(dramatic music)
- The average visitor in Napa doesn't look at vineyards
and think of barn owls.
They think of wine and wine-tasting,
but owls are really a part of this whole process.
Walking up to an owl box and hearing the babies hissing
is pretty scary sounding.
(owls hissing)
And then you just pull out this little fluffy owl.
They're gonna grow up to be rodent devouring machines.
(gentle upbeat music)
My name is Carrie Wendt; I'm a wildlife biologist.
I've spent the last couple years
driving around visiting hundreds of owl boxes
on 65 vineyards in Napa Valley
to better understand how barn owls
and vineyards can coexist.
Without owls, the rodent population would explode
and they would cause a lot more damage to vineyards.
Here's a couple of skulls I pulled out of the box.
This is proof that they're eating rodents.
Using barn owls to reduce rodent populations on vineyards
is the alternative way to kill rodents.
Grow up to be big and strong.
Eat lots of gophers.
The mainstream, conventional way of killing rodents
is to apply rodenticides.
Rodenticides are really harmful
so using owls is definitely the sustainable
eco-friendly way to reduce rodents.
(owl hissing)
You have to have a special permit to hand these bands
and to be able to band birds.
Each band is an individual number,
so it's an individual identification for that one bird
that won't ever be on a different bird.
My colleagues are currently using GPS tags
and motion-detecting cameras to paint a fuller picture
of how barn owls may provide
pest control services in vineyards.
We're banding them to see where they're nesting.
When we capture the adult birds to put GPS trackers on them,
we want them to stay as calm as possible,
so we put an adorable hat over their eyes.
You wanna put that on her?
We found this silly owl hat and we thought it was perfect.
There's so many opportunities for vineyard owners
to enhance wildlife habitat on their vineyards
that's mutually beneficial.
And I think providing barn owl nest boxes
on vineyards is a perfect example
of how that relationship can flourish.
(gentle upbeat music)