Drogheda hospital called pest control to dispose of plastic hawk

A public hospital got into a flap and called a pest-control company when it spotted a dead bird on its roof – but it turned out to be a plastic hawk, placed there to frighten seagulls.

The inanimate object caught the attention of a staff member on the roof of the maternity unit at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda in May last year.

They mistook the fake hawk for a real bird and called on the services of Galway-based Ecolab Pest Elimination to deal with the situation.

The pest control firm dispatched a specialist to the hospital in response to the reported sighting. When the specialist arrived at the maternity unit, he discovered that the offending avian was a plastic hawk, designed to act as a deterrent against real birds such as pigeons and seagulls.

Report

A report compiled by the pest control company and released by the hospital under the Freedom of Information Act, notes that the specialist had “carried out a call-out visit to maternity roof for dead bird”.

“No dead birds were noted. Fake hawks [that] are attached to netting are what were reported,” the report states.

The plastic birds were erected at the hospital as part of its efforts to deter seagulls, which it claims were attacking patients and staff. In 2013, the hospital spent almost €20,000 on the special netting.

Dr Stephen Newton, senior seabird conservationist at BirdWatch Ireland, said fake hawks are generally ineffective. "Unless something is continuously moving, calling, looking realistic, a model or decoy is worse than useless," he said.