NORTHPORT, MI - When you think of all the tasks that are sandwiched into the day of a winery manager, getting a “Loud Box Alert” from your small-town post office probably wasn’t on your vineyard Bingo card. But that’s exactly what popped up on Sarah Peschel’s phone a couple times this spring - and for the most adorable reason.

Peschel, general manger of Dune Bird Winery near Northport, added livestock wrangler to her resume this year with the arrival of 45 Indian Runner Ducks. These flightless birds are tall and elegant. They flock tightly together and instead of waddling, they sprint as a well-organized group. And under Peschel’s expert guidance, they zip into Dune Bird’s vineyard each day and get to work.

Their job: Using their hoover-like rounded bills to suck up slugs, Japanese bee

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