Going to the Birds:

USAF units with flying operations in Britain face a continual threat from the indigenous bird population, say officials. There are as many as 40 different types of birds, with ever growing populations, that infest RAFs Fairford, Lakenheath, and Mildenhall, but officials say that, since they have employed birds of prey the number of aircraft bird strikes has gone down. Base officials use other measures—like sirens, tapes of dogs barking, and other sounds—first to scare the birds off, but the birds become desensitized to sounds. The three bases contract for a professional bird control service, which trains and employs birds of prey, such as Harris Hawks, Europena Eagle Owls, and Peregrine Falcons, “to scare but not to kill” the target birds.