Guy Hawks: Ospreys return to Wales for first time since the Gunpowder Plot

By EMILY HILL

Proud parents: Nora heads to the nest with a fish

With his wings outstretched and a satellite receiver on his back, Einion the osprey is unaware that he is making history –one of the first of the beautiful birds of prey to hatch in Wales for more than 400 years.

A trio of the majestic birds –named Einion, Leri and Dulas after local rivers – hatched three months ago in the Dyfi Valley, also home to their father Monty.

He has soared in the skies above the valley for two years but it was only this year that he managed to attract a mate, a female named Nora.


Spreading his wings: Einion's migration to Africa will be monitored via the transmitter on his back


After a rather hasty 16-day courtship, she laid her eggs in their nest on top of a 50ft telegraph pole.

Einion, Leri and Dulas are now fully fledged and will soon migrate 3,600 miles to spend the winter in Africa. The trip is fraught with danger for young ospreys, and only one in three lives to make the journey back to Britain.

To track their progress, the trio have been fitted with the tiny solar-powered transmitters.


Majestic: Monty rests on a branch


‘The osprey is Wales’s rarest bird and to see them take flight is a truly incredible sight,’ said Emyr Evans, of the Dyfi Osprey Project, which fitted the transmitters. ‘We hope they will fly back to us safely after spending the winter in Africa.’

Also known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, ospreys live mostly on a diet of fish and have a 6ft wingspan.

In common with other birds of prey, they had been hunted to extinction in Britain by egg-collectors and trophy-hunters.

In the Fifties, conservationists reintroduced them to parts of Britain – most notably, the birds have re-established themselves in Scotland, where there are now some 200 pairs.

There is also another breeding pair at Glaslyn, Gwynedd, North Wales. It is suspected that Monty may have been born there and that he has returned to Wales to breed.

The last reported sighting of an osprey in the Dyfi Valley came in 1604 – the year before the Gun¬powder Plot – when a Flemish engineer wrote of ‘fishy hawks’ on the Dyfi Estuary.

Since the young ospreys hatched, they have been seen by more than 40,000 birdwatchers.

source: dailymail

Read more »

The last British bird left at Wimbledon: Rufus the hawk who's employed to put pigeons in a flap

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Hawk-eyed: Rufus starts eyeing up his surroundings as his owner Wayne Davis prepares him for duty


This is one Hawk-eye that is never wrong.

For pigeons flying around Wimbledon, Rufus, a three-year-old bird of prey, is a feathered fiend. But for fans, organisers and players alike he helps keep the place clean and prevents distractions on court.

Keeper Wayne Davis said: 'He provides more of a deterrent really, and keeps the pigeons away from court and stops them nesting rather than eating them.
'He can do though, he'd eat half a rabbit if he could.'

Rufus is a Harris hawk, a US species, and is a firm fixture around SW19, even having his own pass showing his job title: Bird Scarer.

Mr Davis, 48, and Rufus arrive every day at 5.30am and work for four hours. The hawk flies around the massive footprint of the south-west London tennis capital, keeping more timid birds at bay.

The pair then go to other jobs: keeping pigeons off Westminster Abbey and Hampton Waterworks among others.


Bird's-eye view: Rufus is a Harris Hawk and even has his own pass for Wimbledon which reads: Bird Scarer


Rufus might terrify other birds but he attracts admiring looks from tennis fans who always ask Mr Davis to stop for a picture.

Mr Davis said: 'He is very popular. People are mesmerised by birds of prey. And in this context, people are often surprised to see Rufus.

'But he's very good. I trained him to be used to people and all the things he would encounter in his work.'

Mr Davis, a father of six who has helped protect Wimbledon from pigeons since 1999, said working with Rufus is sometimes tricky. The bird, which is fitted with a radio transmitter, likes a bit of independence and sometimes flies off.


Important role: Rufus has to ensure that no birds nest and catches vermin during Wimbledon and regularly patrols Court 1


He has sometimes not returned and has stayed the night at Canary Wharf and Northampton, tempted back to domesticity with a rabbit. Recently Rufus fled to a residential garden in Wimbledon.

Mr Davis tracked the bird and had to explain on the householder's doorstep why he wanted to come in and have a look round the garden.

'It can sound a bit dubious: can I come in and look round your garden because I've lost my bird? But they were relieved when they saw him.'



High profile: Mr Davis also takes Rufus to keep pigeons away from Westminster Abbey and Hampton Waterworks


source :dailymail

Read more »

Christine Bleakley falls about in a fit of giggles as a hawk causes mayhem in the Daybreak studio

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Whoops! Christine Bleakley was unable to control her mirth on camera after the hawk soared into the studio rafters


The old adage 'never work with children or animals' came true for Christine Bleakley on Daybreak today when she found herself face to face with a temperamental hawk.

Cressy, a four-year-old Harris Hawk who appeared on Friday's edition of the ITV1 show, is used to keep seagulls at bay in parts of Rhyl, Llandudno and Conwy and stop them from attacking people for food.

She appeared on the show in the Something Cool Before The Kids Go To School slot.


Staying put: the hawk seemed reluctant to budge and had to be coaxed down by its trainer


And while Christine, who admitted she was 'a bit scared of birds', kept her distance, Cressy initially appeared to behave herself.

But when the creature was called upon to show off her flying skills, she had other ideas.

While she seemed quite happy to fly between her trainers Mike Espley and Rob Davis, when it came to landing on Adrian Chiles' arm she opted instead to fly up into the rafters of the studio and stay there.


In a fit of giggles: A clearly amused Christine joked about how the bird running away was 'the story of Adrian's life'


On the loose: It was mayhem on the set as the bird took flight


Christine appeared unable to control her laughter and burst into hysterics on camera as Adrian registered his surprise that the hawk had flown straight past him.

'Adrian you haven't had any luck with the female dog or the female bird,' she joked. 'Story of Adrian's life, ladies and gentlemen.

'That's all I'm going to say. They tend to go running like that, although not quite up into the ceiling!'

The bird was eventually coaxed down from the rafters by its trainers and was seen sitting on Chiles' arm a few minutes later.


That's better: the hawk was finally brought down from the ceiling and perched on Adrian Chiles' arm



source: dailymail

Read more »