Creative Careers | Episode 4 | The Falconer - Birds of Prey!

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Fiona Garvey is a director and trustee of the Falconry Centre in Hagley, Worcestershire. Falconry is an ancient practice that has evolved over the years and I was interested to find out how the role came about and more about working with wildlife and birds of prey in general!

The Falconry Centre is now an independent charity as well as a place of education, training and bird rehabilitation that has been operating for over thirty years. As well as bird handling experiences, they are open to the public throughout the year where visitors can view the birds in their aviaries and through twice-daily flying displays.

I was particularly interested to discover how Fiona got into her line of work. There are many young people who develop a passion for wildlife at an early age and this shapes the subject choices and further education path that they take. In Fiona’s case she didn't really know what she wanted to do even after qualifying with a degree in Psychology and Sociology and spent the first part of her working life in a succession of jobs, unsure of her route forward. However, it was when she took part in a bird handling experience with an owl that a passion for birds of prey was ignited and she eventually bought and trained her own owl.

As much as anything else, this is a story about taking opportunities, looking for (and accepting) voluntary work and the reassuring message that it is never too late to discover what it is we want to do in life! Fiona started working at the Falconry Centre as a volunteer but is now a core part of the bird handling team and has experience of working with owls, falcons, eagles and ravens, but more importantly she doesn't even see this as a job - it is a passion and something she looks forward to every day…

Careers advice is often unhelpful: for most young people however, it’s a very difficult decision and the choices are often not clear, which is why I’m setting out to try and help. I am aiming to meet with people who have unusual jobs. These are not ordinary professions but slightly more unusual jobs than you might find on a careers advisors list. It could be that one of these sparks an interest for you. But more than that, what I hope to capture is the advice that these people have to offer. They will share their experiences, their life stories, their mistakes and also their secrets for success. This episode featuring the Falconry Centre, will be of particular interest to those with a love of wildlife and nature and especially to those worried that they may not yet have discovered their passion in life.

Please note that the outdoor clips were recorded without specialist audio equipment and there is some wind and rain in the background. You may find that it helps to select the subtitles option where the full transcript will appear at the bottom of the screen.

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For more information about The Falconry Centre, please visit https://thefalconrycentre.co.uk/

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