Latest news with #hawk
BBC News
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
East of England news quiz of the week 5
From a hawk working at Wimbledon to a new billboard promoting kindness, how much East of England news can you remember from the past seven days?
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Wimbledon hawk handler dismisses Rufus succession crisis
The handler of a hawk used to scare pigeons away from Wimbledon has played down concerns of a succession an American Harris hawk raised in Brigstock, Northamptonshire, has been responsible for keeping the courts pest-free for 17 a report in The Telegraph said the raptor had failed to Davis, Rufus's handler, said an attempt was made to breed him with another bird named Pamela, but it was "not love at first sight". She said: "It was in lockdown that we thought let's see if Rufus will breed with Pamela, they didn't hit it off. We decided to try and get a different suitor for him."When asked by BBC Radio Northampton's Annabel Amos if another potential mate had been identified, Ms Davis said: "I haven't looked, but if there are any females that are not his bloodline then yeah we could try, couldn't we?" Rufus, 17, has patrolled the courts at Wimbledon since the 2008 championships when he was 16 weeks was raised by Brigstock-based Avian Environmental Consultants, which supplies "bird control services" to landmarks, shopping centres and firm began working with Wimbledon in 1999 after pigeons disrupted matches at the All England Lawn Tennis Club."I was watching the final with [Pete] Sampras and he had to keep batting pigeons off the baseline and at several critical points."I decided to give them [Wimbledon] a call and help them out." Rufus also works to scare pigeons away from other sites including Westminster Abbey, Lord's Cricket Ground and the Old Bailey, among Hawk live for between 25-35 years and Ms Davis previously said Rufus was expected to continue working "as long as he's in good health". Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Wimbledon hit by succession crisis as their iconic hawk, Rufus, fails to breed amid questions over whether he is gay
Wimbledon has seemingly been hit by a left-field crisis because their iconic hawk, named Rufus, is refusing to breed. The bird has patrolled the grounds of the All England Club for 17 years, with the sole job of keeping it pigeon free while the players take to the grass for two weeks a year. As he gets older, though, succession planning is starting to be put into place, with SW19 bosses so impressed by Rufus' work that they want his own offspring to replace him when he is unable to carry out his job any longer. That has led to a hunt for a mate for the bird, with his handler, Donna, failing to persuade Rufus to mate with another bird named Pamela. It wasn't the first attempt at attempting to persuade the bird to mate, with Rufus having no offspring to take over - at least as of yet. Questions over his sexuality have been raised, with Donna insisting that she could try and persuade him to mate again in the future. Rufus, pictured with handler Donna, patrols the skies of SW19 to keep pigeons away The 58-year-old said, via The Telegraph: 'They didn't hit it off. Pamela was quite aggressive. It wasn't love at first sight. But maybe we can try breeding with him again in the future.' Asked if he could be gay, she added: 'There's every possibility. I don't think it's that unusual [among birds].' Rufus also works at Westminster Abbey, the Old Bailey and Lord's cricket ground, and has been patrolling Wimbledon since he was just 16 weeks old. He was raised in Brigstock, Northamptonshire, and is seen scaring away pigeons - employed after humans had struggled to do so. 'Initially the whole reason we were here was because [Pete] Sampras was having to bat pigeons off the baseline,' Donna said. 'I was thinking, I'm going to have to give them a call and help them out.' 'You can't be anthropomorphic about it but I believe he sees me as one of his pack. 'I'm his food source, so of course I'm one of his pack. I do feel as though in areas where we've been out in fields and crows have bombarded me, he's come in to get the crows. 'So he is very protective of me but that's because I'm his food source, not because he loves me.'
