Bird Team member Jennie Marshall has one of the most enviable jobs here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust – she has the privilege of saying good morning to our young Secretary Bird Sherbie every day! While living on her section at the Trust, Sherbie has been getting to know Jennie very well, and the duo are forming a really close bond. We chatted to Jennie to hear what it’s been like working with our newest arrival so far:

“After Sherbie arrived in October, he moved into my section of the park after about one month. This section is off-show to the public, which has allowed him to settle in and ease into the comings and goings of life at the Hawk Conservancy Trust.

When I first met Sherbie, I noticed straight away that he was a very chatty chap. He usually says good morning to me, and we’ve got into a lovely routine when I enter his aviary. He will fly down to say hello from his favourite perch, which is up nice and high. This perch is a spacious platform at the front of his aviary, where he loves to sit and watch the world go by.

He’s very good at keeping himself looking in tiptop condition. When he’s on his favourite perch he likes to preen and rouse, ruffling his feathers and keeping on top of appearances. This is a courtesy he extends to me as well – as he seems to have a fascination with my hair! Whilst I’ve been spending time with him to help him become accustomed to our company, he always likes to be close. It’s really amazing that he feels trusting of me, and I feel privileged to spend time so close to him. However, he doesn’t seem to understand the concept of personal space just yet.

As a juvenile Secretary Bird, his plumage and face colouration are quite different to an adult like Angola. His feathers are a bit darker in colour, almost grey-brown with a unique speckled pattern. His face is also a paler shade of yellow than the bright red-orange of an adult. When he’s excited, his face flushes a bit brighter – a hint at how he’ll look in the future. It’s theorized that many juvenile birds of prey are darker than their adult counterparts in colour as it’s easier for them to camouflage against the nesting material at the vulnerable stage in life.

Personality wise, he’s very different from Angola. Sherbie is a lot more sociable with all the members of the Bird Team, whereas Angola has his firm favourites…and least favourites too!

We’ve just begun the first stage of his training, where he’s getting used to stepping onto the scales to check his weight, and running between two people. We’re also working with him to feel comfortable being fitted with telemetry equipment, which is really important for when he steps out into the Savannah Arena and takes his first flights.

He’s not been introduced to Stuntman Steve yet, the resident rubber snake here at the Trust. But that hasn’t stopped him showing off his innate kicking behaviour! The poor, unsuspecting flies in his aviary are no match for Sherbie. He also seems to have an aversion to the lovely gardening provided for him in his aviary, with the beautiful grasses having also fallen victim to his almighty kick.

So far, Sherbie’s kicks have been quite timid and unsure – almost as if he’s just discovering he can kick. Whereas Angola is more assured in the power of his kicks, and is happy to deliver a swift blow when presented with the rubber snake, or any Bird Team member he doesn’t like. So it will be interesting to see how Sherbie reacts when the day comes.

I’m really looking forward to seeing his progression – so far, he’s taken to the training very well. We’ll keep you updated on how he’s getting on, and hopefully you’ll be seeing him in a Wings of Africa flying display in the future!”

Many of you already know Sarabi, our Lugger Falcon who joined us in 2019. Her species, found across the Indian subcontinent, faces serious pressures from pesticides and illegal trapping across their range. They are in need of conservation action, aligning with our mission to conserve birds of prey and their habitats. Sarabi has always been a bit of a character. For years she was timid, selective, and never quite settled into a regular flying-display role. Nevertheless, we do our best to work closely with our birds in a way that suits them best.

When I first started working with her in late 2022, she wasn’t too sure about me, especially during her routine health checks. Over time she began warming to me, as I spent more time around her, but she still wasn’t a big fan of the health checks we carry out regularly with all of our birds, so I knew we still had some way to go. As time passed and with more time spent together, I figured out routines that worked better for her. As a character she can be quite fickle, some days very calm and some not. So it’s been an important step for us working together to find a balance that works.

