I visited Cardiff Castle for just the second time last week when a friend came to visit and, as part of that, I also got to meet their airborne pest control team again.

Here in Cardiff, sites like the castle, the Millennium Stadium and the Central Library all employ specialist falconry companies who are tasked with deterring gulls and pigeons from feeding and nesting at these places. I blogged about Dexter the Saker falcon and his Harris hawk mates back in September 2015 but this time I met the owl members of the crew. These are not wild birds, they’ve either been rescued or bred in captivity.

~ a Barn owl (Tyto alba) and friend

~ a Little owl (Athene noctua)

~ and Hector, a Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo) (that’s also Hector at the top)