Post by FWS on Jun 23, 2014 11:28:57 GMT -6
Do you know who really runs Wimbledon?
By Olivia Goldhill, and Alice Audley
Telegraph.uk
23 Jun 2014
Rufus the hawk, who keeps Wimbledon free from pigeons
The grass seed on tennis courts is like caviar to pigeons, so without Rufus the hawk, Wimbledon would be overrun. Pigeons have a very advanced olfactory navigation system so they can smell the grass from far away, and the Wimbledon roofs are the perfect roosting ground.
You’ll always have a few opportunistic pigeons about the grounds but I fly Rufus throughout the year so that the pigeons know that it’s not a safe place to settle. We fly from 5am to 9am, because once the public is around, the crowds of people don’t create ideal flying conditions.
Rufus is a six-year-old Harris Hawk and he loves Wimbledon—it’s like a playground for him. He’ll sometimes fly over to the golf course for a bath, and he knows all the nooks and crannies.
Two years ago he was stolen, which was the biggest disaster I could ever predict. He was stolen on the first Thursday of the tournament by someone who had clearly planned the attack, as they were wearing a hood and gloves. The press attention must have frightened the thief because Rufus was returned on the Sunday, but it was the worst weekend imaginable and I don’t let him out of my sight now. You can buy a hawk for £200 but Rufus is part of the family.
I’ve worked as a falconer for around 14 years, as it’s the family business, and I’ve been at Wimbledon for the past six years and started the job full-time just over two years ago.
During the training process, I learnt to fly Rufus at the optimal flying weight. If he’s too full and heavy, he’ll sit comfortably on a tree and won’t be motivated to return to me. If he's really hungry, he’ll kill the first pigeon he sees and then sit pretty again. But we use Rufus as a non-lethal deterrent, so he flies when he’s not hungry enough to eat the pigeons, but not full enough to ignore them either.
Every single day with Rufus is different, and he constantly takes my breath away and surprises me. And of course, it’s wonderful to work at such a great British event with the strawberries and Pimms—especially compared to flying during the snow at winter.
By Olivia Goldhill, and Alice Audley
Telegraph.uk
23 Jun 2014
Rufus the hawk, who keeps Wimbledon free from pigeons
The grass seed on tennis courts is like caviar to pigeons, so without Rufus the hawk, Wimbledon would be overrun. Pigeons have a very advanced olfactory navigation system so they can smell the grass from far away, and the Wimbledon roofs are the perfect roosting ground.
You’ll always have a few opportunistic pigeons about the grounds but I fly Rufus throughout the year so that the pigeons know that it’s not a safe place to settle. We fly from 5am to 9am, because once the public is around, the crowds of people don’t create ideal flying conditions.
Rufus is a six-year-old Harris Hawk and he loves Wimbledon—it’s like a playground for him. He’ll sometimes fly over to the golf course for a bath, and he knows all the nooks and crannies.
Two years ago he was stolen, which was the biggest disaster I could ever predict. He was stolen on the first Thursday of the tournament by someone who had clearly planned the attack, as they were wearing a hood and gloves. The press attention must have frightened the thief because Rufus was returned on the Sunday, but it was the worst weekend imaginable and I don’t let him out of my sight now. You can buy a hawk for £200 but Rufus is part of the family.
I’ve worked as a falconer for around 14 years, as it’s the family business, and I’ve been at Wimbledon for the past six years and started the job full-time just over two years ago.
During the training process, I learnt to fly Rufus at the optimal flying weight. If he’s too full and heavy, he’ll sit comfortably on a tree and won’t be motivated to return to me. If he's really hungry, he’ll kill the first pigeon he sees and then sit pretty again. But we use Rufus as a non-lethal deterrent, so he flies when he’s not hungry enough to eat the pigeons, but not full enough to ignore them either.
Every single day with Rufus is different, and he constantly takes my breath away and surprises me. And of course, it’s wonderful to work at such a great British event with the strawberries and Pimms—especially compared to flying during the snow at winter.