Bird Control Case Studies

Follow along on some of the more interesting or unusual job sites we encounter. Remember that when a conventional Bird Control method won't work or is not a viable option, Hawkeye Bird & Animal Control will come up with custom solutions that WILL get the job done. Guaranteed.

Spoiler Alert: The Red Tail Hawk nest and family are thriving!

Red Tail Hawk Nest atop crane Hawkey Bird & Animal Control was called to a building site in the Greater Toronto Area; A Red Tail Hawk nest with a baby (eyas) had been discovered atop a crane. Red Tail Hawks are notoriously fiercely protective and will aggressively defend their nest and offspring – so there was valid concern for the safety of the workers and the progress of the building project.

Observing the Red Tail Hawk Nest and Making a Plan

Representatives from both the crane company and the builder gathered on site along with Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control falconers and nest removal specialists. It was determined that the safest way to go about removing and relocating the nest would be to actually dismantle the crane, taking down the top end piece of it where the nest was located. Much caution was needed here to avoid Hawkeye staff and construction crew working on top of the jib getting turned into a piñata, impaled, or slashed by red tail mom and dad. It was further discovered that there was more than one pair of hawks at this site.

Category Title

Dismantling the Crane

Preparations went underway to begin the dismantling of the jib - the additional boom extension - from the main boom of the crane. The process involved disconnecting hydraulic lines, retracting the crane’s extensions and then removing the jib from the main boom.

Day One

Crane workers were supported by Hawkeye falconers while climbing along the boom to dismantle the lines. Work in this type of environment always requires extensive safety precautions; not only while removing the pressure from the hydraulic lines before disconnecting them but also while hauling specialized tools and safety gear and doing all this at dizzying heights.

The Hawkeye crew was there to protect the crane workers with pyrotechnics - noise makers to temporarily scare away the hawks. The red-tails seemed undisturbed by the activity and no pyrotechnics were necessary on the first day of the operation. All went according to plan.

Day Two

On day two, the removal of the actual jib commenced. One of the crane workers climbed on top of the jib to the upper platform (closer to the nest) to remove the pins and cable. The female red-tailed hawk, who had left the area of the nest, dove at the worker and required Hawkey specialists to spring into action and deploy pyrotechnics to keep the hawk away from the worker on top of the jib. Pyrotechnics were consistently needed thereafter to keep the hawks at a safe distance. Great care was taken to not fire at or near the nest and traumatize the eyas in the nest.

Moving the Red Tail Hawk Baby and the Nest

The hawks circled the area and kept a watchful eye on their nest. Once the jib was down, Hawkeye was able to remove the eyas from the nest and take it to a nearby roof top (with previous permission from the owners of that roof). The nest was then also removed from the jib and moved by wheel barrel to the roof top. Last, but not least, the eyas was returned to the relocated nest.

Category Title

Pigeons, though seemingly innocuous, can wreak havoc on dairy farms if left unchecked.

While traditional bird control methods like scare tactics and repellents may appear to offer quick fixes, they often fall short in providing long-term solutions to the pigeon problem.

Scare tactics, such as loud noises or predator decoys, may initially deter pigeons from roosting in certain areas of the farm. However, these methods typically provide only temporary relief. Pigeons are highly adaptable creatures and can quickly become accustomed to these deterrents, returning once they perceive the threat has passed.

Many commercially available pigeon repellents claim to keep birds at bay with chemical formulations or ultrasonic devices. Unfortunately, these products often fail to deliver the desired results. Pigeons may simply relocate to another area of the farm or develop a tolerance to the repellent over time, rendering it ineffective.

Hawkeye Removing Pigeons from Dairy Farm

Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control recently completed a job clearing several hundred pigeons from a large and active dairy farm with about 10,000 cows, several barns including one with expectant mothers, and milking stations. The barns are very well kept and clean, except for the pigeon poop on the walls and walkways. The farm was estimated to have hosted about 3,000 pigeons in total.

Category Title

The owner of the farm was worried about Avian influenza and with the recent American milk producers in the news for finding inactive avian influenza in milk on store shelves, it is a real concern. As of this writing: According to Health Canada, Avian Influenza has not been detected in dairy cattle or other livestock in Canada. The situation is being closely monitored and Avian Influenza is NOT a food safety concern at present . The risk of transmission to humans remains very low.

Disease Sources

Bird feces and feathers are a major source of disease and pigeons, gulls and starlings top the list of birds carrying the most diseases. Bird feces, especially when dried, can be transmitted to other animals and to humans. Dry feces easily becomes airborne and is breathed in by another mammal or bird in the vicinity. Bird droppings can carry bacterial, fungal or viral infectious agents, including:

Psittacosis
Histoplasmosis
Salmonellosis
Cryptococcosis
Avian Influenza
West Nile Virus

A few weeks ago, Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control successfully relocated a pair of nesting ospreys from a tall communication tower in southwestern Ontario, where an osprey nest on a cell tower presented challenges.

The tower, a key structure for emergency and 911 services, reached a height of approximately 150 meters (490 feet). The project timeline allowed for 4 days to safely remove the ospreys and address essential repairs and maintenance on the tower.

To ensure the smooth execution of this project, Hawkeye met several stringent requirements, including possessing all necessary certifications, qualifications, and permits:

Commercial Falconry License
Rehabilitation License
PAL License
Special MNRF permit from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry specifically for Osprey nesting on towers
Technical qualifications for navigating and working on large communication towers and Trilon rail mounting, in accordance with Occupational Health and Safety Ontario and Health and Safety Canada standard.

Additionally, a Veterinarian was on standby in case their expertise was required during the operation. The Chief of Police for the area was duly informed about the use of pyrotechnics for bird deterrence in the vicinity.

Our team also held certifications as Certified Wildlife Control Professional, Shooting in Sensitive Environments, and were licensed to operate drones for effective wildlife management.

Observing the Osprey Nest on the Tower

Upon arriving at the tower, the crew that was contracted to do the repairs on the tower were already in attendance. The first order of business was to fly the drone with a camera to get a good look at what we were dealing with. We were able to see that nest construction was complete. Even though there were anti - nesting devices on the tower, the wire pyramids that were used proved very much ineffective. Osprey make their nests by dropping nesting material from above onto a “platform” - a flat space big enough for a large nest. Osprey do not place the nesting materials as most other birds do and the wire pyramids actually made for an easier job of nest building for the osprey and allowed the twigs and grasses to fall into the most favourable spots.

Category Title

Bird Control Menu

Bird Control Info