THE birds sat silently, majestic on their perches.

A saker falcon, a harris hawk, a beautiful barn owl, piercing eyes keenly watching my every move.

Then suddenly, there was Gorbachov.

He introduced himself with a loud squawk and a flap of his huge wings. It was a windy day and Gorby was eager to fly.

"He's only got to stretch his wings and within seconds he'll be a tiny dot in the sky," explained falconer, Melanie Hopwood.

Gorbachov is Leighton Hall's resident Russian Steppe Eagle, a magnificent six-pound bird of prey with attitude.

Easily the biggest and most fearsome, Gorby, the eagle, is a real crowd pleaser. But this particular Muscovite is also prone to going on strike.

"He does what he wants," said Melanie, "He can get a bit grumpy and fly off into the woods. I once took him out at 1pm and he didn't come back for five and a half hours. He's not daft. He'll sit up a tree and wait until a silly human comes along to carry him home again. Why fly when someone will carry you?"

Hmm, I liked Gorby's style.

Chatting with Melanie it soon become obvious that all these creatures had their own personalities.

Woof the friendly owl likes to hoot, Shadow the harris hawk will happily follow you around like a dog, Fortune the saker falcon is a bit temperamental and hides on the roof - especially if there's a TV crew about. Melanie has been caring for her bird of prey posse at the hall for 12 years. It's a true labour of love for the former chef, who looks after her feathered friends in all weathers, seven days a week.

"They have their own likes and dislikes, their own personalities. They can be happy with someone and take a real aversion to others. They are trained but not tame. They work for food but could take off and be miles away in minutes. That's why we need the telemetry equipment to keep track of them."

Growing more fond of these beautiful creatures I was lulled into asking a stupid question.

"Are they affectionate?"

Melanie managed to contain a laugh and put me straight: "No, they are not affectionate."

With sharp talons, hooked beaks and eyes like lasers, it was obvious that every one of them was a killer. But it really hit home watching Melanie prepare their food as she pulled the legs off dead chicks and squeezed out the giblets.

Curious, I asked Melanie which of the fearsome looking characters was the deadliest, expecting her to point to the big, fearsome Gorbachov.

Instead, she directed me to a cute little kestrel, about eight inches high, with colourful, delicate plumes.

"This is little Midge," she said. "He got the most kills last year."

FALCONRY is an ancient art which has been practised for thousands of years and once helped put food on the table.

These days visitors flock to Leighton Hall to marvel at the breathtaking flying displays and acrobatics.

Do you fancy meeting these magnificent creatures? Dare you offer them your arm? Spend the day at Leighton Hall on the new Birds Of Prey course which aims to give people hands-on experience, with opportunities to handle the birds, feed them and even fly the more people-friendly raptors like Shadow and Woof. You will also get to meet all the other birds including their newest addition Ice, a beautiful snowy owl who was born in July. For details, call 734474.

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