AWAY WITH THE BIRDS
It was a surprise Christmas gift which sent 20 year
old Aimee Kujawa away with the birds - and on a fast
track to becoming the North West's only professional
lady falconer with a job at one of Britain's leading
bird of prey centres.
A falconry experience voucher presented to her by her
mum gave her hands-on experience with the range of wild
birds owned by Cheshire Falconry at Blakemere Craft Centre
near Northwich, and opened the doors to a new career.
Now Aimee is a member of Cheshire Falconry's talented
team of falconers who give displays in handling the wild
birds to individuals, groups and corporate parties throughout
the region.
'Clients are sometimes surprised when they arrive for
a display to see a young woman in charge of events,'
said Cheshire Falconry managing director Steve Birchall.
'But they soon realise that they, and the birds, are
in expert hands.
'Aimee has a natural affinity with the birds that shone
through from the minute she arrived here as a customer
who wanted to enjoy the experience of handling our falcons,
owls and eagles. She's worked hard to become the North
West's only professional lady falconer and one of only
a handful in the country.'
Aimee, from Runcorn, was employed as a waitress when
she first visited Blakemere, and said: 'My mum deserves
the credit because she bought the falconry experience
voucher for me as a Christmas present. I'd always been
fascinated by birds of prey but had not realised it was
possible to get up close and handle them.
Days after her first experience, Aimee returned to Blakemere
to ask Steve if she could be a volunteer helper. It was
not long before Steve and other members of the team agreed
that Aimee's natural affinity for the birds could be
developed and she was offered the job of trainee falconer.
She immediately accepted the post and within weeks was
skilled enough to handle some of the birds without supervision.
Nearly a year on, Aimee is an able member of the Cheshire
Falconry team responsible for taking clients through
the Falconry Experience as well as taking part in a wide
range of public demonstrations. So has swapping from
being a waitress to a falconer changed her life in any
other ways?
'Yes,' declared Aimee. 'I've got an even bigger circle
of friends. Since my mates started finding out about
my new job, they've been coming up to Blakemere to look
at the bird collection and a few have invested in vouchers
for themselves or for friends as Christmas presents.
We've all agreed that falconry is cool.'
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