Falcons and a slice of Victorian history are heading to Trelissick this May half term and it promises to be spectacular. Raphael Historic Falconry will be taking over the Walled Garden to show how the Victorians transformed an ancient pursuit into a refined modern art. From 27th - 31st May, catch the birds in action at daily flying displays (11am, 1pm and 3pm), or visit the traditional Hawk Mews between 10am and 4.30pm to see them up close when they're off duty.

We caught up with Emma, founder of Raphael Historic Falconry to find out more about the life and history of a falconer.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to work with birds of prey

For my husband it was in his blood, his father was a champion exhibitor of budgies and his grandfather a champion pigeon racer, a life with birds was inevitable. For me it was accidental. I wanted to work in marine conservation but could not find employment after graduating so ended up getting a part-time job at a newly opened bird of prey attraction. I worked in the gift shop and was later offered the position of trainee falconer. At first, I was disinterested as it was low paid, long hours, and I thought without prospects for the future, but with no other job offers on the table I hesitantly accepted. I had always kept animals at home and helped my sister rear and manage cockatiels, but jumping to birds of prey was a big leap into the unknown. It turned out to be quite an adventure and a life changing experience.

It was disappointing not to be working with marine animals as I had originally wanted, but flying vultures, eagles, owls, and falcons was a good second choice. In addition to presenting public flying displays and teaching people about birds of prey, the job involved a little conservation work rescuing injured wild birds and rehabilitating them for release. It was an intensive and immersive dive into the world of raptors and a rare breakthrough into the field of falconry which was difficult to do 30 years ago. I had to learn to hunt with various species of raptor because only then can you truly call yourself a falconer, and that was my biggest challenge.

I met my husband who was the manager and head falconer, and we decided to establish our own falconry business which later evolved into Raphael Historic Falconry. I worked at a nuclear power station for 3 years scaring pigeons off the rooftops before meeting a historical event organiser who encouraged us to step into the heritage sector.

Falconry is one of the oldest field sports in the world. Can you give us a whistle-stop history of its roots and how it ended up at a beautiful garden estate like Trelissick?

The origins of falconry are simpler than people imagine. It was not born as a field sport. It is an ancient and specialised form of hunting using a trained hawk to catch edible game, traditionally and more specifically known as hawking. Only the wealthy had the luxury of hunting for pleasure, so they hunted with more specialised falcons which required horses and servants, what became known as the art of falconry.

The art of hunting with birds is thought to have originated in Asia thousands of years ago, in Ancient China, Sumeria, and the Indus Valley. It spread along the expanding silk trade routes gradually creeping eastwards through North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Western Europe, arriving in Britain during the Dark Ages. References from this period are scarce so it is not until the reign of our Saxon kings that we find the first written evidence in royal records.

Royal investment enabled the expansion of falconry and led to it becoming increasingly popular throughout the Middle Ages by which time it had become part of our national culture and important to the economy. Large households kept a hawk or two to put game in the kitchen larder, nobles hunted with falcons for sport, kings staged lavish hawking parties to entertain guests, artisans crafted bells and hoods and gloves, ships imported birds from abroad that were sold at markets, employment was created along with opportunities to climb the social ladder, and hunting birds became so valuable they served as financial currency. This “golden age” started to crumble in the C16th when land enclosure, legislation, the puritan movement, waning support from the monarchy, and improvements in firearms all contributed to falconry’s decline.

The Civil War and the loss of the monarchy were the final death tolls, and although falconry returned with The Restoration, it was a shadow of its former self and struggled to find value in a new and rapidly changing society. There was a dedicated effort to save falconry from extinction in the late C18th, and this started a new trend for falconry clubs. Gentlemen could pay a subscription and attend social field meets with their hawks. Professional falconers were employed by gentlemen to train and care for their birds, they would travel with their masters to the different private estates of the club members and enjoy flying at partridge, duck, and pheasant.

By the late C19th falconry served as a field sport for titled gentlemen like lords, earls, dukes, and retired military top brass. This is how falconry came to a myriad of rural estates right across the country along with game shooting, fishing, and riding horses.

How do you build trust with a bird of prey and how long does it take?

It’s a misconception that trust is involved, that would indicate a relationship based on intelligence and emotional connection. That is not the case. Birds of prey are not flock creatures, they are not designed to be sociable and co-operative, for the most part they are solitary and instinct driven. A falconer learns to work with those instincts through patience, outine, and familiarity.

A bird of prey has no need for company and has no interest in pleasing us like a dog, the only benefit we can offer them is food and consistency. Therefore, to be accepted and tolerated by a bird of prey is a privilege and an honour, but it is a fragile relationship and requires self-discipline and sensitivity. There is no typical time frame to establishing rapport with a bird of prey, some species are more challenging to work with than others, and even birds of the same species vary in character and behaviour, but generally speaking the process takes anywhere between a couple of weeks to a couple of months, and then requires life-long maintenance and occasional fine tuning.

