My magnificent CREATURES

Joanne Daffin’s love of birds started when she was a child – now they are her whole life

- SERENA SHORES

Gazing at the impressive, feathery creature on her arm, Joanne Daffin can’t help but smile. ‘I’ve wanted an eagle owl for as long as I can remember,’ she says. Ten-year-old Wibble watches her intently as she talks, with his piercing bright orange eyes.

Joanne, 40, is a falconer who owns several other captive-bred birds of prey in addition to the large, feisty character she describes as being like ‘her first-born child’. Every summer, she attends shows where she gives static displays of her red kites and owls.

But more than educating the public about these wonderful creatures, showing them raises much-needed funds for her charity Phoenix Bird of Prey Rescue, which she founded in 2013.

‘My love of birds started in my grandad’s aviary,’ says Joanne. ‘I learnt to adore his canaries and parrots, and it fired something in me. From there, I discovered the beauty of barn owls, and was determined to always have them in my life.’

After college, Joanne, from south Norfolk, approached different organisations hoping to volunteer and one-day own raptors. Despite being turned away several times, her burning desire never waned and, after study, she achieved the recognised qualification in falconry care.

However, her move into saving the birds she loved so much came unexpectedly.

‘As a child, I was always picking up injured animals and birds, nursing them back to health and releasing them back into the wild,’ she explains. ‘I think it was a natural urge to try to fix things, and when people discovered I already had birds, they brought casualties that they’d found to see if I could save them too.’