A hawk has been hired by Bristol Temple Meads railway station to drive out aggressive seagulls known to hunt food from commuters’ hands and even attack other birds .
The six-month-old Harris hawk, called Artemis, has started making fortnightly visits to the station.
Bosses at Network Rail, which runs the station, hope the hawk, which will fly around and over the roof, will also stop gulls nesting.
It comes after complaints by rail passengers about the birds, which have stolen food from people’s hands and even killed pigeons.
Station manager Andy Phillips said: “We will use the bird as a deterrent to the seagulls, which we know can be a nuisance to many users of the station.
“If it can keep the gulls away from the station, especially during the summer months, it will make visiting a more pleasant experience.”
The company providing the hawk is Pestokill, whose technician, Chris Bullock, brought Artemis to the
station last week ahead of her new role.
He said: “It is actually quite a common measure to use hawks to keep away seagulls and pigeons and stop them nesting. We do this in warehouses and retail parks across the country.”
"The hawk doesn’t actually attack the seagulls, but as a predator it keeps them away.
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