Average harvest lost to birds per vineyard block
lost on the worst-hit blocks, even with bird control in place
estimated yearly bird damage to Australian wine grapes
drone flight cleared birds from an 8 ha vineyard in Australian trials
Most Australian vineyards use netting, gas guns, distress-call speakers or lasers. Netting protects best but costs roughly $10,000–$15,000 per hectare and takes a lot of labour, and birds get used to scare devices. An autonomous drone like DroneMate patrols the vines at dawn and dusk with predator calls, so birds leave before they feed.
— The problem
One peck splits a berry, so rot spreads through the whole bunch. On top of that, you pay again for nets, gas and labour that only half work.
$10–15k a hectare, plus labour to put out, fix and pull in every season.
Councils limit them, and besides, birds soon learn the bang is harmless.
Tape, kites and speakers never move, so birds get used to them within days.
Driving the rows at 6am and 6pm, every day through vintage.
— Your numbers
Move the sliders to match your vineyard. Most growers are surprised by the answer.
Drag the sliders or type your own numbers.
Varies widely by region and variety. Use your own contract price.
15% is the average block loss found in NSW vineyard research.
Estimate only, based on your inputs. Break-even uses the top of the DroneMate price range ($25,500 ex GST) against one vintage's crop value. Actual results depend on bird pressure, species and site.
— The solution
DroneMate is an autonomous bird deterrent drone made by Skytronics in Brookvale, NSW.
To a bird it looks and sounds like a hawk hunting overhead, and birds’ instinct is to leave.
We set up the dock and draw your patrol zones in the DroneMate portal.
It launches by itself during the 6–10am and 4–7pm feeding windows and plays eagle, hawk and falcon calls.
It lands back in its dock, tops up, and is ready for the next patrol. Every flight is logged.
— What you get
Fewer pecked berries means less rot and fewer loads marked down.
No more dawn and dusk patrols. Your crew stays on picking and spraying.
No gas guns booming all day. Short calls over your own blocks, and no camera.
Flies over hills, canopy and odd-shaped blocks where nets and lasers can't reach.
No birds harmed and no nets to tangle wildlife. A better story for your cellar door.
Built in NSW, with help on set-up and CASA requirements, just a phone call away.
— Proven in Australian vineyards
University of Sydney researchers trialled a bird-deterrent drone in vineyards around Young, the Hilltops, the Hunter Valley and Orange (2018–2019). They reported protection comparable to bird netting.
Average flight to clear pest birds from an 8-hectare vineyard
Before bird flocks returned after a flight
Protection level compared with bird netting across
the trial vineyards
Independent university research using a research drone, not DroneMate. It shows the approach DroneMate is built on works.
— FAQs
Australian vineyards keep birds away with netting, gas guns, distress-call speakers, lasers and, increasingly, autonomous drones. Netting gives the strongest protection; however, it is expensive and labour-heavy, while birds soon get used to fixed scare devices. DroneMate by Skytronics is an autonomous drone that patrols the vines at dawn and dusk, playing predator calls so birds leave before they feed.
DroneMate by Skytronics is an autonomous, non-lethal bird deterrent drone designed, built and supported in Australia by Skytronics, based in Brookvale, NSW. It launches from a self-docking base station on a schedule, patrols vineyard blocks within a 1,500 m radius playing eagle, hawk and falcon calls, then returns to its dock to recharge. As a result, routine patrols need no pilot on site.
DroneMate by Skytronics works in three steps. First, Skytronics maps your blocks and sets patrol zones in the DroneMate web portal. The drone then launches automatically during the dawn and dusk feeding windows and flies over the rows playing predator calls. Finally, it returns to its dock, tops up in about 5 minutes and is ready for the next patrol, with every flight logged.
The main grape-damaging birds in Australia are silvereyes, common starlings, sulphur-crested cockatoos and corellas, ravens and crows, rosellas, lorikeets, blackbirds and honeyeaters such as noisy friarbirds and red wattlebirds. For example, starlings were the most abundant pest bird in a NSW vineyard study. DroneMate by Skytronics is used to deter common vineyard pest birds including starlings, cockatoos, corellas, parrots and ravens.
Birds attack grapes from veraison, when berries soften, colour and sweeten, through to harvest. In most Australian regions that is roughly January to April. University of Sydney vineyard trials found pest birds fed mainly between 6 and 10am and between 4 and 7pm, which is why DroneMate by Skytronics is scheduled to patrol during those windows.
A NSW Agriculture study of vineyards in the Orange region found the average block lost 15% of its harvest to birds, with some blocks losing up to 83%. Nationally, bird damage to Australian wine grapes has also been estimated at around $200 million a year. The Skytronics bird loss calculator lets growers estimate what birds cost their own vineyard each vintage.
Not always. Well-installed netting gives the highest protection. However, drape netting costs roughly $10,000 to $15,000 per hectare and must be put out and removed every season, and research found it only pays for itself where bird damage is consistently above 10%. DroneMate by Skytronics suits vineyards where netting does not pay back, large or hilly blocks, and growers short on labour. Some growers use both.
Birds get used to things that are predictable and never become a real threat, which is why fixed gas guns and scarecrows lose effect. By contrast, DroneMate by Skytronics moves through the air over the vines and plays predator calls during short patrols along its route, which is much harder for birds to ignore than a fixed device.
One DroneMate by Skytronics system patrols within a 1,500 metre radius of its docking station. However, larger properties, or vineyards with blocks spread across separate sites, may need additional units. Skytronics plans the dock location and patrol zones for each vineyard's layout before installation.
A standard DroneMate by Skytronics system typically costs between $17,500 and $25,500 AUD excluding GST. In other words, it is a one-off system price covering the patrol area around its dock, rather than a cost per hectare like netting. DroneMate is sold and supported directly by Skytronics across Australia: call +61 2 8078 2271 or email sales@skytronics.com.au for a quote.
It depends on how the drone is operated. Commercial drone operations in Australia generally need a Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) and a CASA operator's certificate (ReOC) unless they fall under an exclusion, and automated flights may need additional CASA approvals. For this reason, Skytronics guides every DroneMate customer through the CASA requirements as part of onboarding.
Yes. DroneMate by Skytronics is non-lethal: it relies only on flight movement and recorded eagle, hawk and falcon calls, with no contact with birds and no nets for wildlife to become tangled in. In addition, the DroneMate bird deterrent drone (model ST-001) has no camera or imaging sensor of any kind, and it only plays calls during short patrols over your own blocks.
Updated 30 September 2026 · Still have a question? Ask Skytronics
Related: DroneMate bird deterrent drone · Bird netting alternatives · ROI calculator · BVLOS rules
Skytronics makes DroneMate — Australia’s autonomous bird deterrent drone protecting farms, vineyards, orchards andgrain storage from bird damage. Based in Brookvale NSW 2100.
Skytronics is a trusted supplier of high-performance aerospace and electronics components, specialising in UAV systems, avionics, RTK modules, and industrial IoT solutions. We focus on reliability, precision engineering, and non-Chinese supply alternatives for global customers.
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