David Atkinson - falconer at Dromoland Castle
I’VE BEEN FLYING birds since I was nine years old, when I trained my first sparrow hawk.
We keep the birds in the mews. Nowadays mews are often thought to be the stable buildings of big houses but historically they were where the nobles kept their falcons. The word comes from the Latin “to moult”, which the birds do each year.
Falconry is the oldest form of assisted hunting known to man. It dates to 2500 BC, and probably came to Europe with Attila the Hun. Genghis Khan is known to have kept 8,000 birds for feeding his troops.
The sport of kings is in fact not horse racing but falconry. I’ve had all sorts of royalty out for lessons, including Prince Albert, not on his recent
state visit but six months ago while he was here on a private visit. In the winter I’ll get in for 9.30am. In the summer, when we’re really busy, it might be 7am. The first thing I do each morning is weigh the birds. The expression “full up” is
an old falconer’s one – if the birds are too full they won’t hunt.
Being at a certain weight is what triggers their hunting instinct. Otherwise they just want to sit in a tree digesting.
I have four Harris hawks, a peregrine falcon, a Lanner falcon and three types of owl.
Peregrine falcons are the fastest living creatures on the planet. They can reach speeds of up to 240mph (386km/h) and can out-accelerate a Formula 1 Ferrari. Designers of the F16 fighter jet studied its air intake.
Once I’ve planned out the structure of the day I’ll go over and meet the clients. I’ll start with a history lesson and then go into the woods for a demonstration and by the end of it the person will have the birds on their wrist. I’ve had people from age five to the very elderly on my hawk walks.
On a busy day I’ll have 12 walks. In a quiet day maybe two or three. The wow factor of having a bird of prey descend on your wrist is huge.
Since Harry Potter people have gone owl-crazy, so people love to see them too. They are pretty amazing. A barn owl can hear a mouse’s heart beat two metres away.
We give the birds treats during the day, usually rewards for coming back to a stranger’s wrist, but they get their main meal in the evening.
For lunch I might grab a bite in the castle or go home. I’ve a cottage at the back of
the estate so there’s no commuting. I’ve seen a massive growth in interest in wildlife since I graduated from agricultural college in the UK in 1986. So many people realise they have lost touch with what’s around them, that they sit in front of blinking computer screens all day and they want to do something about it. I’m lucky. What I do isn’t a job, it’s a way of life.
In conversation with
SANDRA O'CONNELL