RULING THE SKIES OVER DORSET
The Ancient art of hunting, Falconry is a natural method of bird control; it is a versatile, visual bird deterrent and can be used at almost every property and business, it is an especially effective solution in public areas. Our birds of prey don’t catch or harm nuisance birds, but their predatory presence will disrupt the behaviour pattern of pest birds such as seagulls. When falconry takes place regularly it will install a fear of the area being falcon territory and will deter bothering birds from roosting and nesting in the area.
Our in-house falconer, Ryan works closely with our customers and their needs to put a plan in place regarding the number of flights required each week to achieve the best results for your business. This process is essential as each bird species requires different approaches to successfully disperse nuisance birds from the affected area. Urban Pest Control works alongside our customers to obtain the correct licence application from Natural England, the UK governments advisor, as Gulls are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is illegal for anyone to kill them or to damage and destroy active nests. These licences are site specific and will give Urban Pest Control the authority to manage bird control within a local area. Not only do we ensure we abide within the law, we also guarantee that the Urban Falconry team are compliant with all health and safety aspects such as gaining qualifications in rooftop safety and working at heights.
Ryan also ensures the safety of the birds of prey; he continuously observes their behaviours and uses a GPS tracking equipment attached to the bird’s leg to record their flights which monitor the bird’s welfare. The GPS also allows Ryan to log individual performances in 3D and ensure the whole site is covered by the bird.
Ryan can only achieve effective falconry due to his patience and dedication to the training of his bird team and of course the support he receives from his family members as they are often encouraged to get involved too. The bond between trainer and bird is paramount, Ryan achieves this by establishing trust with food rewards. Training specific commands and recalls requires lots of practice using lures and more rewards but observation is key to training, Ryan uses his knowledge and trained eye to understand the behaviours of each of his birds and their unique hunting styles and flight patterns, along with their natural wild instincts provides a successful falconry team.
MEET THE FALCONRY TEAM
Ryan: Ryan has always been passionate about the countryside, conservation and biodiversity, he has been a falconer for 12 years. Ryan started hunting with the birds whilst in another trade however he wanted to spend more time doing the things he enjoyed especially flying the birds and decided to make a career out of it. “I enjoy flying the birds with the family to keep them fit and in good condition” Ryan is always happy to answer any questions about his birds of prey and the work he does, so if you see him and the team when he’s visiting sites, feel free to speak to him when it is safe to do so of course, and the birds are safely hooded.
Hope: Hope is a Harris Hawk she is now 3 years old; Harris Hawks are often referred to as the “wolf of the sky” however she is more a labrador of the sky, in fact people have often commented she is better trained than their dogs! Hope is the “bread and butter” bird, she seems to just understand what is required from her. Ryan normally flies Hope in built up areas where larger falcons would find it hard to fly. Due to her steady rooftop hopping approach she is Ryan’s go to bird for smaller industrial and residential contracts.
Betty: Black Betty aka Betty is flown on our larger more open sites, where gulls can quickly build and attempt to threaten smaller birds. Betty takes great pleasure in pulling off a different array of aerial attacks, keeping gulls fearful of her next move.
Maverick: Maverick is a Lanner Falcon, Due to his small size he is used on sites where non-target species like ducks or chickens, may be available to an over confident larger hawk or falcon. Maverick is very buoyant, his flight style shows great acrobatic ability, which is how he got his name, referencing the film Top Gun.
Ace: Ace is the newest member of the falconry team; he’s still learning but has already shown great potential. Ace is an all-rounder falcon, he can be flown in most scenarios, after being pushed up into the sky by Hope the Harris Hawk. Ace has also been selected as Ryan’s son’s favourite bird out of the team, he would like to fly Ace himself as his main falcon, once Gull season has finished. They have definitely formed a strong bond, as Ryan’s son also named Ace.
Matt: Matt is one of the directors of Urban Pest Control, he started the business in 2013 and has had the pleasure of watching it grow offering more services to our customers such as Falconry Pest Control, Matt offers a Drone inspection service at the premises to identify the problem areas as well as gathering evidence to support customers applications for their Natural England license. Matt also works closely with Ryan to implement other bird proofing measures that would benefit the customers needs such as bird netting and anti-perching bird spikes.
Kelly: Kelly is also a managing director of Urban Pest Control; she works behind the scenes scheduling flight visits with Ryan and communicating these with the customer. Kelly is also the driving force behind the Natural England licence Applications by ensuring they are filled in correctly for the job in hand.
Falconry is an interesting method of bird control and has been proven to be most effective when carried out by a trained, professional falconer, with an efficient falconry program in place. Not only does it reduce the noise level from pest birds, but it also has other benefits for your business such as reducing the debris from nesting birds and the unpleasant sight of guano which may contain diseases such as Ornithosis, E-Coli and Salmonella but can also be a slip and trip hazard.
To find out more about how our falconry services in Dorset can be valuable for your premises, or to discover our other bird control methods please do not hesitate to contact the team at info@urbanpestcontrol.co.uk or call 01202 245755.
