If you’re looking for a natural and humane way to remove birds, hawking is a great solution.
It involves using specially trained birds of prey, such as hawks, to deter gulls, pigeons and other pest birds. This is done in a way which will not cause any harm to the birds or the environment.
Please note that all wild bird species are protected by law in the UK. This means that you shouldn’t try to kill or remove nuisance birds yourself. Always call a professional pest control company such as Prokill, who will be able to deal with the issue safely, effectively and importantly, legally.
How does hawking work?
If you have an infestation of pigeons in your garden or around your office for example, we simply introduce a hawk to the environment. Being a bird of prey, the pigeons certainly won’t want to hang around for long. The environment instantly becomes a risk to the pigeons and their young, and they therefore move to a safer location.
Our specially trained bird handlers establish the number of flights required each week depending on the pest bird. Each species is different which means that different approaches are required to successfully deter pigeons versus seagulls for example.
We also vary the times that the hawks are flown over the affected site so that the pest birds don’t become accustomed to the timings and come back when they know it’s not there. We also monitor whether hawk flying times need to be increased or decreased, depending on whether or not infestation levels are going down.
Do hawks attack other birds?
The hawks we use are specially trained to be a deterrent only. They won’t ever attack nuisance birds, making it a very safe and humane way of removing pests from your premises.
Will the birds come back when the hawk is gone?
By placing a hawk in their environment, pest birds won’t be able to access their usual food source. Eventually, they’re going to have to change their behaviour and find another source. By the time the hawk has been removed, the birds will have gone elsewhere for food and are unlikely to return.
Is hawking the right solution for me?
There are a number of situations where traditional bird-proofing isn’t a viable option. For example, a building may be listed or it could be too big for proofing to be practical.
Prokill offers a free, no obligation pest control survey where we will be able to determine if hawking is the best solution for you. Generally however, we recommend it for:
• Clearing large sites suffering with nuisance bird populations
• Areas where proofing methods aren’t possible – such as shopping centres, flats and in busy city centres
• Clearing birds away from a site prior to installing bird proofing
• Deterring birds to nest in alternative locations
If you need help removing pest birds from your home or business premises, get in touch with Prokill and our expert team will be happy to help.
Leave a Reply