For Bird Team member Hugo, working with African Fish-Eagles has been a long-held ambition. Ever since visiting the Hawk Conservancy Trust at the age of eight, Hugo watched Othello soar overhead and imagined what it would be like to one day fly one of these striking, impressive hunters himself. Years later, that dream has become a reality, as he now works closely with two of our very different African Fish-Eagles: Othello and Victoria.
The Challenge of Othello
Othello, our male African Fish-Eagle, has quite a reputation among the Bird Team. Intelligent, opinionated and selective about who he chooses to work with. Currently, only a small number of the team have been selected to work alongside him!
It is important with our choosey birds, like Othello, that we work to try and build up a relationship with other members of the Bird Team, should his favourites move on. Hugo was delighted to have the opportunity to work to develop Othello’s trust and form a bond. Hugo started slowly, offering food from the glove inside the aviary and allowing trust to develop naturally.
Fortunately, Othello was surprisingly receptive.
“He came straight to me,” says Hugo. “I’d worked with him a little before and fed him over the years, so he already knew who I was.”
From there, the partnership grew steadily. What began as simple feeding sessions led to flying demonstrations, and eventually Hugo became one of the select few trusted to work with Othello.
Today, Othello sits firmly near the top of Hugo’s list of favourite birds.
“He’s a really cool bird,” he says. “We shouldn’t have favourites, but he’s definitely up there.”
Enter ‘Picky Vicky’
If Othello has a reputation for being selective, Victoria takes things to an entirely different level.
The female African Fish-Eagle has lived at the Trust for many years and, for most of that time, Cedric, Senior Bird Team Member, has undoubtedly been her favourite. Victoria has always been very particular about who she chooses to work with.
“She’s definitely a more nervous bird” Hugo says.
When Cedric went on holiday, Hugo was given the opportunity to start working with her. It began with something seemingly simple: weighing her.
Armed with a video tutorial from Cedric and plenty of patience, he slowly encouraged Victoria to approach the scales. Initially, it took a while. Then it came down to a few minutes, and eventually it became routine.
The next challenge was encouraging her to come to the glove.
Rather than rushing the process, Hugo worked to build her confidence step by step. At first, she was simply rewarded for approaching. Then she learned to take food while standing on the glove. Gradually, trust developed between bird and Bird Team member.
“It was just lots of small steps,” he explains.
First Flight
Eventually, the day came to see whether all that trust-building would translate into flight.
After waiting for suitable weather conditions, Hugo finally offered Victoria the opportunity to fly. While the first experience wasn’t completely smooth, it was hugely encouraging.
Victoria decided against her intended route and landed in a nearby meadow, where Hugo calmly called her onto the glove before walking her back.
“It was nerve-racking,” he admits. “She just stared at me for the entire walk back.”
But she stayed put, trusted him throughout, and proved that the partnership was beginning to work.
Since then, Hugo and Cedric have shared Victoria’s flying duties, helping her become more amenable to working with different people.
The Power of Fish Eagles
Both Othello and Victoria embody the qualities that make African Fish-Eagles such extraordinary birds. They are powerful, intelligent and highly individual animals, each with their own preferences, habits and quirks. Known as the “Voice of Africa” because of their iconic, far-carrying call, they are among the continent’s most recognisable birds of prey.
Years after first watching these majestic birds as a child, Hugo now stands in the arena with them at his side, earning their trust one flight at a time. And for a species known for being selective, that trust is a true compliment.