We had always hoped Sarabi would find a place within our flying display team of birds to showcase the amazing speed and agility of this member of the falcon family, utilising a swung lure as our means of demonstrating this. Initially, we weren’t sure how she would respond.  When we started our flight training together, I was essentially trying to develop a routine where she would be able to flourish and fully spread her wings (no pun intended), but I knew this was going to be challenging.  The challenge was whether she would be able to overcome any distractions, something that she struggled with initially when joining us, and allowing her to solely focus on the routine at hand.

I often say Sarabi is like a giant spinning game-show wheel, whatever the wheel lands on, is what Sarabi will do that day. As you can imagine, this could really vary! Some days she’d fly beautifully; others she’d perch, stare at me, and do absolutely nothing; sometimes she’d disappear off into the East Cholderton Valley, leaving me to wander the Hampshire countryside with telemetry in hand. And on plenty of occasions, she’d get distracted by the local corvid populations!

For some unknown reason, she also cannot stand our two Mediterranean Miniature Donkeys, Mickey and Molly. If she lands near their paddock, she’ll shout her head off at them as if they are the problem, even though she can simply fly away.

Another hurdle was getting her comfortable around visitors. In the early days, even a couple of people watching could unsettle her. This began a patient process of introducing her to small groups of people for her to become more confident, important not just for our flying displays, but also for her overall wellbeing. As her confidence grew, so did the number of people she was happy to fly in front of. I even remember some of the numbers of attendees by heart – 2 people, followed by 18, then 37, then even 108 at one stage! This was huge progress. Her Brilliant Bird Brains and Meadow Encounter flights during 2024 were hugely important, helping her gain even more confidence, fitness, and the lure-flying skills she’d need for bigger displays.

Progress was slow and steady, but we certainly had a eureka moment when she began flying in our World of Birds of Prey demonstration during the 2025 winter season. Something seemed to click. It’s almost as if everything suddenly started to make sense to her, and she had found the trust our relationship to feel confident enough to regularly fly in front of larger audiences without being phased. The pieces were starting to fall in to place…

Now, in early 2026, she feels like a completely different falcon. I’m happy to say she flies with confidence regularly in front of our audiences, showing off her speed and agility. Not only has her physical fitness and endurance increased tremendously, she has also become a very confident and competent flyer, learning all sorts of new tricks and tips to keep us in the Bird Team very much on our toes! The way she is able to just literally almost flip herself over mid-air to recommit to the attack as quickly as possible is honestly incredible to watch. Even on some occasions on recent days, she’ll turn herself around and almost fly back at you, upside down briefly! It’s hard to fully explain it in words, but when you see her in action and the conditions are in her favour, she definitely knows how to impress a crowd, that’s for certain. Watching her reminds me why Lugger Falcons are such extraordinary aerial hunters. Their long tails give them remarkable manoeuvrability—essential when chasing fast-moving prey like birds, small mammals, reptiles, and large insects. When she’s in the zone, she really does take your breath away.

I’m incredibly proud of how far Sarabi has come. I know I shouldn’t have favourites, but she’s without question mine. The journey hasn’t always been easy, but beneath the occasional stubbornness, she’s one of the sweetest birds I’ve ever worked with.

We are at the stage now where she is beginning to work alongside more of my colleagues on a regular basis. Even better, she’s now beginning to trust more members of the team, including Cedric and Hugo. For a bird who used to be so person‑specific, seeing her open up is a huge success in itself. With time, we’re hopeful she’ll feel comfortable working with everyone.

She’ll be celebrating her 7th birthday soon, and I can’t wait for you to see her fly during our demonstrations. She’s only getting fitter, smarter, and more confident, with a long flying career ahead of her.

Thanks, everyone.

Patrick – Hawk Conservancy Trust Bird Team Member

As well as working with and flying our beautiful birds of prey, many members of our Bird Team work across other areas of the Hawk Conservancy Trust. Senior Bird Team member Jillian, who joined us early last year, works closely with our Principal Educator Jenny to engage with the thousands of students that visit each year. We caught up with Jillian to hear all about how special it is to watch students fall in love with birds of prey.

“What a whirlwind of school workshops! After a busy summer, where in June alone we had over a thousand students come to the Trust, we are now jumping right back into another school year. I have been working with Jenny, our Principal Educator, to bring as many schools as possible to the Hawk Conservancy Trust so the next generations of conservations and biologists can be inspired.

