It stole two woolly hats from the head of a 91-year-old pensioner. It clawed a jogger’s scalp and left him reeling. It is said to swoop in from behind without making a sound, has a penchant for tall men’s heads and – so far – has evaded capture.
But the violent reign of the Flamstead hawk, which has made men in the Hertfordshire village of Flamstead afraid to go out without covering their heads, may soon be at an end.
The Harris hawk is said to have attacked 40 to 50 people in the village in recent weeks, but Flamstead parish council has now told residents that a falconer brought in to try to catch the bird of prey is “extremely close” to catching it, according to The Herts Advertiser.
The fate of the hawk, if it is captured by the council, looks dire.
“We are, sadly, getting close to the stage where we may have to euthanise the hawk,” the parish council is reported to have said.
“The falconer has been extremely close to catching the hawk on a number of occasions; it has fed on the edge of the trap, for example.
“However, we are acutely aware that the hawk’s attacking is becoming more regular and the area in which it is attacking has widened.”
When the Guardian called the parish council for an update on the situation, chair Tim Parsons said: “The hawk hasn’t been caught. We’re all getting a bit bored of it actually.”
He later added that media reports were picking up on “what’s being said to residents”.
The council is understood to have expressed “huge frustration”, due to the closeness of capture.
The Herts Advertiser reported that parish councillors believe the bird of prey is being fed “somewhere else” in the village, which is interfering with attempts to capture it.
“The hawk is not as hungry as it has been and would not feed at all from the falconer last night, despite having done so over the past few evenings,” the parish council is reported to have said.
“This was always going to be a long process, and by feeding the hawk, that process is now taking much longer than anticipated.”
According to the newspaper, the council expressed its gratitude to the “majority” of Flamstead who had adhered to its advice not to feed the bird.
Despite these challenging circumstances, the falconer is understood to be “very confident” he can catch the offending bird.
Its attacks on villagers have attracted international attention, with TV crews descending on the small village – wearing bicycle helmets.
When the Guardian visited last week, few men were spotted walking outside alone. “I’ve been getting my wife to come out for a walk with me because I don’t want to go for a walk by myself,” said resident Michael Hart, who was attacked while out jogging and has now resorted to driving 20 minutes out of the village to continue his daily run.
Another resident Glyn Parry, 91, told the BBC the bird had taken two woolly hats off his head. Initially, he believed “it was just a youngster pulling a prank” after “tapping him on the shoulder”. But the next day, the hawk struck again and this time Parry was able to identify the culprit.
“It was such an unusual thing, so I thought it won’t happen again, but it did.”
To avoid losing a third hat – or going out hatless while the hawk remains at large – he has fashioned a chinstrap for a fedora out of an old shoelace.
Hertfordshire police have urged people not to feed the bird while the situation is dealt with.
