Meet Caprice, the hawk who works for the City of Burnaby
Caprice guards compost piles in Burnaby from hungry crows and gulls
She's majestic, alert, and sleek.
She's Caprice the Hawk and has a very important job at the City of Burnaby.
Caprice — who is a Harris's hawk — guards the Burnaby eco-centre, where recycling and compost are periodically dropped off throughout the week.
The centre happens to be near a popular roosting spot, where thousands of crows from across Metro Vancouver gather every evening—and are naturally attracted to the compost.
It's Caprice's job to keep these birds at bay.
"We would be inundated with dive-bombing birds right now if we did not have the hawk here," said Zac Der, an environmental services officer with the city.
Burnaby is not the first city to use birds to ward off birds: other cities, including Coquitlam, Toronto and Ottawa, have used birds of prey to guard landfills.
Der said the city started hiring hawks to guard the station over a decade ago after it began collecting compost.
He said community members had complained about the birds making a mess, dropping compost items and droppings in large amounts around the neighbourhood.
The goal of the hawk is not to prey on the local birds but rather to keep them from descending on the scraps.
As a natural predator of crows and other smaller birds like gulls, the hawks' presence alone keeps them away.
"Even if the hawk is just resting or is just present, it is enough that you'll see virtually no birds," Der said.
Laura Lankford, who works for Falcon Bird Control, is Caprice's handler and friend.
"She is fierce; she's a warrioress and she's a sweetheart," said Lankford as Caprice perched on her arm.
Under Lankford's supervision, Caprice patrols the centre during the day from Monday to Thursday. That is when compost is at the transfer station where it is dropped off and later picked up to be taken to its next destination.
"It's a free buffet, and [the crows] love it," said Lankford.
Caprice spends her days perched around the lot and flying overhead but Lankford says she always comes back in the end.
"When I fly her around, that makes them really nervous," said Lankford.
And Caprice's payment?
Plenty of snacks and pets.
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