While I love getting to work with our brilliant birds every day, my favourite part of my job is to run the workshops for visiting schools. In these workshops, students get a presentation from one of our staff members about the workshop topic, as well as a chance to meet a bird up close! We have multiple workshops to choose from, all of which align with Key Stages in the national curriculum. While we do recommend certain topics for different ages, most of the workshops can be adjusted to suit a variety of comprehension levels.

Usually these groups contain a wide range of students’ feelings towards birds – while we have many that are excited to be at the Trust and answer all of our questions about birds of prey, we also have students who can be nervous to meet the birds. These nervous students are actually the reason I love running the workshops, because the most rewarding part is seeing them change their opinions. Luckily, we have a variety of different birds at the Trust and this allows us to tailor these workshops to the specific groups. For example, a Reception class of students usually do best with meeting Wispa our Morepork Owl. Wispa is a small, very confident owl with an adorable trilling call. She is perfect for the smaller students, and will often think she herself is a Reception student and sit on the benches next to them like she is ready to learn all about owls! Wispa is a great introduction to birds for our younger guests (and our older ones as well – she wins over a lot of people!).

For the older students, late Primary or early Secondary, I usually introduce them to one of our Harris’s Hawks. While they can seem more larger than a small owl, they have so many interesting adaptations to talk about that it sparks a sense discovery in the students. They are able to comprehend more challenging concepts, like how Harris’s Hawks hunt in teams rather than alone, and how that helps them to survive in their environments.

However, nothing compares to the sense of accomplishment I have when it comes to our vultures. Helping to spread the message about the plight of vultures is one the Trust’s biggest conservation projects, as many are Critically Endangered. Yes, they eat carcasses, but vultures are nature’s clean-up crew, and by getting rid of those carcasses they are potentially helping to stop the spread of some diseases. The importance of vultures can be a hard concept to grasp for students (or even adults), especially as we don’t have any in the UK for a first-hand experience. But we have found that the best way to change someone’s negative opinion on vultures is to introduce them to one up close and personal. You can imagine that there is usually a lot of excited screaming from the students when they first get introduced to a Hooded Vulture flying low over their heads. But as they learn all of the interesting adaptations of vultures and see how they are applied directly in front of them, you can see those preconceptions slide away and be replaced with empathy, especially when we talk about how at risk these birds are. During the Conservation in Action workshop we actually take a word-association poll from the students before they meet a vulture and after, so they can physically see how their own opinions have changed.

That final part of the session is why I have the role I do. It makes me so proud to see the students, who were so nervous or unsure of these birds, now actively like them and want to help conserve their species. Changing opinions and feelings can be the first step towards saving some of the world’s most endangered species, and I am so grateful to be a part of that process. We want to encourage the next generation of conservationists, and it is such a powerful thing to see when that moment begins for a lot of people. Education classes at the zoo were what sparked my interest in wildlife, and I am happy to be continuing this process, introducing to students to the amazing world of birds of prey, one small owl at a time.

Jenny and I are looking forward to another full year of schools visiting the Trust, hoping to surpass our numbers from the previous year and reach even more students with our conservation message. If you are a teacher and interested in one of our workshops, please email our Education Department at education@hawkconservancy.org for more information and booking enquiries, or head to our Education webpages here.

Here’s to the next generation of aspiring conservationists!”

We’re delighted to introduce brand new Bird Team member Leainya to the Hawk Conservancy Trust! Her passion for birds of prey was sparked by visits to the Trust from a young age, so it’s wonderful to welcome her to the team. We’re sure you’ll give her a warm welcome on your next visit!

“Hello! My name is Leainya and I am so excited to have joined the Bird Team this September!

It was a visit to the Trust when I was 12 that cemented my interest in birds of prey, so much so that I was lucky enough to volunteer for three years at a bird of prey display team, dedicating my weekends to learning more about these beautiful birds. During this time I decided I wanted to deepen my knowledge further, so in 2016 I raised my own bird from four weeks old, a Peruvian Striped Owl who I named Lumos.

