A pesky bird of prey that has been terrorising a quiet Home Counties village for weeks has finally been captured.
Steve Harris, 40, from Flamstead, Hertfordshire, said the hawk had followed him for a mile during his daily jog, ‘hopping along all the telegraph poles’ before landing in his garden.
Physiotherapist Mr Harris said he finally caught the hawk by clambering on to his shed and throwing a cage over the bird.
Villagers had been on edge for weeks after a the South American bird of prey – which ironically is a Harris’ hawk – took to divebombing villagers, with ‘tall men’ said to be particularly at risk.
Dozens have reported head wounds and gashes caused by the feathery devil in recent weeks.
Mr Harris himself had resorted to wearing a bike helmet while out running after being attacked twice.
He said: ‘I had just been out on a run – it was following me for a mile, hopping along all the telegraph poles.
‘It came into the garden, and I was holding the cage above my head.
This is the moment a pesky bird of prey that has been terrorising a quiet Home Counties village for weeks was finally captured by resident Steve Harris
Falconer Alan Greenhaigh can be seen holding the hawk after retrieving it from the cage
Steve Harris (pictured right) shared how he helped recapture the ironically-named Harris’ hawk in his back garden on Thursday
‘Eventually it sat in the shed, squawking at me.’
Mr Harris said he had previously tried to lure the bird into the cage with some chicken, but without success – but today he managed the feat and caught the entire moment on camera.
Footage aired by Channel 5 News shows Mr Harris – still wearing his cycle helmet – dashing to the shed with a ladder in the moments before placing the cage over the bird.
He is then seen seconds later smiling and looking triumphant as the bird that evaded villagers for so long was finally captured.
The hero said he believes the drinks tab at his local pub will be covered for a while after the catch.
‘I think I’ll be able to keep my wallet in my pocket next time I go to the pub,’ he joked.
The father-of-two said the clash with his namesake bird had become personal after the previous attacks.
‘It got me a couple of times – once it even brushed my hair,’ he said.
Steve Harris, with his wife Michelle, threw a cage over the hawk after it landed in his garden
Mr Harris – still wearing a cycle helmet to protect him while out running – shows how he threw the cage over the roof of his shed to catch the troublesome bird
Falconer Alan Greenhaigh posed with the bird moments after it had been captured today
Black hawk down: The residents of Flamstead are happy that the hawk has been captured after scores of men reported they had been attacked by it
Harried at first sight: The hawk launched attacks on men across the village for weeks, including the husband of resident Jess Mclaughlin (pictured)
Resident Paul Cain showed a bloodied scar above his ear after being attacked last month
He added that he had not let his children into the garden for weeks because the hawk would often perch in their tree.
‘We’re about to pick the kids up from school – they’re going to be delighted they can go into the garden again,’ he said.
‘It feels strange, a bit of a relief. We’ve all just wanted to get it caught.
‘It’s nice that it’s well and hasn’t been injured.’
Jim Hewitt, 75, also from Flamstead, said he was ‘delighted’ at the hawk’s capture after he was left bloodied when it swooped on him as he went to get milk and a newspaper on Wednesday.
He told PA he was relieved the situation had not escalated.
Mr Hewitt joked: ‘I’m delighted we are not going to be invaded.
‘I had to be careful and cautious – the sensible thing was to drive to the shop, but I won’t get beaten by a poxy bird.
‘I’m relieved that it’s been caught and not had to be put to death or shot.
‘And I’m even more relieved that a child isn’t going to get hurt.
‘It was hanging around by the school and my biggest fear was that someone would walk out and get set upon.’
There are believed to be thousands of Harris’s hawks in the UK, the vast majority kept inside at homes and zoos, although some are known to have escaped and started living in the wild.
The birds, which have a wingspan of up to 4ft, normally hunt in packs. Females are as much as a third larger than males.
They can live up to 12 years wild or 25 years in captivity and their preferred habitat is sparse woodland and semi-desert or marshes.
Their high intelligence has made them popular for falconry, with trained birds used to remove unwanted pigeon populations from Trafalgar Square and tennis courts at Wimbledon.
