Montoliva Vineyards & Winery

Not only do we have a vineyard, which is home to a variety of birds, we also have a diversity of habitats in and around Montoliva. We have open fields, freshwater streams and ponds, brambles of blackberry bushes, thickets of woody shrubs, mixed deciduous/conifer forest, plus two palm trees we planted by our family swimming pool. The palm trees are of particular interest to Hooded Orioles. Here at Montoliva, we are delighted to host the first documented nesting pair of Hooded Orioles in Nevada County. We are hopeful they will return again this spring!

The vineyard is home to a myriad of birds, including American Crows, American Robins, California Quail, California Towhees, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Mourning Doves, White-Crowned Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, Western Bluebirds, Western Scrub-Jays and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Surrounding the vineyard on any given day, you are guaranteed to see Red-winged Blackbirds, Brewer’s Blackbirds, Anna’s Hummingbirds, Dark- eyed Juncos, Stellar’s Jays, House Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, American Goldfinches and Turkey Vultures. Sit down at the picnic tables out back with a glass of wine for a spell and keep an eye on the sky for a Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, a Great Blue Heron and on really rare occasions, an osprey traveling from Rollins Lake to Lake Combie. Spring and summer visitors include Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Calliope Hummingbirds, Rufous Hummingbirds, Bullock’s Orioles, Hooded Orioles, Black-headed Grosbeaks and Evening Grosbeaks. For more details, check out our listing as a birding hotspot on ebird.com .

Julianne is one of the top birders in the county and is actively involved with the local Audubon Society. In 2015 we started a bluebird box program in the vineyards. Back in the day when orcharding was more prominent Chicago Park was home to a thriving bluebird population. We endeavor to bring them back to prominence. Fortunately bluebirds are insect eaters…they don’t bother the vineyard fruit.

Acorn Woodpecker

From the winery deck, I spotted an Acorn Woodpecker.  I grabbed my camera and headed to the bottom of the vineyard to get a closer view and found this handsome Golden Crowned Sparrow, watching me photograph the Acorn Woodpecker shown below.

Nutall's Woodpeckers

Nutall’s Woodpeckers, such as this one, aren’t as common a sighting as the Acorn Woodpeckers, but we do occasionally see Nutall’s and Downy Woodpeckers, as well as Northern Flickers.

Stellar's Jays

Stellar’s Jays queueing up for their turn at the peanut feeder at the front yard bird feeding station.  They swoop in for a peanut in the shell and fly away to cache it in their nearby pantry.

Different Species Co-Mingling

A nice trio of species: top to bottom, Spotted Towhee, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco.  These little cuties like the millet kicked out of the feeders above by the house finches.

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Join the Chicago Park Wine Society

The Chicago Park Wine Society is a special release club, offering exclusive opportunities to sample and purchase pre-release and limited release wines.

Club Members also receive a 20% discount on all of our other wines – this means you are paying $13.50 for our multiple-award-winning Sierra Bella!

Your commitment is 2 bottles each of two different wines, four times a year. Join the club and enjoy wines nobody else makes, or can obtain.

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