Anglesey woman credits pet hawk with helping cancer recovery

Six years ago, when the first Covid lockdown hit, many of us may have attempted a loaf of sourdough or even a weekly Joe Wicks PE lesson. However, Candida Meyrick took a different approach and adopted a Harris Hawk fledgling which she now credits with helping her re-identify herself after recovering from breast cancer. Thanks to the persistence of her youngest child George, who was eight at the time, she launched into a lifelong passion with a daily flight of her hawk, named Bird. Candida, who has recounted her adventure in a memoir Be More Bird, said: "Having cancer, you're put in the role of patient - passive, with things being done to you - to fly a hawk on the other hand is to say a very loud 'yes' to life, joy and your heart's desire." Candida and George dipped their toes into training a bird of prey at the Gleneagles Falconry Centre in early 2020. A few months later Bird hatched - the only viable chick of her clutch - and needed a home. Bird's proper pedigree title is Sophia Houdini White Wing and the hawk has a 1.5m (5ft) wingspan, is capable of horizontal flight in excess of 35mph (55km/h) and sight thought to be eight times greater than a human's. She requires at least two