Feeling Stressed?
Stress has become a major factor in all our lives and we all need to be able to relieve it in some way. Now I can hear you saying ” Birds of Prey, Stress Relief, what’s the connection?” Well, surprising as it may sounds, we have found that flying birds of prey is a fantastic method of stress relief, especially in the beautiful Cornish Countryside.
In all the time we have been running falconry experiences, we have never had one person who has flown the Birds with us that has gone home stressed; they instead describe the experience calming, idyllic, relaxing and awe inspiring.
Aware that we had no official evidence to back this theory up we decided to contact Ian, a Health Development Officer in Cornwall Council to get his point of view. He spent a day with us and the birds and this is what he thought:
“Wow!”
Bramble The Friendly Ow
“If you choose not to read on anymore, than that single word sums up my experience of meeting all the characters that are the birds of Sharon and Phil. I was invited along to meet Sharon and Phil and their extended family of birds of prey with the angle on how they can be used to combat stress.
My initial thought was how can a bird of prey with all its perceived power possibly reduce stress? I found though, almost immediately, that it was precisely this power combined with their captivating beauty, that was all consuming and I gave not a single thought to any of life’s other nonsense while I was in their company.
I was so lucky that I met them all from Chase the little kestrel, to Bramble the European Eagle Owl(who you could do anything with – she loved the attention) through to TC the Steppe Eagle and the rest of the family in between.
Storm our first Bird of Prey
We traveled to the open moor to fly Storm the Harris Hawk. To see such beautiful creature with such power and serenity in that natural environment was a stunning experience. To have her fly to me, seeing her coming so gracefully from distance, and then as she pitched up to land on my glove, feeling the rush from her wings was at those moments indescribable. Sharon asked me “how did that feel?” and I honestly at that moment could not answer her. I felt a pressure in my chest of just pure energy and emotion. When I could describe it, it was as if Storm’s power had preceded her and gone through me in that instant that she landed.
That was pure pleasure, but on top of that we then flew TC in the training field. His size, weight and power were amazing but, like the others it was his grace and sheer presence that touched me within. (Not to mention the weight of him that touched my shoulder as I carried him back). It is not just the natural power that radiates from any of these birds; it is their grace and beauty.
TC our Steppe Eagle
Just holding them, looking into their eyes, their feathers, their colours makes you realize there is not an artist’s palette that will match that of nature. Every aspect is rolled into these birds of prey.
As far as my “would they help relieve stress angle, that was a no brainer. Stresses, worries and any other thoughts will wash away in just the short time you spend in their company and on top of that you will learn so much about them from Phil and Sharon’s easy going nature, passing on their knowledge with ease and pleasure.
I will recommend this to anyone, stressed or not and will be in contact with various groups I work with to tell them of this wonderful concept. And, from a personal viewpoint; if you are a nature lover or a confirmed city dweller I defy anyone
not to have their soul touched by these wonderful birds of prey.” Ian Hick Health Development Officer. Cornwall Council
We are now in close contact with Ian and his colleague to develop a programme together to reduce stress through ‘Team Building’ with Birds of Prey for Corporate companies and ‘groups’ or ‘Individuals’ If you are interested for yourself or your employees contact us via email or phone and we will be happy to oblige.
