Falcons at Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is a destination point for many tourists in London: big fountain, National Gallery Museum, big lion statues, plenty of people to see and be seen by.  Undoubtedly, hundreds of Facebook profile photos are taken there each day. I am resistant to taking photos of an object or image that is centered in the viewfinder of so many other cameras, I refuse to stand in line to take the identical shot. That's me.

But it meant that Nathan was carrying the camera as we sauntered up to Trafalgar Square one morning. It was early, still a bit chilly, and the square was logy and lethargic. Bypassing the square itself (and the set of stairs), N took the gently inclining outer edge, while I beelined towards the fountain....I thought that I saw something peculiar....

Sure enough, I was right. Have you ever seen the falcons of Trafalgar Square?

Have you ever noticed how few pigeons flock to Trafalgar Square?

Trafalgar Square was once a square like so many around the world: tourists held fistfulls of birdseed, and squealed with nervousness as they were ungulfed in a flock of hungry and well-trained birds. In fact, in 1996, the Trafalgar flock was calculated to be somewhere around 35,000 birds. ewww.

But a few years later, pigeons were banned from the park. Wait, I mean, feeding the pigeons became a banned activity. But the pigeons dispersed rather quickly without their daily snacks. The absence of pigeons in Trafalgar Square allowed for the space to be used in new ways that had previously been impossible: for movies, commercials, and events.  

However, banning the feeding of pigeons is not always enough. Enter the Falcon. A falconer with his trained falcon makes a daily circut through the park, giving a clear message to the stragglers to push on. With leather ties dangling from legs in mid-flight, the falcon swoops around Admiral Nelson, harranging the lazy pigeons, then returns to the heavily protected arm of the falconer.

They are a sweet pair, rather innocuous and humble. In a city that hosts a perpetual and pervasive tourism culture, I was suprised to see the falconer in a simple t-shirt. 

Not my photo: Stephensamuel at en.wikipedia

 No bobby, no flags, no postcards for sale in hand. Just a normal guy with his beautiful falcon, patrolling Trafalgar Square.

If you want to see the Falcon of Trafalgar Square, best arrive early, before the crowds.