91Èȱ¬

Raise Your Game: What do you do at Wimbledon?

Wayne Davis: I fly a team of falcons over the tennis courts during the championships as a type of biological control. We scare pigeons and birds off with them.

The pigeons are a manifold problem. They can increase the risk of spreading disease and they distract the players when they're playing. We introduce a natural predator, which is a simple, ecological way of scaring pigeons off.

RYG: How did you get this job?

WD: My wife was watching the tennis. The players were scaring pigeons off the baseline. I phoned the people at the LTA, we came down and did a demonstration. They were thrilled with it, and we've carried on ever since.

We work here all year. During the Championships we can only fly at certain times, between seven and nine o'clock to deter the pigeons.

When I was a youngster, I lived in a city so they tried to stream us into going to work in a steelworks or some food factory. I said 'I'm not going to do that.' I went to an agricultural college instead. When I came out of there I got a job flying falcons on airfields, and it all blossomed from there. I've been doing it for 25 years now.

RYG: How did you first get into flying birds?

WD:I used to have Kestrels when I was a child, so to be able to do this as a living is wonderful.

RYG: What fascinates you about birds?

WD: They're just fantastic. They're perfectly designed. Their reflexes are incredible. Their eyesight and muscle structure fit perfectly with their methods of hunting. A Harris Hawk is designed to do short bursts. If it doesn't catch anything it pulls up and relaxes. A falcon will fly at about five or six thousand feet. It's a privilege to see.

RYG: How do you train the birds?

WD: I've had Rufus for about three or four weeks now. We have an intense relationship once he comes out of the aviary and he leaves his parents. When they first come out of the aviary, I let them stay in my house so they get used to the cats and dogs. It's called manning - getting them used to everything they see. It's a relationship that's based on trust, which is fantastic.

After about a month they get their fitness levels up and they can cover massive distances when they fly. I've been flying birds for about 20 years and I still find it amazing. It takes three weeks of intensive training. Most animals learn everything in their formative years.

You can't force a bird to do anything. You can only work with it. You need to gradually build up the bird's confidence. No person can train a hawk until it trusts you. You've got to be very patient.

RYG: What purpose does the hood serve?

WD: The hood helps us manage the birds. We put the hoods on the birds when they're travelling and they drop off to sleep.

RYG: Where else do you fly the birds?

WD: We work around Westminster Abbey and some fantastic places.

RYG: What are the highlights of the job?

WD: I just love being around the birds day-in-day-out. We also fly a Peregrine Falcon, which flies over much larger distances. It's a privilege. When we work in Westminster Abbey we get to go right up in the roof by the stained glass windows. I like the fact it's an ecological job as well.

We meet so many different people. Most people see the sharp claws and talons, and think the birds are going to be horribly aggressive, but they're actually quite gentle. It's like a hobby and a job all rolled into one.

RYG: How do they hunt in the wild?

WD: Harris Hawks are different to Falcons, because they actually hunt in social groups. They come from New Mexico in America and they hunt in groups of five or six. It's quite amazing really.

RYG: How much practise do you have to do with the birds?

WD: It's a full time job for me. It's also a really big commitment. A bird of prey will live for between 15 and 20 years, and you need to look after them all day, every day.

RYG: How do you go about communicating with the birds?

WD: It's all based on whistles.

RYG: Their concentration must be second to none?

WDF: They're like athletes. Most of the time they're laid back, but when they're in hunting mode they release massive amounts of adrenaline. Their whole metabolism speeds up for the sprint or a chase. With some of the Peregrines we fly, if they've chased things for about five or six miles across the sky, once they've caught it, they're almost in a trance.

They have to be in that heightened state because their reactions have to be quick when they're flying. If they're chasing things it's imperative that they get it right.

RYG: Do the birds ever not come back?

WD: Only occasionally. That's usually if they've eaten too much and they become less responsive, like humans after a Sunday lunch. We flew one at Canary Wharf, and it actually stayed the night. I had to wait overnight. Once it got dark, he wasn't going to come down. As soon as it got light he came down to me.

RYG: What advice would you give to young people looking to follow in your footsteps?

WD: Go to a library and get some books out. Develop a general interest to start with. Once you've done that, go on a course and learn the basics. It's like learning to drive. You don't want to go and get your hawk before you've learned how to handle it, where to get the food from, how to manage it, what to expect, all those sort of things.