Hawkeye in the News

Why you should you be concerned about RABIES in RACCOONS

Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control Inc. cares about your family’s welfare.  We service Hamilton, Burlington, the Golden Horseshoe and surrounding areas for bird, animal and wildlife control.  We will make sure your residence, business, industrial or commercial property is wildlife proofed.

Recently quoted in the Hamilton Spectator, Dan Frankian of Hawkeye Bird and Animal Control said: "We are going to make the pre-exposure vaccine compulsory for all staff; the last thing we want is for my staff to be affected."

The number of documented cases of raccoons having rabies in the Greater Hamilton area of Ontario has grown to 60 and counting since December 2015. Twenty-Four skunks have also been identified in this area along with two fox in Perth County.  This is not only a threat to the raccoon population but has a large impact on people, homes and businesses. 

Why the city should start killing raccoons (kindly, of course)

Raccoons are everywhere, and at all times of the day. They’re a menace to private property and public health. It’s time we stopped pretending the city is a wildlife preserve
BY PHILIP PREVILLE | ILLUSTRATION BY BYRON EGGENSCHWILER | Original Article »

COURTNEY SHEA
Special to The Globe and Mail | Original article »

Raccoons have been hot news lately, following animal-cruelty charges against a Toronto man who allegedly took pest control into his own hands, attacking baby raccoons with a shovel. Extreme measures to be sure, though anyone fighting a critter invasion can relate to the frustration. Here, we offer some less aggressive (and entirely legal) solutions for getting rid of the garbage-eating invaders in your life.

Learn about preventative raccoon control and how Hawkeye can help protect your property »

What to do if a raccoon encounter is unavoidable »

Waterloo Region Record

One of Hawkeyes bird control technicians was featured in the Odd Jobs Series, an occasional feature in The Record, written by Greg Mercer.  It features local people that have unique and interesting jobs.  Hawkeyes bird control technician is a falconer.

Quote:

This story starts an Odd Jobs series, an occasional feature in The Record on local people with interesting and unusual jobs. Today's profile is of Julia Staines, a bird control technician for Hawkeye Bird and Pest Control who works at the Region of Waterloo landfill.

WATERLOO — Julia and Honey are riding in a black Toyota Tundra pickup, their eyes scanning the skyline.

It's late morning at the Region of Waterloo landfill on Erb Street in Waterloo, and a biting November wind is whipping up litter and a faint whiff of rotting garbage. But Julia and Honey don't mind the cold, or the steady stream of trucks rumbling by.

They're here to work.

The driver, Julia Staines, is a 32-year-old bird control technician. Her partner, Honey, is a four-year-old Harris hawk, a trained bird of prey used by the regional landfill to control bird populations.

About three days a week, the pair patrols the local garbage dump, working eight-hour shifts to chase away the hundreds of gulls and crows attracted by the veritable feast thrown in the trash by Waterloo Region's residents.

Staines works with a whistle, starter pistol, leather falconry glove and a bag full of quail meat. Honey works with her talons, sharp eyes and a natural ability to hunt.

Although Honey can easily catch and kill gulls or crows, she doesn't always have to — just having her around is enough to scare the birds away. Even the sight of her owner's black pickup truck is enough to convince the gulls to leave.