Everyone with bird feeders at sometime complains about certain birds that seem to keep others away from the feeders. The flurry of birds can be a nuisance for residents living near the Bees Ferry Landfill. Their squawks dominate the soundscape. They fly over the neighborhood in droves, perch on homes, defecate on cars and drop trash in yards.
Charleston County hired an abatement falconer for the first time in March 2024. It’s not a permanent solution, but it works for the time it’s most needed, said Thomas Cue, who started his position as the Bees Ferry Landfill’s director of environmental management in 2023.
The Post and Courier recently published this article explaining the issue and how a falconer was hired to seasonally fly his five falcons and three hawks over the neighborhood. Since these birds are predators to the smaller “nuisance” birds, its a scare tactic that neighbors indicate has eased the problem.
Read Charleston County teams up with falcons to chase away nuisance birds from West Ashley homes for the complete story. If you are not a Post and Courier subscriber, you can request free access for any of the articles in the “Rising Waters” series.