-)
We have an aboundant wild life...kangaroos, potoroos, bandicoots, echidnas, tassie devils, possums, snakes, spiders, lizards, frogs and every description of birds... All are welcome, the farm is big enough for us all, but some are more welcome than others :-))
Kangas peacefully graze with the cows. No problem here! One used to hop down to drink from the Plum Tree lake, causing excited tail twitching among the cats :-)
A potoroo visits the cats' bowl for tit-bits at night. Meeting it first time was a real surprise :-)) I see a "rat" confidently munching between 24 cat-legs...yes, we have more then 5 cats, these belonged to 5 of them...sometime pushing a catface out of the way. THIS was the surprise. Rats are usually in deceased form around the house, neatly deposited gifts on the door step for our inspection :-)) A closer look at "rat" revealed a triangular face, rounded ears...a fury tail bounding off in a not-rat-like fashion..."We have potoroos!!!!" - I ran in to tell Paul the news.
Bandicoots leave their trademark bore-holes,
echidnas amble under the trees,
devils serenade into the night and
the possums occasionally helped with the pruning when they were not occupied collecting plums, apples or pears.
But the BIRDS......
....most busy themselves gathering bugs, worms, weed seeds...they are a workforce! NOT the starlings and the silver-eyes.
The resident starlings
pull their weight all year round until the first Baco Noir berry dare to dress into purple, signaling it's readiness to the Vintage Ball. THEN, they turn into feathered MONSTERS! Gathering on the wires in great flocks, twittering their battle plans than swooping in agreed formation onto the vines TUGGING, PULLING, PECKING, KICKING and GOBBLING everything in sight.
Silver-eyes don't live here. They come alerted by -God knows what- ripe smells carried by the wind, stellar constellation, tilt of the Earth or secret starling calls. They attack differently. Flip-flap in-and-out between the leaves. Nervously jump, hop, skip... peck a mouthful out one berry... flip, jump, hop, skip... peck another mouthful from ANOTHER berry...

OUR battle plan is NETTING.

LET IT BEGIN!

We finished yesterday block 2 :-)))