Jane is perched along the rail of the dock.

Up above, several dozen grey pigeons circle in unison.

Round and round, the birds circle in the slight breeze, with the Burrard Inlet in the background.

Jane doesn't flinch, waver or really move at all.

She just keeps watching. A few minutes later, the kit of pigeons get the message and they start to circle further and further away from Jane.

Eventually, they leave the dock entirely.

It's probably a good idea to leave if you're a pigeon, crow or a seagull, for that matter.

Jane is a Harris hawk. And as a bird of prey, she loves to make other flying species feel very uncomfortable.

It's actually her job. For the better part of the year, Jane and her owner, falconer Alex May, have been walking the docks along Pacific Coast Terminals performing one specific task - scaring away the other birds.

And is she ever good at her job.

Her mere presence sends all the other winged creatures flying for safer ground, including pigeons that team up in vain to try and intimidate the fiveyear-old hawk.

It never works.

This is Jane's house.

When May and his hawk were first called into action by PCT, there were some 400 seagulls calling the terminal home.

Not any more.

There may be 100 left, and on some days, there are none.

Jane the hawk and May were hired to fix a very poopy problem at the terminal.

For some time, PCT had an issue with birds, mostly seagulls, and their droppings.

Specifically, the loading dock served as a constant bull's-eye for the birds doing their business.

It was becoming a constant source of complaint among workers and a potential health hazard.

When the droppings dry, they can turn into dust you wouldn't want to ingest.

A crew would come out to clean the deck, but by the time they reached the end, the deck would be full of droppings again.

Beau Storey, manager of operations with PCT, said the company considered several options like building a barrier or using noise measures.

But when Storey got word of the success of a falconer at another port, he gave it a try.

Enter Jane.

Last fall, May brought Jane out to the docks several times a week.

And just like PCT hoped, the hawk did the trick.

Essentially, Jane doesn't have to do all that much.

May walks around the dock with Jane while wearing a protective glove for about 45 minutes per visit.

She'll fly off, find a spot for a while and then be called back with the lure of a quail her owner keeps as bait.

It's that periodic feeding that ensures Jane will make it back to her owner's arm.

"It's just natural for her to fly," May told The NOW during a recent outing at PCT.

May is one of only a handful of falconers in the Lower Mainland and has more than a half dozen regular clients who enlist his bird-clearance services.

He fell into business by accident. May finished his degree in marketing management and computer information systems 10 years ago and went to work for a small documentary film company.

One of the directors was a falconer, and showed him the way.

Since then, May has lived among the birds.

He currently has two hawks in his stable, along with Jane.

May uses Jane at PCT because the female birds tend to be bigger and work better in the outdoors compared to their male counterparts.

He noted the hawks tend to live about 10 years in the wild, but can live up to 20 in captivity.

Though the relationship works most of the time, the hawk is still a wild creature.

One time May spent 36 hours under a tree waiting for Jane to come down.

She had found a crow and wasn't about to come down until she was done feasting.

Jane, who weighs about one kilogram and is outfitted with a bell so May always knows where she is, won't chase birds when it's business time.

"I don't want her to attack the birds," May said.

She just has to hang around and the birds know a predator is in their midst.

"She's just a predator in the area. It would be the same thing if someone all of a sudden yelled 'Lion!'" May said.

After a few weeks at PCT, the gulls got the message.

Jane has made return trips back to the terminal, but PCT is pleased by her results and has expanded her use.

Storey noted the operation has been dealing with naughty crows that routinely dive bomb people near the administrative office.

They also like to pester the workers who have to climb the ship loader's ladder.

Jane has managed to push the crows into some trees across the rail tracks away from the office.

"It's been quite a success," Storey said, noting Jane isn't harmful to the environment or the seagulls.

"We're quite pleased with how it turned out, it's kind of a neat solution to be a part of."

Though Jane couldn't specifically comment for the story - she was a little busy at the time - May is pretty sure the hawk is happy to be of service.

jdeutsch@thenownews.com

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