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wimbledon succession crisis looms as Rufus the hawk fails to breed
For 17 years, the grounds of Wimbledon have been kept pigeon-free by Rufus the hawk. The raptor is so effective at patrolling SW19's skies, that bosses at the championships want his descendants to eventually replace him. But a so-called 'succession plan' is in doubt after his handler revealed Rufus had no offspring and had recently failed to breed. Earlier this week, Sally Bolton, the chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, said organisers were already working with the son or daughter of Rufus in what she said was a 'family business'. However, when The Telegraph met with handler Donna Davis, she revealed Rufus had no children and hadn't taken a liking to mate-to-be, Pamela. The 58-year-old falconer, who has overseen Rufus's near two-decade reign over Centre Court, said: 'They didn't hit it off. Pamela was quite aggressive. 'It wasn't love at first sight. But maybe we can try breeding with him again in the future.'The latest failed attempt followed a previous effort to breed him during lockdown, prompting questions over his sexuality. Asked whether Rufus might be gay, she said: 'There's every possibility. 'I don't think it's that unusual [among birds].' Earlier this week, it was reported Scampi and Flounder, a pair of male penguins, raised a chick that had been rejected by its parents at Chester Zoo. The bird of prey, whose services are also employed at Westminster Abbey, the Old Bailey and Lord's cricket ground, was raised in Brigstock, Northamptonshire, and has been working at Wimbledon since he was 16 weeks old. His reconnaissance of the grounds begins at around 5am and finishes at 9am. He starts sweeping the outside courts and Court 1 before flying into Centre Court. Ms Davis said hawks' reversed size dimorphism – where females are bigger than males – means Rufus is better-suited to getting into the nooks and crannies of courts to scare away all the pigeons. 'Initially the whole reason we were here was because [Pete] Sampras was having to bat pigeons off the baseline,' she said.'I was thinking, I'm going to have to give them a call and help them out.' Ms Davis said pigeon numbers can potentially be problematic because they breed all year-round and can do so from the age of just 12 weeks. She joked that she can no longer enjoy watching tennis during the championships, for fear of seeing a pigeon making a guest appearance. 'You'll always get somebody saying 'oh my god Rufus is not doing his job,' she said. 'They think he's going to annihilate anything on sight.' Ms Davis, who has been handling birds since she was 15 as a keen birdwatcher and loves tennis, said her teenage self would think she had 'hit the jackpot' with her current job. 'That's what it feels like when you combine your two loves together,' she said. 'There's such a bonanza of wildlife around, so I'm able to combine my love of ornithology with tennis in the most pristine of grounds.' She lauded the return of the 'ancient art' of falconry, having briefly been replaced by guns.'It's come back as the most natural deterrent,' she added. On Rufus' personality, she said: 'You can't be anthropomorphic about it but I believe he sees me as one of his pack. 'I'm his food source, so of course I'm one of his pack. 'I do feel as though in areas where we've been out in fields and crows have bombarded me, he's come in to get the crows. 'So he is very protective of me but that's because I'm his food source, not because he loves me.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Wimbledon succession crisis looms after Rufus the hawk fails to breed
For 17 years, the grounds of Wimbledon have been kept pigeon-free by Rufus the hawk. The raptor is so effective at patrolling SW19's skies, that bosses at the championships want his descendants to eventually replace him. But a so-called 'succession plan' is in doubt after its handler revealed Rufus had no offspring and had recently failed to breed. Donna Davis, who has overseen Rufus's near two-decade reign over Centre Court, said the hawk had not taken a liking to Pamela, its mate-to-be. The 58-year-old falconer said: 'They didn't hit it off. Pamela was quite aggressive. It wasn't love at first sight. But maybe we can try breeding with him again in the future.' This is not the birds first failed mating attempted, prompted questions over his sexuality. Asked whether Rufus might be gay, she said: 'There's every possibility. I don't think it's that unusual [among birds].' Earlier this week, it was reported Scampi and Flounder, a pair of male penguins, raised a chick that had been rejected by its parents at Chester Zoo. The bird of prey, whose services are also employed at Westminster Abbey, the Old Bailey and Lord's cricket ground, was raised in Brigstock, Northamptonshire, and has been working at Wimbledon since he was 16 weeks old. His reconnaissance of the grounds begins at around 5am and finishes at 9am. He starts sweeping the outside courts and Court 1 before flying into Centre Court. Ms Davis said hawks' reversed size dimorphism – where females are bigger than males – means Rufus is better-suited to getting into the nooks and crannies of courts to scare away all the pigeons. 'Initially the whole reason we were here was because [Pete] Sampras was having to bat pigeons off the baseline,' she said. 'I was thinking, I'm going to have to give them a call and help them out.' Ms Davis said pigeon numbers can potentially be problematic because they breed all year-round and can do so from the age of just 12 weeks. She joked that she can no longer enjoy watching tennis during the championships, for fear of seeing a pigeon making a guest appearance. 'You'll always get somebody saying 'oh my god Rufus is not doing his job,' she said. 'They think he's going to annihilate anything on sight.' Ms Davis, who has been handling birds since she was 15 as a keen birdwatcher and loves tennis, said her teenage self would think she had 'hit the jackpot' with her current job. 'That's what it feels like when you combine your two loves together,' she said. 'There's such a bonanza of wildlife around, so I'm able to combine my love of ornithology with tennis in the most pristine of grounds.' She lauded the return of the 'ancient art' of falconry, having briefly been replaced by guns. 'It's come back as the most natural deterrent,' she added. On Rufus' personality, she said: 'You can't be anthropomorphic about it but I believe he sees me as one of his pack. 'I'm his food source, so of course I'm one of his pack. I do feel as though in areas where we've been out in fields and crows have bombarded me, he's come in to get the crows. 'So he is very protective of me but that's because I'm his food source, not because he loves me.'
