Open-access content
Thursday 4th April 2013
he ancient practice of hawking is providing today's FMs with a cost-effective, humane and entirely natural method to deal with pest birds
8 April 2013
Large numbers of birds roosting can cause serious issues - their fouling is both unsightly and harmful to buildings and is also a health hazard: droppings can harbour diseases such as Salmonella and Ornithosis.
There are many solutions available to help deal with nuisance birds and prevent them from settling in urban areas, such as physical and visual deterrents, sonic and ultra-sonic devices. However, sometimes the most effective control methods are
the natural ones.
For many years, some of the more popular and humane methods of pest bird control
have been netting and spikes. Netting provides a versatile and discreet way to keep birds away from ledges, roof areas and other nesting spots. However, this requires fixings to be put in place, which can be inconvenient and potentially damaging for certain building types.
Bird-deterrent spikes are another option, which can be installed on any flat surface. Bird spikes are very effective in places such as air conditioning units, enabling them to remain free from potential bird droppings and nests. However, they can be unsightly, especially on older buildings or monuments, which are often favourite meeting spots for pest bird species. Netting and spikes are also not suitable for the protection of historic statues and larger areas.
Flock and awe
One of the more humane, and successful, nuisance bird control methods, which is also perfect for large areas and urban areas, is hawking. This is a highly effective alternative to more disruptive bird-scaring methods and has been used for many years. Hawking deters bird pests from any area with the mere presence of trained birds of prey, such as Harris Hawks. As these species are natural predators of pigeons and gulls, the regular presence of birds of prey reduces the number of nests on site and nuisance birds are encouraged to find different nesting areas.
Case study: Bournville College
In 2011, Bournville College in the West Midlands chose Rentokil to deploy Harris Hawks to treat a significant pest bird problem during the construction of its new campus. Feral pigeons and gulls were causing damage to the £66 million, state-of-the-art campus, as the college looked to manage its relocation to a new site.
It was important to limit defacement of the new building caused by the birds' nesting and roosting at this critical stage of the campus' construction. From the array of available nuisance bird control methods, Bournville College chose the natural solution of hawking, to deter pigeons from roosting on the site.
The specialist bird team deployed two Harris Hawks, hand-reared and specially-trained to scare the nuisance birds rather than kill. They also removed eggs and nests from the affected areas, preventing adult birds from raising their young on-site. Reducing flock sizes in this way also meant that future flock breeding sizes are reduced. It can take a number of site visits to clear all roosting areas, but once the behaviour of the nuisance birds has been altered, it
can be controlled through a programme of routine visits with the birds of prey.
The number of birds of prey flown and the frequency of flights is dependent on the location, time of the year and population of the nuisance birds, but usually two or three birds are sufficient. The presence of the hawks alters the behaviour of the pigeons, gulls and other pest birds and, over the course of the treatment, the birds learn to avoid the area and nest elsewhere. If the pest birds return over time, then the regularity of hawking visits can be increased to manage this.
Conclusions
Hawking is the perfect solution to be used in large areas, such as industrial facilities, campuses, vineyards, farms and even cultural areas such as Trafalgar Square and the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, where hawking has been used since 1999. In Trafalgar Square, feral pigeon numbers have dropped from 4,000 to 140 and taxpayers are saved an annual £100,000 bill to remove bird droppings from the square and surrounding areas.
As well as leaving buildings free from nettings and spikes, birds of prey provide an environmentally friendly option, enhancing a business's green credentials.
Julie Birch, marketing manager, Rentokil Pest Control
Pigeons, gulls and other bird pests are a major problem for facilities managers across the UK.
Large numbers of birds roosting can cause serious issues - their fouling is both unsightly and harmful to buildings and is also a health hazard: droppings can harbour diseases such as Salmonella and Ornithosis.
There are many solutions available to help deal with nuisance birds and prevent them from settling in urban areas, such as physical and visual deterrents, sonic and ultra-sonic devices. However, sometimes the most effective control methods are
the natural ones.
For many years, some of the more popular and humane methods of pest bird control
have been netting and spikes. Netting provides a versatile and discreet way to keep birds away from ledges, roof areas and other nesting spots. However, this requires fixings to be put in place, which can be inconvenient and potentially damaging for certain building types.
Bird-deterrent spikes are another option, which can be installed on any flat surface. Bird spikes are very effective in places such as air conditioning units, enabling them to remain free from potential bird droppings and nests. However, they can be unsightly, especially on older buildings or monuments, which are often favourite meeting spots for pest bird species. Netting and spikes are also not suitable for the protection of historic statues and larger areas.
Flock and awe
One of the more humane, and successful, nuisance bird control methods, which is also perfect for large areas and urban areas, is hawking. This is a highly effective alternative to more disruptive bird-scaring methods and has been used for many years. Hawking deters bird pests from any area with the mere presence of trained birds of prey, such as Harris Hawks. As these species are natural predators of pigeons and gulls, the regular presence of birds of prey reduces the number of nests on site and nuisance birds are encouraged to find different nesting areas.
Case study: Bournville College
In 2011, Bournville College in the West Midlands chose Rentokil to deploy Harris Hawks to treat a significant pest bird problem during the construction of its new campus. Feral pigeons and gulls were causing damage to the £66 million, state-of-the-art campus, as the college looked to manage its relocation to a new site.
It was important to limit defacement of the new building caused by the birds' nesting and roosting at this critical stage of the campus' construction. From the array of available nuisance bird control methods, Bournville College chose the natural solution of hawking, to deter pigeons from roosting on the site.
The specialist bird team deployed two Harris Hawks, hand-reared and specially-trained to scare the nuisance birds rather than kill. They also removed eggs and nests from the affected areas, preventing adult birds from raising their young on-site. Reducing flock sizes in this way also meant that future flock breeding sizes are reduced. It can take a number of site visits to clear all roosting areas, but once the behaviour of the nuisance birds has been altered, it
can be controlled through a programme of routine visits with the birds of prey.
The number of birds of prey flown and the frequency of flights is dependent on the location, time of the year and population of the nuisance birds, but usually two or three birds are sufficient. The presence of the hawks alters the behaviour of the pigeons, gulls and other pest birds and, over the course of the treatment, the birds learn to avoid the area and nest elsewhere. If the pest birds return over time, then the regularity of hawking visits can be increased to manage this.
Conclusions
Hawking is the perfect solution to be used in large areas, such as industrial facilities, campuses, vineyards, farms and even cultural areas such as Trafalgar Square and the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, where hawking has been used since 1999. In Trafalgar Square, feral pigeon numbers have dropped from 4,000 to 140 and taxpayers are saved an annual £100,000 bill to remove bird droppings from the square and surrounding areas.
As well as leaving buildings free from nettings and spikes, birds of prey provide an environmentally friendly option, enhancing a business's green credentials.
Julie Birch, marketing manager, Rentokil Pest Control