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Falconer  Malcolm

“ My wife doesn’t mind that I’ve had a bird on my arm all day! ”
Who?

Malcolm Brockwell, 61

My job
I've trained my falcon, Willow, to scare pigeons away from the building works inside the Olympic Park. The posh name for my job is a Pest Control Technician!
What skills do you need?
You’ve got to be prepared to put the hours in getting to know your animal – it’s like a policeman and his police dog. These animals require a lot of training and need constant coaching.
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My best bits

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  • All I'd need to do is hang a bit of meat off Usain Bolt's back and let Willow chase after him! He'd definitely speed up with her in pursuit!
    fri, 15 oct 10
  • You’ll be seeing a lot of me on TV soon! I just finished filming at the Olympic site with Sky!
    fri, 16 jul 10
  • Thankfully, Willow hasn’t been grounded by the volcanic ash cloud this week - she doesn’t fly high enough for it to affect her!
    fri, 14 may 10
  • Me and Willow were working in a warehouse again the other day. She caught a pigeon, and was so busy eating, I had to leave her there all night!
    tue, 04 may 10
  • I haven’t seen too many large pigeons nests at the Olympic Stadium recently, so Willow must be doing her job properly!
    tue, 13 apr 10
  • You probably won’t be living in a million pound house - but you do it because you love working with animals.
    mon, 08 feb 10
  • It’s all about getting used to handling birds and how to train them, it’s difficult to learn that from a book or in a classroom.
    mon, 08 feb 10

My career path:

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Previous month
February

It doesn't matter what time of day you visit the site - it's very busy! There's always loads of people running around the place! It must be one of the busiest sites in the world right now!

fri, 19 nov 2010

As I've said before, I'm visiting the Olympic Stadium twice a week now. Once in the morning in once in the afternoon to try and catch the roosting birds that are leaving their mess everywhere!

fri, 19 nov 2010

I'll feed Willow three chicks today. Normally she'll eat two, but when the weather's a bit chilly I need to give her more food to keep her energy levels up.

mon, 08 nov 2010

It's freezing out today! I'm sheltering from the cold, wind and rain in my van with a cup of coffee!

mon, 08 nov 2010

At other sites I visit, we'd have to shoot the birds to stop their mess collecting on metal work. Health and safety is a bit more strict at the Olympic Stadium though - they won't let me in with my air gun!

mon, 01 nov 2010
 
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CloseWho?

Malcolm Brockwell, 61

You began as a mechanical engineer – why did you swap careers?
I was made redundant and I’d always been fascinated by birds of prey so I spent a bit of time learning how to handle falcons. I could take care of mice and rats but I help keep pigeons away because their poo can cause real problems to buildings!
Is it an interesting job?
Definitely yes. Not many people get to work with animals like I do.
What makes a good falconer?
You need a lot of patience. Once the bird flies off your arm, it decides when it will come back to you. You have a whistle and some food to coax it back but it’ll only come back when hungry. The longest I’ve had to wait is two days!
How much fun is it?
It’s got to the stage now where the bird is my mate – people look at me a bit strangely when they see me talking to the bird! But it’s great, it’s a job I really enjoy.
What skills do you need?
You’ve got to be prepared to put the hours in getting to know your animal – it’s like a policeman and his police dog. These animals require a lot of training and need constant coaching.
Do you have to be a practical kind of chap?
You need to be a hands-on kind of a person. Most of the learning is done on the job. The best way to find out if you’re built to be a falconer is to go out and work with one for the day.
What’s it feel like to be part of the Olympics?
It's great. I’ve enjoyed watching the stadium grow over the past few months, and it’ll be really interesting to see it when it’s finally finished. My contract runs out in two years’ time so I should get to see the end product.
How often do you get an adrenaline rush at work?
You get a buzz every time the bird comes back to you. At the end of the day, they’re wild animals at heart and getting a falcon to come back to you, even after a long time, is the best thing about this job.
University isn’t the be all and end all is it?
Not at all. You can do animal husbandry courses, learn how to look after birds of prey, specialise in big cats, zoo work… there are lots of careers to be had working with animals that you don’t need to go to university for.
CloseWho?

Malcolm Brockwell, 61

What do you do when things go wrong?  Billy Clarke, 15
You need a lot of patience. You’ve got to have a lot of trust in your bird and realise that it will come back.
What school subjects best helped you in your career?  Crawford, Bromley
Good question Crawford! It seems a long time ago but I'd say Biology & Geography - anything to do with animals and nature.
Is it fun and exciting flying birds of prey? Do they ever bite or attack you?   Omar, Cyprus
It is exciting – but not as exciting as being in Cyprus! No, seriously I enjoy my work, it’s great working with animals and each day is different! They only ever grab you with their talons you if you get a bit over confident. When you’ve got their food in your hand, they’ll try and grab it sometimes – it’s quite easy for them to get one of your fingers!
How fast can your bird fly?  James, Lowestoft
Willow is a Broadwind Hawk. She's not as quick as a falcon - the difference between the two is like the difference between a shire horse and a race horse. The Broadwind Hawk stays a bit closer to the ground, so doesn’t quite hit the speed of a falcon. She's still pretty fast though!
Are there clubs where I can learn to be a falconer?  Sarah
Hi Sarah! The British Falconers Club will have information about places you can go to fly birds of prey near you. Their website is http://www.britishfalconersclub.co.uk/. Hope that helps!
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