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The attacks prompted Cornwall asked a falconer from Falcon Environmental Services on Friday morning to trap and relocate the birds outside the city. The falconer, Mark Adam, said he plans to have a proposal by Monday.

“In all my years of experience working with birds of prey, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a pair of Merlins be this aggressive,” he said. “That being said, when birds have chicks and you get near their nest, it is a common trait for them to attack.”

The plan requires Ministry of Natural Resources approval.

Adam tried to catch one of the adult falcons with a simple net on Tuesday when he was hired by the MNR after the first complaints from the hospital. But the bird became wary of the net after one attempt to catch it, which means Adam will have to switch to specially-designed traps for capturing raptors such as falcons and eagles.

“Catching them is not … easy, they move very fast and I was only using a fishing net,” Adam recalled.

Once the adults are caught, the MNR will likely order that the adults be released far from Cornwall.

The fledglings will likely not be released with their parents. If they are still too young to fly, they will likely be sent to a rehabilitation centre, which will care for them until they are ready to live on their own.

By Adam’s estimation, the chicks are about a week or a bit more away from being able to leave the nest. But because of the persistent attacks on people, the city wants them removed.