Be More Bird: Life Lessons from a Hawk, ‘A Real Treat’ – Mail on Sunday

by Candida Meyrick

‘A small masterpiece, written with heart, self-belief and wisdom. Wonderful!’ PAUL THEROUX

A true story of Bird and writer Candida Meyrick, set on Anglesey – and a fable for us all to find a way to fly.

The twelve-week-old Harris Hawk, Sophia Houdini Whitewing – aka Bird – is trained over the following months by the author and her children to be most a skilled hunter and dazzling aerial gymnast, whose flights enrapture the family and set the author on a deepening love affair with life on the wing.

Working with her Harris Hawk over the following years reveals a new confronting mortality daily, moving through a liminal landscape, part sky-, part earth-bound. And every day’s hunting brings a new life-lesson. Bird opens up a way of being that is everything the author most longs to courageous, compassionate, independent, full of joy – free as a bird.

Be More Bird charts this deepening relationship between bird and woman, set in one of Britain’s wildest landscapes. It reveals the subtle dynamic possible between human and bird, illuminating the ancient, worldwide art of falconry and its urgent relevance for the modern the importance of untethering our souls and belief-systems and re-establishing a connection with the wilder world.

Structured around a series of ‘life lessons', Be More Bird transports readers into the wildness hidden within themselves and to think profoundly about our connections with nature and our lives.

Be More Bird is a true story, still unfolding, of a wild predator who by choice flies in partnership with a woman as her earth-bound helper. Bird crosses between species, cultures, sky and earth. In this way, Be More Bird is a fable for our times.

Dare to be more. Be more Bird.

Genres: Memoir

180 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 29, 2026

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heartwarming and uplifting account of spiritual growth, love of family and healing from past trauma. Through training her Harris hawk ‘Bird’ the author learns to be utterly present and deeply connected to the wild. A profound gratitude for being alive emerges as a central life lesson, alongside many others gathered along the way. The writing has a gentle undulating rhythm that is easy to read, powerful, full of hope and best of all it encourages us all to ‘Be More Bird.’

[amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but very enlightening book about how raising and hunting with a Harris Hawk taught the author some important life lessons. The writing soars and loops along with the bird making it an enjoyable read. I would be interested in reading her fictional books penned under the name Candida Clark as her descriptions and writing style are very appealing. It is a brief book and as I’m very nosey would have liked more detail about her own life but it’s not a memoir as such but an ode to Bird the Harris Hawk.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not just a book about a hand raised Harris Hawk who’s been trained & nurtured from 12 weeks called Bird.
It’s about trust, self belief, hard work, respect, maternal bond and being taught lessons of life with no words.
Sit down,
take a moment,
keep it simple,
focus your energy on the right things.
Be more Bird. @candida_meyrick
Thank you @mattclacher @wmcollinsbooks for this proof copy.
Out 29.01.26

[Roger Morgan-Grenville · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always a bit wary of 'nature as a way of understanding/healing myself' books, and I have to say that I remain so after reading this. Having said that, I can forgive it a lot for being cheerful and for including lovely descriptions of the struggles of the craft.

[Olia Fadeeva · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seamlessly connects a meditation on mortality and change with the niche, sharp reality of falconry. An unexpected lesson in the beauty of what we cannot control, but should learn to experience and enjoy.