Animal handlers for bird sequences in TV drama
Animal handlers for bird sequences in TV drama
Birds that hit marks, fly to actors and repeat a performance to a director’s note — with the handler who raised them.
Lloyd and Rose Buck provide trained birds and the handlers to fly them for television drama and feature film. The birds and the people do not come separately: Lloyd and/or Rose attend the shoot and fly the birds personally, alongside your first AD and stunt team. Drama credits include Poldark, Wallander, The Hollow Crown, McDonald & Dodds, The Fades and the feature films H is for Hawk, The Little Stranger and McQueen.
What we bring
A handler, not a supplier
Most productions that need a bird get a bird on a glove and someone to hold it. That gives you a static frame, a handful of angles, and a scene built around the limitation.
Ours are raised from hatching, live with us, and fly free. On a drama set that means a bird can enter frame, cross a room, land on a specific mark, fly to an actor, and do it again for coverage. It is closer to directing a performer than dressing a set.
We are not an agency. Every bird on your set is one we raised, flown by the person who raised it. That is also what makes it safe: the bird is reading someone it has known its whole life.
Preparation for the feature film H is for Hawk.
On set
How we work with a drama production
Planned before the day
We plan the sequence with your director, DoP and first AD before anyone is on set, and tell you honestly what is achievable and what is not.
Alongside stunts and ADs
We work with first ADs and stunt teams. Bird work usually needs the floor quiet and the order of the day thought through — we will tell you what we need rather than discover it at 4pm.
Working with actors
Birds that will work close to actors they have not met, and rehearsal time so the actor is comfortable before the camera turns over.
Repeatable takes
The same action, matched, across coverage. This is the single thing a wild or tethered bird cannot give an editor.
Period and fantasy
Falconry birds, corvids and owls for period drama and fantasy, where the bird is often a character rather than set dressing.
Welfare first
The birds live with us. Nothing is asked of them that they have not chosen to do, and we will say no on the day if it is wrong for the bird.
Casting the bird
Which bird for which scene
Ravens and rooks. The most intelligent birds in the world and the most versatile on a drama set — problem solving, complex moves, statics, flying. Kenobi the raven and Onyx the rook.
Owls. Barn owls Lily and Pete, tawny owl Hector. Silent flight, low light and night work, and interiors.
Birds of prey. Tilly the golden eagle, goshawks Lottie and Juha, peregrines Noah and Sam, gyr falcon Dede, kestrel Reuben, tawny eagle Sasha.
Small birds. Five European starlings — the only ones in the world flown for filming — and four racing pigeons, which are extremely tolerant of unusual set-ups.
Track record
Drama and feature credits
- Lionsgate — H is for Hawk, feature film
- BBC One — Poldark
- BBC — Wallander
- BBC Two — The Hollow Crown
- BBC — The Fades
- ITV1 — McDonald & Dodds
- ITV — Trial and Retribution
- The Little Stranger, feature film
- McQueen, feature film
- Disney+ — Supernatural
- Passion Pictures — The Birds
- CBBC — Raven
Common questions
Frequently asked
Who provides animal handlers for bird sequences in TV drama?
Lloyd and Rose Buck provide both the trained birds and the handlers for bird sequences in television drama and feature film. Lloyd and/or Rose attend the shoot and fly the birds personally — the birds and the handler are never supplied separately, and there is no third-party handler.
What drama productions have you worked on?
Drama and feature credits include Poldark, Wallander, The Hollow Crown, The Fades, McDonald & Dodds, Trial and Retribution, Disney+ Supernatural, and the feature films H is for Hawk, The Little Stranger and McQueen.
Can a bird fly to an actor on camera?
Yes. Our birds are raised from hatching and fly free, so a bird can enter frame, cross a room, land on a specific mark and fly to an actor, then repeat the action for coverage. We build in rehearsal so the actor is comfortable before the camera turns over.
Do you work alongside the first AD and stunt team?
Yes. Bird sequences are planned with the director, DoP and first AD before the shoot day, and we work alongside stunt teams on set.
Which birds are best for drama?
Ravens and rooks are the most versatile on a drama set — they can problem solve, hold a static, and fly complex moves. Owls suit interiors, low light and night work. Birds of prey suit period and fantasy. We also fly starlings and racing pigeons.
How is bird welfare handled on a drama set?
The birds live with us and are flown by the people who raised them. Nothing is asked of them that they have not chosen to do, and we will say no on the day if a set-up is wrong for the bird.
How early should a production contact you?
As early as possible, ideally at script stage. Early contact means we can tell you what is genuinely achievable before the sequence is written in or budgeted.
Get in touch
Contact
Lloyd Buck
Agent
Jo Sarsby Personal Management
josarsby.com
Where we are
Near Bristol, south west England.
Working across the UK and internationally.
Talk to us about a drama sequence
Tell us what you are trying to film and we will tell you honestly whether it is possible, and how.