That is a very odd looking bird of prey. Looks more like a fat pigeon, which will just let the others know that there is good food available.

Even funnier is the bright orange pole and trailer available at the manufacturer site.... very... errr.. convincingly realistic.

Get some _real_ Peregrine Falcons in like Brighton now has. We usually have at least one pair nesting on the tall buildings. Let nature do it's job. :-) (Just need something to deal with the darn seagulls now.... LoL)

The council could have saved a few quid by buying real, live peregrins. A quick Google reveals a website with a handy price list:

http://www.forestfalconry.com/Birds%20for%20sale.htm

A pair (male and female) would be £1,150, which would seem to be better value for money. Plus they'd also eat some of the pigeons, which would help keep the buggers at bay.

They "gorge on fast food detritus" - left by who ? Humans.

Maybe it would have been more cost-effective to educate people not to act like hogs and throw their trash into a trash can ?

Unless, of course, all trash cans have been removed for the sake of Homeland Security. Anything is good to thwart those terrorists, including an infestation of disease-carrying pigeons stuffing their beaks on our own droppings.

Liverpudlian-devouring 'Robotigers' set for beta trials in2008...

"Laughable"? Being robots, it goes without saying that they must be equipped with laser eyes. I'll be damned If I've heard of a better way to protect the city from the avian menace.

it would be cheaper for you or I to get real falcons, but don't underestimate how much it costs the powers that be to do anything you or I could do at a fraction of the price!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/3720284.stm

That's £100k for one real bird for a year, maybe he insisted on staying at the Grosvenor?

Now as long as they don't go crazy on the batteries, Liverpool must surely be able to run the robot ones for, ooh, how's £50 grand sound?

Damn things look ugly. I'm glad Brisbane chose Frodo and his mate... and even stuck webcams in the nest after the hatchlings were born. ^_^ Cute little things.

I know this will ruffle feathers, but wouldn't it be more cost effective to license freelance hunters to shoot pigeons out of the sky? Low caliber air rifles should be sufficient and licensing should regulate it and I believe there will be plenty of people keen to pay for the license to shoot pigeons!

If you must go for the tech aspect, perhaps we should take a leaf out of the Chinese handbook on Bird control and fit them with remote control recievers, then we can put them under the control of paying territorial gamers.