My Adopted Hawk’s Role in My Cancer Recovery
Six years ago, as the first wave of the Covid-19 lockdowns swept across the world, many people turned to baking sourdough bread or following online fitness routines. But for Candida Meyrick, life took a different turn when she adopted a Harris Hawk fledgling named Bird. This decision marked the beginning of a journey that would help her rediscover herself after surviving breast cancer.
Candida’s path to falconry was sparked by her youngest child, George, who was just eight years old at the time. His persistent encouragement led her to explore the world of birds of prey. What began as a casual interest quickly evolved into a lifelong passion, with daily flights becoming a ritual that symbolized her renewed connection to life and joy.
In her memoir Be More Bird, Candida reflects on how flying a hawk gave her a sense of agency that had been stripped away during her battle with cancer. “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.”
The journey started in early 2020 when Candida and George visited the Gleneagles Falconry Centre to learn about training birds of prey. A few months later, Bird hatched as the only viable chick in her clutch and needed a home. Bird’s full name is Sophia Houdini White Wing, and she has a wingspan of 1.5 meters (5 feet), capable of flying horizontally at speeds exceeding 35 mph (55 km/h). Her eyesight is estimated to be eight times better than that of humans, making her a formidable predator.
Bird requires at least two hours of flight each day to hone her skills, though the goal is not always to catch prey. Instead, it’s about refining her abilities and maintaining her strength. She can hunt anything from mice to pheasants, but success is measured in skill rather than survival.
When Bird arrived at Candida’s Bodorgan Hall estate on Anglesey in 2020, she came in a cardboard box, brimming with energy and a palpable presence. “She was a definite predator, whose distant ancestors are dinosaurs,” Candida recalls. The 11-week-old fledgling was “punk-looking” with feathers sticking up in all directions, but her talons were unusually large for her size.
The process of manning—getting her to accept sitting on the glove—was aided by a falconer friend, Richard Boyce. Bird’s name carries significance: “Sophia” comes from her mother, Sophie, while “Houdini” references her ability to untie knots and hide during her early days on Anglesey. Her surname, “White Wing,” comes from her breeding line, which makes her the last female in the UK of her lineage.
Candida found the perfect environment for Bird to thrive, with access to woodland, fields, and sand dunes. This setting provided an ideal space for her to practice hunting and develop her natural instincts.
In 2020, Candida stood at a crossroads in her life. “I was five years clear of cancer, and my children were growing up healthily, so I had to confront what letting go would look like,” she says. “The doctors told me this was a significant point in my recovery, so it was now or never.”
As a published novelist, she felt compelled to write about this life-changing experience. “In so many ways, Bird is an ongoing part of my health journey.” For Candida, Bird represented freedom. “Letting your hawk go each day—or letting your children go so they can flourish—is a real case of ‘feel the fear and do it anyway.'”
Despite the challenges, Bird faced her share of difficulties. She once injured her leg in a scuffle with a stoat, and while Candida sought veterinary care, Bird found her own way to heal. “While she had a wounded leg, she sought out wild thyme and white willow, in other words a natural antiseptic and painkiller,” Candida notes. “I had no idea how a hawk would instinctively understand that—up until now, she’d only ever eaten meat.”
Candida hopes her passion for falconry will live on long after both she and Bird are gone. “Bird was in many ways my son’s vision, but it reignited a lost spark from my father, who painted beautiful bird studies.” While her children have their own passions—tennis, physics, geopolitics—she believes the seed of falconry has been sown.
“If one day they decide 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.”
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