I then spent two years at a private bird of prey collection, and it was there that I met Hocus, a Snowy Owl who now lives with me! It was also during this time I achieved the Raptor Award in keeping and training birds of prey.

I then took a break from birds of prey to go to university, studying FdSc Animal Management and Applied Science, and then a BSc in Zoo Biology. After university I spent some time on work placement with the Animal Behaviourist at Marwell Zoo, when a vacancy appeared for a Keeper on the Carnivore Section. I have spent the last two years working with big cats, small cats, a variety of mongoose species, bush dogs, Short-clawed Otters, Binturong and my personal favourite, Red Pandas. I learnt a great deal about habitat design, veterinary care, enrichment provision and training.

I visited the Trust earlier this year to attend a couple of evening events and I realised how much I missed working with birds of prey. Once they have their talons in you, they tend to not let go! So having taken a detour I have now come full circle and am now working alongside the brilliant birds and people at the Trust. I am really looking forward to working with species I haven’t done so before, as well as those that are more familiar to me, and getting involved with everything that the Trust does and sharing my enthusiasm for birds with visitors.”

Flying in from Wales, we’re excited to welcome Bird Team member Poppy to the Trust. With a lifelong passion for birds of prey, conservation and education, she moved all the way to Hampshire to join our team after working with birds of prey for five years in Carmarthen. Read more about Poppy below.

” Hello! My name is Poppy, and I’m thrilled to have recently joined the team here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust! Originally from Carmarthenshire in South Wales, I’ve made the big move to Andover to follow a lifelong passion for birds of prey, conservation, and education.

My background is a little unique—I began by studying for a Level 3 Diploma in Animal Management, but I also had a strong love for performance, which led me to a Level 3 in Performing Arts and then a scholarship place on the Young Actors scheme at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. I later went on to complete a BA in Welsh-language Performance at university.

Eventually, I found myself being drawn back to the animal world and began working at Manor Park Wildlife Zoo in Pembrokeshire, where I cared for a wide variety of species, from squirrel monkeys and Southern White Rhinos to lemurs and more. From there, my career led me into the skies—quite literally—when I joined The British Bird of Prey Centre as a falconer.

I spent five wonderful years there, working with a range of native raptors and developing a deep understanding of British species, conservation, and restraint-free training. I had the privilege of working with everything from the elusive Honey Buzzard to the magnificent White-tailed Sea Eagles, who played a vital ambassadorial role in the Eagle Reintroduction Wales project. I also led many of our educational initiatives, delivering wildlife sessions to schools and communities across Wales. Alongside this, I managed the Centre’s social media accounts, sharing the stories of our birds and the important educational work we were doing with a wider audience.

During this time, I completed the Neil Forbes Management of Raptors Health and Longevity course, gaining hands-on experience in avian nutrition, health checks, and veterinary techniques. Whilst I was there, I even had the chance to share my work on television, teaching footballer Jess Fishlock how to fly eagles—and how to speak a bit of Welsh too!

Now, I’m beyond excited to be starting a new chapter with the Hawk Conservancy Trust. I’ve long admired the Trust’s dedication to conservation, scientific research, and public engagement. The work being done here to conserve both native and global bird of prey species is truly inspiring, and it’s an honour to be part of a team so passionate about making a difference. I’m really looking forward to learning from everyone—humans and birds alike—and getting stuck in with all the brilliant work the Trust is doing.

As a fluent Welsh speaker, I’d love to offer a warm croeso to any visitors from Wales—if you come to visit, I’d be delighted to have a chat in Cymraeg. And if you’re not a Welsh speaker, I’d still love to teach you a few fun Welsh words while you’re here!

See you at the Trust!”

We’re excited to welcome new Bird Team member, Mel, to the Hawk Conservancy Trust. Eagle-eyed readers may recognise Mel as one of our Conservation and Research Interns from 2023. She’s been settling into this new role over the last month – be sure to say hello, or perhaps a ‘welcome back’ on your next visit:

‘Hello! My name is Melanie, and I joined the Trust this spring as the newest member of the Bird Team.  I’m absolutely delighted to be here, working alongside such a knowledgeable and passionate group of people – and, of course, some truly remarkable birds!

