Birds of prey pest control

Falconry Services specialise in using birds of prey to deter roosting, nesting, feeding or colonies of pigeons, seagulls and other nuisance birds. The birds we fly are captive bred in the UK; they each have current and relevant DEFRA paperwork to abide by current UK laws. We tend to use two types of bird:

• The Harris Hawk, native to South America, is designed to fly in the close country, adapting well to build up factory units. However, they are very sociable birds living in family packs in the wild, and this friendly nature transfers to captivity.
• The Saker Falcons, native to Russia and Central Europe, are more prominent than our native peregrine. They are hand-reared from a few days old, we only use hand-reared and not parent reared birds, as from a few days old we have them on sites that they may be working when they are older, by having the baby birds on sites where there is heavy plant working and public they are entirely relaxed and happy in the working site environment.

All birds of prey owned by Falconry Services are fitted with highly accurate GPS tracking equipment. We attach the device to the bird’s leg using a strap to record their flights and allow us to report each visit using our advanced paperless reporting. Thus, allowing us to keep an eye on the welfare of the birds of prey and disclose to you the progress made.

Birds of prey are used as a bird control method; they do not catch nuisance birds. For Falconry Bird Control to be effective, the birds have to be flown regularly over the site, which installs into the pest bird that this is a falcons territory, therefore not a safe place to roost and colonise. This practice tends to be used in areas that are very much in front of the public to ease the public’s concerns, where bird proofing may not work or be suitable, i.e. Listed buildings, Stadiums, City centres or because a gull licence is needed.

All our Pest control technicians are thoroughly trained and experienced falconers, with extensive knowledge and understanding of pest birds, therefore having a maximum impact when clearing a site.