Barrie Landfill enlists Harris Hawk to deter seagulls

Hawk patrols Barrie landfill to keep seagulls away A hawk has been enlisted to patrol the Barrie Landfill to keep seagulls and other nuisance birds at bay.

A four-year-old Harris Hawk named Millie is patrolling the City of Barrie's landfill, ensuring pesky birds, like seagulls, steer clear.

"Birds are particularly problematic in that they can come in large flocks, and they are messy," said Chris Marchant, the landfill's solid waste operations manager.

Environmental compliance requires that the landfill be free of vectors and vermin, and that's where Millie's comes in. Her presence is a natural deterrent, scaring off nuisance birds without harming them.

The handler arrives each day with one or multiple birds.

"What he's doing is essentially setting up a hostile environment on-site, teaching the nuisance birds this is not a safe place to be because there's a bigger, scarier bird," explained Robin Churchill, vice president of Predator Bird Services.

"It's been a very effective service and one that we intend to continue," added Marchant.