With a love for animals and a passion for wildlife conservation, I studied a BSc in Zoology at Royal Holloway University. During a module of ‘Extreme Animal Physiology’ with Dr Steve Portugal, I heard about a research project here at the Trust investigating the force of the kick of the Secretary Bird. Hearing about this research inspired me to volunteer with the Bird Team at the Trust, which led to me completing a Conservation and Research Internship here too! It was my time at the Trust back in 2022 that began my love for birds of prey, which continues to shape my career to this day.

I moved to Bristol to study MSc Global Wildlife Health and Conservation at the University of Bristol and Bristol Zoo. I was fortunate to learn from experienced zoo staff about animal husbandry, training, welfare, and enclosure design. I also worked closely with their veterinary team, gaining hands-on experience with administering injections, bandaging injuries, calculating medication dosages and crop feeding birds. Through lectures and labs with Secret World, I learned how to rehabilitate and release native wildlife from buzzards to badgers. For my research project, I returned to the Trust to work alongside our British Projects Manager Dr Matt Stevens, assessing the parasite load of Barn Owl and Eurasian Kestrel chicks in relation to raptor nest box microclimate.

While studying in Bristol, I worked as a falconer and animal keeper at a small family run zoo where I worked with a variety of animals from armadillos and raccoons to vultures and Pygmy Owls! With over 60 resident birds of prey, I learned a great deal – from hand-rearing young owls to target training a Binturong for healthcare checks, every day was different and full of opportunities to build on my animal care skills.

Now, I’m thrilled to return to the Trust and bring everything I’ve learned back with me. I’m excited to be part of the team once again, and I’m looking forward to continuing my journey in conservation.

See you around the aviaries!’

My name is Ben Cox and I am a Bird Team member and the Events Coordinator here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust. My time at the Trust is nearing its end and I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you my story and journey of working here.

First of all I would like to say a huge thank you to the Trust as a whole: I have been so blessed to have worked alongside so many incredible people and Birds in my time here. The organisation has given me so much over the years, from priceless experience to essential life skills and some phenomenal memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life. This place will always hold a very special place in my heart and I will never forget it.

Let me rewind the clock to 17 years ago, when I was 10 years old and had my first visit at the Hawk Conservancy Trust. I always had a keen passion for wildlife and nature in general, my heroes growing up were Steve Irwin and David Attenborough. Once I visited the Trust I knew, in that moment, that birds of prey were the animals I wanted to work with. The way that the Bird Team were working with the birds and the majesty of the birds themselves was just mesmerising. After that visit all I wanted to do was work at the Trust, all I ever talked about were birds of prey and all the facts and figures that came with them. Between the ages of 11 – 13 years old I was fortunate enough to take part in the after school club that ran at the time at the Trust. There were roughly ten of us each week, and this was a fantastic opportunity to spend more time at the Trust. It also gave me the opportunity to build relationships with the team that worked there. These were extremely good times and I learnt so much.

I continued to visit the Trust regularly and kept in close contact with the team that worked there. It was my absolute delight that when I turned 16 years old I got an offer to have a seasonal position during the summer holidays that year. I, of course, jumped at the opportunity and absolutely thrived. This really solidified for me that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, it was an epic summer and yet again I gained so much priceless experience from this position. At the end of my seasonal position I had the absolute privilege of receiving an offer to be the next Bird Team Apprentice.

At 17 years old I started in this role – it was everything I hoped for and more. I was able to be a part of the Bird Team doing all the things I had dreamed about for such a long time. I learnt so much during these three years, things like commentating demonstrations, training birds, flying birds in demonstrations and running experience days. I managed to finish my apprenticeship with a level 2 and level 3 extended diploma qualification, which I was overjoyed with. At the end of my apprenticeship I got offered a permanent contract as a member of the Bird Team. This gave me a feeling of elation, all my hard work and persistence had paid off and I was fully “fledged” in my bird of prey career.

