Written by: Claire Silva
2026
Since March 2025 we have partnered with MD Falconry to fly birds of prey to deter crows from the course. The crow population established itself during covid with the absence of golfer traffic and since then have caused significant damage to the fairways and greens pecking for invertebrates. The initiative has proved very successful with all but a few crow pairs remaining on site and the reduction in turf damage is noticeable.
In the last couple of months we have extended the use of birds of prey to tackle the geese population that cause issues for greenkeepers and golfers due to their excrement. A combined approach of using lanner falcons, harris hawks, lasers, and distress calls has yielded excellent results.
Legislative restrictions on the use of pesticides makes effective pest control more challenging, as it increases the amount of soil invertebrates, attracting the crows. It has been great to find a nature based solution for the problem and magnificent to see the birds of prey gracing the skies above Royal Mid-Surrey.
