Talon Trust

     

The Talon Trust was formed by Andrew Knowles-Brown and is supported by his family, with his wife, Jacky, and youngest daughter, Jemma, being Trustees.  Andrew has been involved with birds of prey for over 50 years, starting when he moved out of London to Buckinghamshire.  Here he grew up in, what was then, raw countryside in the Chiltern hills. His love of the countryside and wildlife was encouraged and, after a chance meeting with a falconer, his long association with birds of prey began.

 

 

 

Andrew developed his skills of aviculture, including breeding wild disabled raptors that were unable to be released back into the wild.  In the late 1960s and early 70s Andrew was breeding kestrels which were rare in the Chilterns at that time, releasing them using the ancient skills of hacking, learnt from his falconer mentor. 

 

 

 

With Buckinghamshire becoming more a commuter belt than green belt, Andrew's family decided to relocate to Scotland for a more secluded life. Moving to a Scottish hill farm set in the Lowther hills allowed Andrew to spend more time hunting with his hawks and then eagles, and enabled him to start breeding some of the eagles he worked with.  

 

 

Andrew started the Scottish Eagle Centre at the farm over 20 years ago and has built up the largest collection of breeding eagles in the world. He has bred 18 species of raptor, 12 of them eagle species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew's passion with eagles has developed with the years, culminating in the formation of the Talon Trust. He has allowed the Talon Trust full access to his eagles, to video and photograph, thus enabling the most intimate part of an eagle’s breeding cycle to be shown to promote the conservation aims of the organization.

 

 

Through this effort he can now help protect these magnificent birds, which have been part of his life for so long.

 

 

 

Please read the Talon Trust Aims to understand the importance of our conservation efforts. These Aims can only be achievable with your help. Please do your utmost to help us raise funds for our projects.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along with Andrew, Jacky and Jemma Knowles-Brown, who are on the Talon Trust Management Committee, we have Alan Rothery, who has also been involved with birds of prey and falconry all of his life.

 

Born in Cumbria, Alan has hunted with most UK species of birds of prey, as well as breeding a number of those species. 

 

Latterly he has had his own team of hawks, falcons and eagles, which he uses for education and public demonstrations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Talon Trust is also supported in the USA by 'Team Atkinson'. The US Management Board is made up of Joe and Cordi Atkinson along with their daughter, Chrissy. 

 

Joe is probably the most experienced falconer and rehabilitator of golden eagles in America and has successfully rehabilitated and released more golden eagles back into the wild than anyone else worldwide.  

 

Cordi is actively involved with Joe when working with their eagles and has an experienced professional eye behind the camera lens.  Through video and photographs she has documented Joe’s training methods as well as their rehabilitation program, thus enabling educators in this sphere to pass on their knowledge.

 

Chrissy grew up with a love and appreciation for birds of prey and, as a visual artist, uses her skills to address the growing issues of conservation and rehabilitation.