Hawk puts pigeons to flight at the Barbican

Sam the hawk surveys his new domain at the Barbican Centre, where he is being employed this week to terrorise an expanding population of pigeons that annoys Lakeside terrace customers.

It is the first time the Barbican has employed a hawk as part of its cruelty-free pest control policy. Sam will grace the skies for a couple of hours a day to establish his presence, thereafter appearing once a week to remind the pigeons who is boss.

The Barbican said: 'If patrons want to sit outside and eat, it is nice for them not to be harassed by pigeons. The hawk flies around and scares the birds away. Their instinct tells the pigeons not to come back.

Sam, seen with Andy Garlick a falconer and pest controller for the Van Vynck company, which has seven hawks working in pest control. Strangely, the majestic creature - 3ft wing span and weighing 2lb - responds to 'oi, you', a call that is enough to summon him back to his handler's gauntlet. He also responds to other spoken commands and whistles. The hawk is fitted with a radio transmitter so the falconer can follow him if he gets out of sight.

However, the prize of a juicy pigeon will usually elude Sam, satiated on raw chicken before work.

Sue Van Vynck said: 'In a straight flight a pigeon is faster than a hawk, and both the pigeon and the hawk know this. The pigeon has more at stake and so will fly harder. In the wild, the hawk uses cunning and stealth to catch its prey.

(Photograph omitted)