There are many occasions in which we find the presence of different species of birds in areas where they constitute a problem or at least a risk to health, the safety of food or for the conservation of heritage.

The use of physical methods (nets, spikes, electric shocks, acoustic or visual repellency systems) that prevent the entrance to certain areas or the laying of birds on structures is not always a sufficiently effective method.

When the birds are inside buildings, especially when they are dedicated to the production or storage of food, and there is a strong desire for them to stay in those areas, it is very difficult to expel them from them. In these cases, the use of anti-deposition systems is not appropriate since they are located in a multitude of locations (existing structures on the internal face of the roof, walls, shelves, etc.), the repellent systems are ineffective since they are masked by noise or The rest of the existing visual elements in the facilities and the capture through cages or trapping systems is extremely complicated due to the daily dynamics of the production activities that are carried out in them.

Falconry consists of the art of using raptors to capture other winged species, this original activity is being readjusted for a secondary action that is the use of these birds, as natural enemies of other species that usually invade urban areas / factories (mainly sparrows, pigeons, starlings and seagulls), causing their expulsion from these areas and preventing their re-entry by linking them to the presence of these predators. However, it is not about simple actions, to obtain results it is necessary to have expert teams of falconers, who have enough bird variability to be able to act in all situations (hawks, kestrels, Harriers, harriers / eagles, …), knowledgeable about the behavior of each of the bird species used for this purpose, their flight capabilities, their level of activity, their ability to generate panic in the specific species on which we want to act (no one knows that it is not the same a dove as a sparrow). However, probably the most determining factor is to carry out adequate planning and comply with it systematically, modulating it, if necessary, to the adaptations that the birds under control carry out to avoid the presence of their predator ( changes in behavior altering the hours of activity, modification of the areas of perch or nesting, etc). This factor is critical, nobody can expect effective results with isolated actions or not long enough in time. Success in this type of action exists, but it always goes hand in hand with perseverance and repetition in the flight of birds in order to first generate panic and their expulsion and later to maintain a memory of it and thus avoid the reentry of the same. The first phase has a variable duration and can be extended up to a month of visits every 2-3 days or even more and the second must be considered a preventive treatment that must be maintained over time in a similar way to how treatments / inspections are carried out for the control of rodents or insects.

You have to train previously at the beginning of the season, and do it daily, work on the faces, all the shooting mechanics, and observe well what we see when we face quickly, more or less as if we were really watching a rabbit run away on the run ; look well if you see band, if you see crosshairs, or what you see. Then it remains to observe how the shotgun looks on you, if in winter it remains “stuck”, in summer it will never be like that, and if it is, be careful, you are accommodating it and then in the field the faces will not be well aligned with the piece.

Attentive to what you see: if you see a band when facing, shoot the rabbit covering it if it is withdrawn and pulling the tail or back if it goes at medium distance because your shotgun will raise the shot a little above your line of sight; If, on the other hand, you only see a crosshair, point the rabbit at the ears (what many call “covering it”) if it goes at medium distance, and lift a little more s and almost long.

As You Move Your Body, So You Pull

Take your first steps in formalizing a good body for the hunting set, any clay pigeon shooter with a certain level knows that if he does not position himself well and does not promote good body movement, his shots will not be frequently effective, so the first thing you can do, if you feel like it, is to watch some videos on the internet about Olympic skeet shooters, for example, take a good look at their physicality and their location when casting. Avoid facing completely in front of the firing line, you must rotate your hips and back slightly, slightly advancing your side of the hand that holds the gun’s forearm, and for this, the legs must be well positioned, open more or less with the width of your shoulders and without putting the foot too far on that side. A frequent mistake is to shoot unbalancing our posture, we want to get to the shot quickly and we lean so much forward that we shoot as we must take a step forward, this is disastrous, and the hits on the piece are pure carom, a mere coincidence that does not says nothing more.

Face, shoot … And keep facing

You shoot the rabbit, the dust rises from the ground and lowers the shotgun to see if you hit the piece or not. What happens? Well, if you got anything right, you charge the rabbit, but if you have failed, when the dust begins to dissipate the rabbit is already twenty meters ahead and you have begun to move, now while you stop, face and strips, the rabbit is either long or has already been covered. It is essential to know how to position ourselves and move well (as mentioned in the previous point) and not lower the shotgun until we see that we have shot down the piece or that it moves to continue in its career, only in this way can we take a second shot to shoot down the shot. rabbit or stop it in the case of having slightly injured it with our first attempt.