Indeed, Bird did come off worst in a scuffle with a stoat, injuring her leg, and while Candida sought veterinary advice, she said Bird found the best way to cure herself.
“While she had a wounded leg, she sought out wild thyme and white willow, in other words a natural antiseptic and painkiller, but I had no idea how a hawk would instinctively understand that – up until now she’d only ever eaten meat.”
Candida hopes her passion will live on long after both her and Bird.
“Bird was in many ways my son’s vision, but it reignited a lost spark from my father, who painted beautiful bird studies.
“My children are now focused on their own passions – tennis, physics, geopolitics – but I love the thought that the seed of falconry is sown.
“Hopefully, if one day they decided they’d like to have a hawk with their own children, I’d like to think they could call on my knowledge and enthusiasm to help them.”