Harris hawk Caine swoops into action to deter seagulls from nesting at Larne schools

Roddensvale School, Moyle Primary School and Larne High jointly enlisted the help of Caine the Harris hawk due to issues caused by the nesting gulls.

These included mess, noise, and distress caused by seagull chicks having fallen from the rooftops.

John Madden, principal of Roddensvale explained: “With it being a seaside town, there has always been an issue [with seagulls], but this has become much worse in the past five or so years. We do not know the reason, but perhaps the availability of food scraps round bins and so on may have encouraged it.

"Once they pick a nest site, [seagulls] tend to return to it and can be fairly aggressive when the chicks are in the nest – some have been swooping down at staff if a chick has fallen out.”

As the gulls’ nests cannot legally be moved once they are built, Mr Madden added, research yielded the solution of using a bird of prey as a deterrent. “A licence is required for this and this is an environmentally sound way to discourage the seagulls.”

Caine will be patrolling the skies around the three schools twice weekly for a number of weeks in an effort to dissuade the seagulls from building their nests there.

The well-trained hawk is being provided by Magheramore-based Clear Skies NI. “Falconry is a highly effective and humane method of bird control,” said David Trenier from Clear Skies NI. “By introducing a natural predator presence, we encourage gulls to move on without causing them harm – it’s all about working with nature rather than against it.

"Although the project is still in its early stages, we’re already seeing positive results.

"Caine has quickly become a hit with pupils and staff, and at the same time he’s proving just how effective natural, humane bird control can be.”

Previously, Clear Skies’ birds of prey have been used as a humane pest control service during The Open golf tournament at the north coast in 2025.