Photo Essay: Harris Hawks in London

While rushing to an appointment, I spotted this amazing sight, which is not a common one, I have to admit, but to see a falconer standing there with a Harris Hawk on his arm surprised me. It was raining and they were sheltering under a building as you can see from the dry pavement. Harris Hawks are used in the city of London to chase away those bloody feathered rats aka pigeons.

I requested permission to take photographs and then got these absolutely great photographs of this regal beautiful dignified creature. They speak for themselves, don't they?


Just look at the shape of the head and the expression on those fierce eyes.

A frontal shot. You just know that if those unblinking eyes fixate on you, then you are dead.


Checking his six.


The falconer got him to fly to the other side of the road.

And then he flew back.


Landing on the glove


Ready for action. Here’s the slide show with bigger resolutions. Here’s a video of this kind of a bird in action: