The wonder of deadly wings

From Billy Casper with the world’s most famous kestrel on his fist in Ken Loach’s 1969 adaptation of Barry Hines’ Kes, to Helen Macdonald’s best-selling 2014 memoir H is for Hawk, it seems that Britain is a country with hooked beaks and talons in our sporting soul.

There is probably no reader of who hasn’t stopped for a moment to marvel at a hawk or even an eagle being flown in the ring at their local game fair. These birds are truly incredible creatures and hunting with them, for my money, is one of the purest and most exhilarating sports ever to be played out in the field. But the whole thing is a little daunting. You can put a gun away in the cabinet, or a fishing rod under the stairs, but birds like mine require love, care and thought, every day of the year. The question, though, is does