Hawking - Birds of Prey

All wild bird species (including their nests and eggs) are protected by law in Ireland. If nuisance birds are causing problems for your business, there are effective solutions to deal with them legally, but you will need the knowledge, experience, advice and guidance of professionally qualified avian specialists for a long-term resolution to your bird issue.

Hawking - is an entirely natural solution to deter pest birds. Using specially trained birds of prey - such as Harris Hawks - we can deter gulls and other pest birds without harm.

When used in conjunction our RIBS, it maximises the effectiveness of the birds of prey.

When gulls and pigeons regularly see birds of prey in a specific location it convinces them that the raptor is resident in that area, and will attack them (and their young) if they attempt to nest in that location. This then makes the site far less attractive as a nesting or feeding location, and the birds will choose to find a safer place to nest elsewhere.

Our Bird of Prey Programme will involve a number of visits from the Bird Handler and Bird of Prey to the affected site throughout the year. The Bird Handler will establish the number of flights required each week dependant on the type of bird that requires deterring, as different approaches are required to successfully deter various bird species.

When carrying out the Bird of Prey Programme the Handler will vary the times that the Raptors are flown over the affected site, so that the species of bird being deterred does not become accustomed to the presence of the Bird of Prey.

The Rentokil Bird Handler will use their experience and expertise to identify the most appropriate vantage points from which to fly the Raptors, to achieve the best results. As the Birds of Prey fly over the affected area, this will cause the nuisance birds to be disturbed and rise into the sky, assuming the Raptor is threatening the colony. However, at no point will the Bird of Prey attack the nuisance birds they are trained to be a deterrent only.

The Bird Handler will constantly monitor the bird infestation levels of the site and will increase or decrease the flying time of the Birds of Prey as appropriate to offer the most cost effective treatment.

On sites with a large or well established 'resident' bird population it may take three to five years of treatment to ensure the nesting bird population has been significantly disturbed.

As a last resprt and if permitted by legislation an egg and Nest removal Programme could be undertaken. This will entail a number of visits throughout the duration of the nuisance birds breeding season. During visits all accessible eggs, nests and related materials will be treated with a biocide and removed for safe disposal. This prevents adult birds raising their young on site, reducing the flock size. If the birds cannot breed successfully on the site, this makes the location unappealing and encourages the flock to find an alternative nesting location. This is a 'long-term' treatment to reduce flock size and deter nuisance birds from nesting. For this solution to be successful it must be carried out over a three to five year period. If stopped too early the birds will return to the site and continue to breed.

A long term record can be logged of the eggs and nests removal treatment via our myRentokil reporting platform, allowing you easy access to view records of activity remotely, wherever you are in the World.

Depending on the nuisance birds affecting your premises and the location of your site a combination of the above 'hawking', 'egg & nest removal' and 'bioacoustics' solutions may be necessary for the most effective long-term solution for bird control. Our Rentokil Bird Specialists will access and monitor your premises to ensure we offer you the most cost effective solutions to resolve any bird infestation issues.