As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Thursday, 26 June 2014

A Star Is Born: Wimbledon's Resident Hawk a Celeb

A hawk named Rufus whose sole job description reads "chase away pigeons" has made a name for himself with this year's Wimbledon Championship tennis tournament.

Rufus has become a star on television -- a Stella Artois commercial features his labors -- and his handler Imogen Davis recently participated in an "AMA" (Ask Me Anything) on the website Reddit.

Between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. each day during the tournament, Rufus, a Harris hawk, is set loose in the sky to cruise the stadiums. He keeps a sharp eye out for pigeons feasting on the famed Wimbledon lawns. He's welcome news to any tennis fan who has had to wait for a pigeon to shuffle off or be chased off the court so a crucial break point could be played between the two non-pigeons holding tennis rackets.


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