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"Your Local Agricultural Voice" - Published by the Port Perry Star September 12, 1995 B; StopheuLeahy. in t's a most as if Firds. could | 'birds. Now he hawks snd falcons pa- trol the blueberry patch, and scare the smallerbirdsaway. = Falconer Dirk Hoesterey flies five or six hawks and falcons ear- ly in the morning and around jusk. Since hawks and falcons are the natural predators of the blueberry-loving birds, they avoid the larger birds whenever the 'see them. hey also remember this is an area where their predators are,' says Hoesterey. For that reason, he needs to fly his hawks only two or three times a week. "Nothing we tried has been as ON PATROL: Falconer Dirk Hoestery uses Gypsy, a red-tail hawk, to chase berry-eating birds from Charles and Judy Stevens' Orono blueberry operation. The growers have tried a number of methods to chase away the pests in the past, but claim the birds of prey are the most effective they've come across so far. In addition, the big birds are an attraction for customers at the farm. Inside This Issue STEPHEN LEAHY/FARM AND RURAL LiFE Island farmer BM OACC expresses li Safety Ass'n keeping up alarm over issues warning with the times funding cuts on silo gases See Page 3 See Page 4 See Page 6