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An actual hawk has been brought into Aberdeen city centre to scare seagulls away

It’s time to fight back


A three-year-old Harris Hawk Saffron is being trained to scare away the seagulls from Aberdeen City Centre. Finally.

Her handler Sarah Calderwood was around Marischal Square yesterday to get Saffron adjusted to the area.

The bird is already a lot more popular than the gulls, as many people stopped take pictures with her and watched her circle over the streets. Sarah told The Aberdeen Tab: "Saffron and possibly another hawk or falcon will become regular visitors to reduce the intimidation from the gulls to the public."

Anyone who missed out on this spectacle doesn't need to be upset.

Saffron will become a common feature of the city as a long term solution to fight back against the gulls and protect our food from the mutated creatures.

Sarah runs SGC Environmental, a small pest control business, and will be supervising the hawk until she knows where to fly and gets used to the public.

She told The Press and Journal: “It is a quiet time of year at present, numbers of gulls will increase in the spring".

Over time the gulls will learn that it's not ideal to nest in the city centre and might finally stop harassing the Aberdeen public.

It's safe to say there is a new bird in town, and we have never been more relieved.

Thank you to our new protector of the granite city.