“This is Pac-man, he's a Harris Hawk, he's about five years old,” proudly presents Ricky Ortiz, gazing at the raptor perched on his hand.
Since the beginning of the summer, this falconer has been patrolling three times a week in the corridors and on the platform of the El Cerrito del Norte station, in the town of El Cerrito, near San Francisco.
His mission: to scare away, with the help of his feathered companion, all the pigeons in the metro and protect users from their droppings.
Because despite the many pikes and nets installed in the resort, many birds nest in every corner.
Since arriving, Ricky Ortiz has seen “a huge difference”.
“We noticed that probably less than half of the pigeons were there after the first week,” recalls the bearded man.
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On the quay, its presence astonishes and questions the travellers.
“Most users are pretty excited and happy to see it.
Most of them have a lot of questions: is it an eagle, a falcon, what kind of bird, where does it come from, what do I do?
Stuff like that.
It's fun and you can interact and educate the public,” enthuses the falconer.
