Sky Raiders cleared a severe pigeon infestation using dawn falconry flights and scheduled follow-ups. Consequently, the site reduced guano hazards, protected staff, and maintained a clean working environment. Learn how the programme works and why the depot chose us.
The Challenge
The Ilford Depot was struggling with a severe feral pigeon infestation. Birds were gaining constant access through the open depot doors. As a result, this left guano and nesting debris across workstations, tools, and other critical areas. In turn, this created a persistent cleaning problem, which also posed significant health and safety risks to staff working in the facility.
Why Greater Anglia Chose Sky Raiders
Tim, the depot facilities manager, was introduced to Sky Raiders through a mutual contact who recommended our specialist bird control services. With our proven experience operating in railway depots and our unique approach of combining traditional falconry methods with modern pest management, Sky Raiders offered a solution that hadn’t been attempted on the site before.
The Solution
We implemented an early morning programme of bird control using trained Harris’s Hawks. The hawks were flown at 5am to flush pigeons from hidden areas, ensuring no part of the depot was left unchecked. Once flushed, humane culling was carried out to bring the pigeon population under rapid control. In addition, to maintain results, we scheduled routine follow-up visits every two weeks, creating a consistent deterrent and ensuring pigeons could not re-establish themselves.
The Results
From the very first visit, the impact was clear. Levels of guano and nesting debris dropped dramatically, enabling the depot to redecorate and maintain a cleaner, safer working environment. Over time, our routine visits have kept the site under control, with no return of the original infestation levels.
Client Feedback
“We’ve seen a huge improvement since bringing Sky Raiders on board. The difference was noticeable after the very first session, and we’ve now been able to keep the depot clean and free of pigeon waste. The team are prompt, reliable, and professional – they respect our staff, our working environment, and even the animals they are controlling. Therefore, after over a year of success at Ilford, we’re now looking to expand Sky Raiders’ solution across other depots.”
Learn more about our railway bird control services and falconry bird control.
Need this at your depot? Book a survey for railway depot pigeon control. See our related services: falconry deterrence and pigeon proofing. We operate under the relevant Natural England general licences and site permissions.
Discover more from Sky Raiders
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.