Hello, pleased to meet you! Mandy French is holding an Eagle Owl and Mary Parke stroking it when the falconer visited the WI on March 4th.

BIRDLIFE: Craster and Howick W.I. members were all of a flutter this month. A joint meeting was held in the Memorial Hall, Craster to host our speakers, Mark and Mandy French and their feathered friends from the Falconry Centre in Wark.
Rosemary Gibbs welcomed members and their guests. A few moments of silence were held in memory of Carol Grey, a very valued and long-standing member of Craster W. I. Then we all sang Jerusalem, with an enthusiastic vocal accompaniment from the tawny owl. We thought Carol would have appreciated this as a keen bird-watcher.
Both Institutes kept their business to a minimum. Rosemary Gibbs then introduced our speakers, Mark and Mandy. They had brought with them four birds: a Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, a Harris Hawk and an Eagle Owl.
The three smaller birds were allowed to fly freely in the Hall, which amazed us all – most of us enjoyed this experience, except perhaps some who found themselves in the flight path of the birds.
Mark and Mandy explained how they kept their birds, emphasizing that the birds were trained to catch food to eat or for the table. They said their birds were not kept in cages. It made them unhappy to see these types of birds kept in cages in zoos, as this is very unnatural. All their birds were bred in captivity - some being rehoused from unsuitable environments. This was true of Milly, the Barn Owl who was near death when she was given to them.
Milly flew from Mark to Mandy and back again across the room, calling her and holding her favourite food as enticement. The silence of her flight was amazing. – explained by the serrations on her flight feathers.
Some of us were given a protective gauntlet to wear so the birds could land on our hands. It was quite an experience to see these birds at such close quarters and to be able to touch and stroke them.
Mandy suggested that owls are not as “wise” as they are reputed to be but they do have excellent hearing. She thinks the most intelligent falcon is the Harris Hawk – a native of America. Midnight, the European Eagle Owl, the largest owl, was too big to fly indoors. It displayed huge sharp talons and enormous orange eyes – all very intimidating. He looked at us all very disdainfully.
Mark told us that, as a young boy, having seen the film “Kes”, he was determined to become a falconer. Both he and Mandy were obviously both proud and fond of their birds.
Winnie Banks proposed the vote of thanks. A joint buffet was enjoyed by everyone and brought a most interesting and unusual evening to a close.
Craster W.I. is now looking forward to tea at Doxford Hall later this month.

Meeting Reports