Do the birds have personalities? Tell us about the characters in your team

Birds of prey do not have personalities of great depth because they are very black and white, but they do have individual traits and behaviours. For example, I have an owl who is terrified of boots (wellingtons, walking boots, riding boots…), shoes are fine but any footwear that goes up beyond the ankle, forget it! He spots them a mile off and gets visibly agitated, yet he has never had a bad experience with boots so it’s a complete mystery. It is a visual trigger he simply does not like.

Similarly, we have a goshawk who is highly strung, impatient, and very focused, she hates wheelbarrows and trolleys but that’s not personality, it’s behavioural characteristics common to her species.

My merlin is cheeky and very attached to me, for those watching it can appear sweet and endearing, but I hand reared her, so she is extremely confident around me and sees me as her parental food dispenser. It is all too easy to project human emotions and qualities onto our birds, but the reality is often far simpler.

What's something about falconry that tends to surprise people when they see it up close for the first time?

I think it varies. Some people know absolutely nothing about falconry and the entire process blows their minds because the birds are nothing like they expected. When they discover the science and the exacting detail behind the art it can be a real surprise. Some people take delight in the small things like watching a bird preen or seeing how they use their feet to help when eating. But I would say the most consistent surprise is when people learn that we can repair broken feathers, it’s an ancient art called imping and of course it never occurs to people that sometimes we need to repair feathers and in fact we can.

Trelissick sits in such a stunning spot with gardens down to the Fal estuary and woodland all around. Does a landscape like that add something to the experience, for you and for the birds?

The quality of a flight is entirely dependent on the environment in which you put a bird up. In the wild each species of bird is a product of its environment, put a bird up in the wrong environment and it will not be able to fly efficiently. A varied rolling rural landscape ticks all boxes providing open spaces for those birds who are more aerial, woodland for those birds who need perches and camouflage, and plenty of lift provided by a coastal breeze. It is precisely the type of environment we would want to fly our birds in and naturally enriches the experience for everyone. More importantly, Trelissick is exactly the type of estate land on which falconry was commonly practised in the C19th.

What does a visit to the falconry display at Trelissick look like - what can families expect to see and experience?

We are historic specialists so visitors should not come expecting to see a typical falconry exhibition, we go the extra mile to try and recreate an echo of the past. First and foremost, visitors will be able to visit the Hawk Mews which is a canvas marquee decorated in C19th style with historic furniture and bird perches. It is representative of the type of structures that were taken on campaign and used in Africa and India to temporarily house people and animals when on the move. Our bird team quietly rests in the Hawk Mews throughout the day, some prefer to sit outside in the sunshine or have a bath after flying, but it is here that visitors can view all our beautiful birds at close quarters.

My husband and I will be dressed in authentic period clothing to add an extra touch of historical integrity, I make all our costumes by hand so they are unique outfits. The hawk Mews is a visual feast, and visitors can spend time there chatting to us and meeting the birds.

The highlight of course are our falconry presentations which take place at programmed times through the day. We fly a variety of birds at each, accompanied by a fascinating story-style commentary that focuses entirely on history. We fly domestic bred hawks, falcons, and owls, recreate the art of hunting for the larder with hawk and hound, show the dashing flights of birds flown for sport, and reveal the folklore and historical use of our nighttime friends.

Visitors will leave with their heads full of facts and hopefully with a renewed appreciation of our craft! Falconry has taught humanity everything it knows about birds of prey, that knowledge is invaluable and must always be shared and preserved.

Is there a particular moment, maybe a flight, a landing, or a crowd reaction, that has stayed with you?

Lots! We have been trading for 28 years so there have been many memorable moments during that time. Some years back a falcon hit a current of air that shot him vertically upwards so fast that the entire audience audibly gasped, he then stalled and dived directly back down towards the audience who were screaming like they were on a roller coaster. He received the biggest applause ever.

Our goshawk who had only ever flown into trees, memorably flew up to the roof of a castle keep and sat in the crenelations overlooking the sea. It made for a great picture. More amazingly, she flew all the way back down again which was remarkable considering she had never seen the sea before.

My kestrel once flew through an open door at a National Trust property and into a tearoom where she sat on the counter among the plates of scones, much to the amusement of the people waiting in the queue. Apparently, she was very well behaved and just sat there waiting to be collected. She got up to many antics during her lifetime and yet still managed to live to the grand old age of 21 years. There are many more stories like that!

Trelissick has such a rich history as an estate. Does flying birds of prey somewhere with that sense of heritage and history mean something to you as a falconer?

Historic falconry does not sit well in modern surroundings; it needs the gravity of a heritage setting to feel genuine and believable. That connection is important because it reminds us that falconry is not possible without a rich landscape to support it. That has always been the way since Norman times when rivers, woodlands, heathlands etc. were purposefully maintained and parks were created for the pursuits of hunting and hawking. It is hidden within the heritage of every rural estate across the land. To continue that tradition today as a modern falconer is a mark of respect to our forefathers and a method of preserving the past so we can carry it forward into the future.

Visit Trelissick this May half term and see the majestic birds and falconry displays for yourself. Find out more here.

Emma and barn owl