At this point in my career I had a fantastic opportunity to move into on-site accommodation, so not only did I have my dream job I also was able to call it my home too. From the ages of 19 – 23 I loved my Bird Team position and took every opportunity that came my way. I became Head of the Middle Section here at the Trust, trained quite a few birds and had one of the best experiences of my life, which was a work trip to South Africa to actively help to monitor African White-backed Vultures. It was a trip that I will never forget and I will be forever grateful to the Trust for allowing me the chance to go. I had been talking about and advocating for these incredible birds for such a long time, so having the opportunity to go out and help with my own two hands was just amazing and an indescribable feeling!

At 24, I became the Events Coordinator alongside my Bird Team member role too. I have adored this role and it has been a fantastic bit of progression. I really enjoy organising events and seeing the whole process through from the very first creative meeting, discussing what we could do for an event, to the planning stage and then seeing the event come to life for real (for potentially up to 600 people at times!) is an unbelievable feeling.

I have been fortunate enough to be a part of so many incredible events here at the Trust. One of the highlights for me has to be the first ever event I ran on my own which was an Owls by Moonlight evening. Our Sunset at the Trust evening events have also been a huge highlight for me as this was the first event that I led with creating the concept for, of course I had lots of help from all the other departments and the team here at the Trust to bring this vision to life. A moment I will never forget is flying Chaucer the Lanner Falcon on the first of these events, to a piece of music that I absolutely adore, with a glorious summer sunset in the background. Finally, being a part of all of our big fundraising events has been really exciting. I have been lucky enough to be a part of many big roles in these events over the years – often getting dressed up to look like a particular character! My biggest highlight had to be “Flight at the Movies” in 2022, where I had four costume changes during the show! Although this was a challenge, it was also extremely exciting and successful.

It is safe to say that my time at the Trust has been sensational, and as I go onto my next venture in life I certainly will not be a stranger. The Hawk Conservancy Trust means so much to me and it’s a place I couldn’t stay away from for too long. I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all of you for all of your continued support for the Trust,  the birds that are in our care, and supporting our work to conserve them. I would also like to say a huge thank you to the most incredible team at the Trust – I have made friends for life and have memories to last a lifetime. I am truly so lucky. I will miss a lot about the Trust however this is not the end, until the next time we meet take care and keep spreading the word about this incredible place and the magnificent birds that call it home.

Many thanks, Ben Cox

While we’ve been closed, our team have been busy caring for our birds, and preparing the Trust for another jam-packed year! We checked in with Bird Team member Katy Barnes about working with our birds over winter.

“It has been a busy winter on the Lower Section of the Hawk Conservancy Trust! Every year during this closed period, we have a good spring clean here at the Trust, making sure we’re ready for another fun year.

The Lower Section of the Trust is often one of the first places visitors explore when they visit. It’s where one of our biggest aviaries is – known to many as the ‘Vulture Restaurant’. It’s the aviary that our breeding African White-backed Vultures call home. Each winter, we give this aviary a massive clear out ahead of their breeding season, where they are left much to their own devices! All of the vultures are moved to their holiday aviaries while the Bird Team carry out this deep clean. This involves installing lovely new perching branches for the birds to use – it’s always quite a feat to find branches big enough for these large birds! We completely clear out their nesting areas too, and give them lots of natural materials ready to decorate their nests however they see fit.

This aviary is also used as a holiday aviary for some of our other vultures while their own aviaries are being prepared for the season. This year, we had two very special guests staying – our breeding pair of White-headed Vultures, Angus and Satara! They stayed with us here on the Lower Section while the finishing touches were made to their new aviary in at the Top of the Trust. They are such an awesome pair, and it was a privilege to care for them alongside our other vultures. They are now happily settled into their new aviary, which looks absolutely fantastic! We are hopeful for another successful year of breeding for these birds to help boost their numbers as part of European Ex-Situ Breeding Programmes (EEP’s).

