Council wants birds of prey to scare crows off golf course

An Essex council has said it is considering introducing birds of prey to a golf course where crows have been making the greens unplayable.

The crows have been digging for leatherjacket grubs at Belfairs golf course, with new holes appearing within minutes of others being repaired.

The damage has cost the venue thousands of pounds.
Many golf clubs in the UK have had issues with leatherjackets in recent years, particularly since a pesticide which was once used to keep the grubs at bay has been made illegal in the UK.

Southend Council wants to bring in birds of prey to scare off the crows as well as nematodes, microscopic parasites which feed on particular insects.

Lydia Hyde, councillor for climate, environment and waste, said: “Currently a significant amount of damage is occurring to the golfing greens from crows burrowing for leatherjacket grubs, whose population has exploded since a pesticide was outlawed. To keep the course playable, this is taking significant warden time to repair rather than other duties, and we need to find a way to encourage the crows away.

“While some are suggesting we simply slather the courses with more chemicals, our administration has instead listened to residents’ concerns about using chemicals in our environment and have instead sought out a nature-based solution. We are looking at using nematodes instead, but these do take time to establish, and we need a solution in the meantime.”

Hyde says the use of birds of prey is seen as an “ethical alternative”, with the birds flown in encouraging crows and other burrowing birds to settle elsewhere.

She added: “This has been shown to be very effective at other golf courses and is widely used across hospitals, train stations, and airports. The main benefit is that no harm comes to any birds.”

Independent ward councillor Stephen Aylen slammed the suggestion, saying: “The whole thing is totally unacceptable. I’ve had talks with the parks department and they have already got a solution to remove the leatherjackets. It’s a spray of some sort but an environmentally friendly one. It’s only a problem certain times of the year. We’ve got kites and sparrowhawks there all of the time so the whole idea is crackers.”