Van Vynck has committed itself to reducing its environmental impact, and to protecting the wildlife heritage of Essex and has been admitted as a corporate Gold Member of the Essex Wild Life Trust.
http://www.essexwt.org.uk/

Hawks are brought to Trafalgar Square each day by Van Vynck to scare away the pigeons.

The nine-year-old male harris hawk and a female counterpart called Lizzy have become quite a sensation, achieving the ornithological equivalent of cult celebrity status.

The birds of prey regularly take to the skies of Westminster to scare off vermin in some of the most well-heeled addresses in town.

Such is the media interest now focusing on the birds, some reporters will have to wait for an interview slot before meeting the hawks.

Falconer David Bishop works with the birds for Van Vynck Environmental, a job he loves even though it means he works anti-social hours (be prepared to wake up at the crack of dawn if you want to see the birds in action).

“I’ve done falconry all my life,” says Mr Bishop, whose passion for predatory birds took root during his youth in the Hertfordshire countryside. “I got my first little kestrel when I was 11.

“It was different then. You had to apply to the Home Office for a licence and I believe they thought I was mad because I sent a handwritten letter just saying please can I have a licence because I want to keep hawks.”

The natural environment of the harris hawk, a species Mr Bishop says is perfectly adapted for pest control work, is the desert of Arizona – a world away from Eaton Square, Belgravia, where they can be seen whizzing through the air in the early morning – and the creatures form strong bonds with their handlers.

Mr Bishop says: “If you had an A4 bit of paper and you gave yourself a wish list of what you would want a bird to do for this type of job, the little harris hawks would tick every box. They’re sort of perfectly designed for the job.

“In the wild they’re gregarious. They’re the only bird of prey that operates as a family group. They end up building quite a close bond with the falconer as they look at you as being part of that hunting group in a way. Most other birds of prey are solitary hunters, so they’re a lot more independent of the falconer. Working in towns, you want something that is more likely to be with you. They are the right sort of size for deterring pigeons and are quite amicable. They tend to put up with a lot other birds wouldn’t. He’s sat on buses before and didn’t mind.”

Emu typically patrols Eaton Square, which he considers part of his territory, for up to two hours daily. He also works at sites in Exhibition Road and certain government locations that Mr Bishop is loathe to make public.

The use of falcons to deter pigeons in Westminster was made famous during Ken Livingstone’s first stint as mayor, when he enlisted their help to clear the “flying rats” from Trafalgar Square.

At Milton Road, Cambridge, the Westbrook Centre is a business park which is home to a range of different companies.

The Spa is housed in a magnificent converted Victorian warehouse, and offers 14 treatment rooms where trained Thai therapists use premium Thai herbal skincare ranges to help visitors escape the stresses of everyday life.

Our hawks have been keeping nuisance birds away from the Spa’s building since May 2012. 

The helicopter based here attends an average of around three or four emergencies a day, and can reach the furthest points of the M25 in under 12 minutes.

Van Vynck’s bird control team have been using a trained Harris Hawk at The Crystal to deter nuisance pigeons since July 2012 and the centre will be open to the public in September 2012. 

The striking Grade II listed Victorian building dates back to 1887, and then was expanded in 1930 to create the Town Hall building of today. It is available for hire for weddings, family celebrations, business entertaining, meetings and product launches.

Our trained Harris Hawks will deter pigeons from the building in West London whilst our pest control team will keep on top of any pest activity at the offices.

Designed by internationally acclaimed artist Anish Kapoor, the Orbit is the tallest art structure in Britain and at 115m high offers fantastic views of the Olympic Park and London from the viewing platform.  Visitors are whisked from ground level by an elevator to the viewing platform at 85m high in just 30 seconds.

Van Vynck's bird control team are using their trained Harris Hawks to deter pigeons from the structure and make regular visits to the site.

Once a week David Bishop ensures Belgravia’s Eaton Square remains pigeon-free by deploying a harris hawk called Emu to scare the birds away.

Emu, a beautiful nine-year old male harris hawk, does not attack or kill pigeons, but is trained to fly up to the highest branch in the garden, then returns to his handler for a piece of food. Pigeons are not aware of this arrangement, and see the hawk as a predator. Dave and Emu work for Van Vynck Environmental, and early morning once a week can be found patrolling the square in a truck, giving the pigeons a hard time. Warwick Square have used the service for 4 years, Lowndes and Eaton Squares for the past 12 and 10 years, respectively. In all cases, pigeon numbers have declined.

Hawks are a more humane way of pest control than trapping them or shooting them. However, pigeons can be shot by the company with special permission granted by the police. Hawks take about six to eight weeks to be trained to fly and return to their handler, but at least a year to train it how to scare off pigeons. Van Vynck Environmental breeds a variety of birds to use in different locations.

When former mayor, Ken Livingstone decided to rid Trafalgar Square of pigeons, Dave was called in. Feeding was gradually stopped and a controlled feed introduced, so the pigeons didn’t starve, over an 18-month period. Then they started to fly the hawks. At the time there was an estimated 12,000 pigeons in the square.

The rest of the week Dave drives to other city centres and commercial sites, with Emu sitting on a perch in a large wooden box in the back of the van. The box means he does not have to be hooded for his excursions.