Speaking of vultures, one of our most iconic vultures has been trying out a new home here with us on the Lower Section – Boe the Egyptian Vulture! She’s actually moved in with our Northern Bald Ibis Rafiki, and the pair seem to be getting on very well. They both have their own inside areas, with their own heat lamps; I like to describe them as birds that are happy to share a living space, but not a bedroom! They have a really fun dynamic –Rafiki is very enthusiastic, whereas Boe is calm and serene. During one of the Winter VIP Experiences I hosted last month, two of my lucky guests got the amazing opportunity to go inside this aviary and meet these two characters. Rafiki was so excited, he spent much of the time selecting the perfect stick to present as a gift to them – which they were delighted to be gifted and kept hold of!

Another larger than life character that lives on the Lower Section is our internet-famous Secretary Bird, Angola. While we’re not in the summer season, Angola takes a nice, long rest period over the winter. To make sure he keeps physically and mentally fit, we work with him through different forms of enrichment and training. This year, Angola has begun Target Training – a method of training where Angola will touch a part of his body to a target so it can be inspected for health checks and general care. In return, he gets a very tasty treat. This is Angola’s first time using this training method, and mine too, so we’re learning together! Despite his size and power, Angola can actually be quite a gentle bird, and can be a bit nervous of new things. Despite this, he’s not been phased by this new part of his routine – in fact he’s quite indifferent to it! A problem I was not expecting to encounter. So much of this training though is building up our strong bond, so he is relaxed and trusting of me and the seemingly-odd things I do to keep him healthy. We’ll keep you updated on his progress as our training continues.”

The winter months bring a change to our timetable, and with it our flying team of winter birds takes to the skies. On this team is one of our biggest birds – Saxon the Golden Eagle. She is a sensitive girl, and is very particular about who she chooses to work with on our team, so when newest Bird Team member Hugo Wilson was given the opportunity to work with her, it was ‘a dream come true’…

‘I started working alongside Saxon during the closed period last winter – it was a real honour when I was asked by our Head of Flying Birds, Mike Riley, if I’d like to give working with her a go. Saxon is a sensitive bird, and can be choosy about who she wants to work with. Golden Eagles are right up there as one of my absolute favourite species of birds of prey, and I always thought how amazing it would be to work with one. So this really was a dream come true moment!

Saxon’s favourite person on the Bird Team is Cedric Robert. She also has a soft spot for James Knight and Ben Cox, so it was a team effort from these three in the first stages of my working relationship with Saxon. Cedric began by flying her in Reg’s Wildflower Meadow, and I would call her over to my glove to see if she even fancied landing with me. Once she had done that a few times, it was the seal of approval from her to continue. The next step was for James and Mike to work with her, and let me call her in with her dinner. Once we had that down to a T, the next step was to fly her all on my own, with the team watching to make sure it all went well – which it did!

Apart from Kiara, our Stellar’s Sea Eagle, Saxon is the largest bird on our flying team during the winter months. Being such a large bird she is incredibly powerful. She has the crushing strength in her talons estimated to be somewhere between 500-700 PSI (pounds per square inch). To give you come context, that’s roughly similar to the biting power of a lion’s jaw!

That all being said, Saxon is genuinely a really sweet character, and a real pleasure to work alongside. Sometimes, just like all of us, she can wake up in the mornings on the wrong side of the nest! On these days, I am patient and allow her the time she needs until she’s ready, much like me after a coffee.  I am in awe of her strength and can feel it on my gloved hand. Even through the protective leather, I can feel her power. I definitely have a healthy respect for her power and size, and absolutely love working with her.

Saxon is one of the oldest birds of our team, at an amazing 33 years old. Golden Eagles can soar at incredible heights, but by the time she joined the Trust team at 20 years old she has already established her flying style, and therefore she does fly slightly differently to other Golden Eagles.  Seeing her take off over Reg’s Wildflower Meadow is an amazing chance to see this species up close – especially as the sun just begins to set!

If you wanted to spot a Golden Eagle in the UK, heading up to Scotland would be your best bet. However, this may change in years to come. The Eagle Reintroduction Project that Dr Matt Stevens, our UK Projects Manager, has consulted on is looking at the potential of reintroducing these amazing birds across other areas in the UK. Watch this space for more updates on this exciting proposal!’