The Open 2016: Five birds of prey are being used by Royal Troon bosses to drive away seagulls pinching balls
Seaside pests swoop down and nick food from fans but Elite Falconry have been called on to keep them out
EAGLES are being used to keep seagulls away from pinching balls and food at The Open.
Bosses of golf's oldest championship have employed Elite Falconry for the second straight year to stop the pests swooping down on unsuspecting victims at Royal Troon.
The crack team of birds, which includes two hawks - one call Jane Doe, the other Zach - two falcons and an eagle, are trained not to attack fans, but to scour the course searching for gulls.
One of the handlers, Roxanne Peggie, told : "Jut their presence if enough to drive away the gulls.
"They don't actually attack gulls either. They're focused on us. Wherever we go, they follow us."
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And the birds are accustomed to the big crowds at golf's oldest Major having been used for the same job last year at St Andrews.
Then, it was a last-minute call from organisers that took Elite Falconry to the Home of Golf.
They were told the gulls were causing mayhem by swooping down on picnic tables and the crowded villages were tens of thousands of fans flock for food and drink.