How Do I Know If A Falconry Bird Control Company Is Any Good?

In any industry, standards vary hugely, and falconry bird control is no exception. Do a quick Google search and you’ll see a fair amount of companies who offer it as a service, but how do you know if they are any good?
Step 1: Know what bad falconry bird control looks like
To know whether a falconry bird control company is any good, you’ve first got to understand what bad falconry bird control looks like. It might look like:
• Someone who enjoys falconry as a hobby and seeing its money-making potential without really having the know-how to apply it to bird control;
• A company who buys birds of prey just because they want to keep up with what their competitors are doing;
• Companies who quote an ultra-cheap price and promise more than they can realistically deliver.
Step 2: Hire a falconry bird control company that does it better
• At Contego, we have one of the largest in-house bird of prey teams in the country, with specialist bird control falconers covering every part of the UK.
• We have an in-depth understanding of the relationship between predator and prey and how it can be applied to urban bird management.
• Our specialist falconry bird control technicians are trained to the highest industry service and health and safety standards, so you have peace of mind that the job will not only be done well, it will be done safely.
• We deal with just about any pest bird issue you could imagine every day, on sites ranging from international stadiums to hospitals, landfill sites, docks, schools, warehouses, and supermarkets.
Step 3: Understand what falconry bird control actually is
Falconry bird control is NOT about training birds of prey to kill pest birds. If it was just about killing, you could get Dave the farmer from down the road to come and have a pop at them with his rifle. Falconry is a humane bird control method which harnesses the pest birds’ natural instincts to deter them. Pest birds are naturally primed to avoid predators, so if a bird of prey is flown in an area, it will become hostile to them and they’ll go elsewhere.
Lethal bird control methods can be used in some circumstances but they can only be used as a last resort, and an appropriate licence is required.
Step 4: Know that falconry bird control is all in the training
This is precisely why any Tom, Dick, or Harry can’t just invest in a bird of prey and use it for bird control. Birds of prey have a killer instinct, and this has to be trained out of them when they are very young.
A trained handler works with the birds and develops a relationship whereby the bird focuses on them and the area in which they are flown. A properly trained bird of prey won’t fly off, ignore its handler, or kill a pest bird.

Step 5: Understand that falconry bird control might need to be used alongside other methods
For maximum effectiveness, we often recommend that falconry bird control is used alongside other methods like bird proofing and trapping. It’s all about creating a hostile environment for pest birds by maintaining constant pressure on a site. If you come across a company that promises a ‘one and done’ scenario, give them a wide berth!

It may well be that falconry bird control is just what’s needed for your site, so don’t be put off by companies that quote cheap prices and promise the world but don’t deliver.
If you have a pest bird problem on your site, you need one of the UK’s leading specialist falconry bird control companies on the case.
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