The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Sage is The Open’s official gull-scarer
This is Sage, the Indian eagle owl brought in to scare gulls before The Open Championship tees off in St Andrews.
She is one of four birds of prey swooping about the Old Course this week in a bid to keep the links clear of the winged menaces.
It follows fears the nesting gulls could divebomb players and spectators during the prestigious 150th anniversary event.
The move will also lessen the chances of unwelcome deposits as the birds fly over the course from nearby rooftops to feed by the sea.
Tournament organisers the R&A called on Stuart Milne of Elite Falconry on Tuesday afternoon.
And he was only too happy to help out.
The Cluny-based falconer said: “We’re here to keep the gulls from the stands. They’re nesting on surrounding roofs and the course is a stop-off point for them on their way to the sea.
“Ever since we’ve been here the gulls have got the sense it’s not safe to hang around and they’re leaving.”
Three-year-old Sage, who has mighty six-foot wingspan, has captivated golf fans wandering on the Old Course ahead of The Open.
And she happily poses for photographs while keeping one eye out for pesky gulls.
Stuart is also using a tawny owl, a second eagle owl and a Harris hawk to complete the quartet of raptor security guards.
Their appearance in the town comes two months after St Andrews graduate Linden Grigg wrote in The Courier about his fears over “evil” gulls swarming the
Seagulls have got the sense it’s not safe to hang around here and they’re leaving
Old Course during The Open.
He spoke of how they pinched food from unsuspecting tourists, raided bins and even divebombed passers-by.
And he predicted hundreds of gulls screaming outside hotel windows would impact on visitors’ experience of the town.
Stuart’s work will hopefully avoid all of that.
But other major sporting competitions haven’t been so lucky. A gull tried to steal Madelene Sagström’s ball at the Women’s Open in Carnoustie last year.
In February 2021, a seagull invasion halted a doubles match at the Australian Open tennis.
Stuart added: “We’ve worked at a few other golf events but this is the first time we’ve done The Open.
“We’ll be here until Saturday.”