Trained peregrine falcon for a commercial shoot
Hire a trained peregrine falcon for a commercial
Free-flying peregrines that hit a mark, fly a path and do it again for the next take.
Yes — Lloyd and Rose Buck supply trained peregrine falcons for commercial and advertising shoots in the UK and internationally. We fly two male peregrines, Noah and Sam. Both are hand-raised and imprinted from hatching, both fly free, and Lloyd or Rose attends every shoot and flies them personally. There is no third-party handler and no bird hired in from an agency.
The birds
Noah and Sam
Noah is nine years old and hugely experienced across every kind of commercial set-up — outdoors, over large green screens, in studio, and in wildlife set-ups. If a brief calls for a peregrine to do something on camera, Noah has almost certainly done it before.
Sam is the younger of the two and a very capable, acrobatic flyer. He complements Noah well, which matters on a long shoot day: two birds means the work can be shared and neither is asked for more than he wants to give.
A peregrine is the fastest animal on earth. What makes ours useful to an advertising production is not the speed on its own — it is that the speed is repeatable, on cue, to a mark.
A peregrine was flown from a hot air balloon at 16,000ft for BBC Ultimate Killers — an idea of what is possible when the bird flies free.
What we can shoot
Commercial set-ups we have worked in
Studio and green screen
Noah is experienced flying over large green screens and in studio lighting. Plates can be shot clean for a VFX team, with the bird flying a real path rather than being animated afterwards.
Speed and stoop
A peregrine in a stoop is the shot most briefs are really asking for. It can be flown to a line the camera already knows, and shot again, rather than waited for.
Moving vehicles and rigs
Our birds fly alongside moving vehicles, tracking rigs and drones. This is a large part of what we do and it is planned with your DoP before the day.
High-speed and slow motion
Peregrine flight rewards a high frame rate. We have worked extensively with high-speed cameras, and hold some of the best slow-motion bird footage ever filmed.
Stills and print
The same control that makes a bird useful on a film set makes it useful to a stills photographer — guaranteed close access, in good light, with time to work.
Talent and presenters
Birds working directly with talent on camera, where the bird has to be reliable around people it has not met before.
Track record
Commercials and brand work
Some of the advertising, brand and music work our birds have appeared in:
- Amazon — worldwide Christmas advert, 2021
- Samsung Tab S — commercial
- Triumph Motorcycles — online commercial
- RSPB — TV commercials, 2014 and 2015
- Freederm — TV commercial
- Red Bull and BBC Earth — peregrine versus pro-biker
- Ashnikko — music video and stills
- Stornoway — two music videos
Peregrine-specific broadcast work includes BBC Two Natural World: Super Fast Falcons and CBBC Beyond Bionic — Peregrine Falcon.
Booking
How to book a peregrine for a commercial
Call at treatment stage rather than a fortnight before the shoot. A five-minute conversation early usually changes what ends up being possible on the day, and occasionally saves a production from budgeting a sequence that was never going to work.
- Tell us the idea, the location and the shoot window.
- We tell you honestly what is achievable with a peregrine, and what is not.
- We plan the flight with your director, DoP and first AD.
- Lloyd or Rose attends the shoot and flies the bird.
We are based near Bristol in the south west of England and travel across the UK and abroad.
Common questions
Frequently asked
Can I hire a trained peregrine falcon for a commercial shoot?
Yes. Lloyd and Rose Buck supply trained peregrine falcons for commercial, advertising and stills shoots throughout the UK, and travel internationally. Our two male peregrines, Noah and Sam, are hand-raised and imprinted from hatching and fly free. Lloyd or Rose attends every shoot and flies the bird personally.
Can a peregrine falcon be filmed in a studio or against green screen?
Yes. Noah, our nine-year-old male peregrine, is highly experienced flying over large green screens and under studio lighting, as well as outdoors. Plates can be shot clean for a VFX team with the bird flying a real path rather than being animated.
How fast is a peregrine falcon on camera?
The peregrine is the fastest animal on earth. For a production the useful part is not the raw speed but that the flight is repeatable: the bird flies a planned path to a mark, on cue, and can go again for the next take.
Do you supply the handler as well as the bird?
Always. The birds and the people do not come separately. Lloyd and/or Rose attend the shoot and fly the birds themselves. We are not an agency and every bird we bring is one we raised from hatching.
How far in advance should we book?
As early as possible, ideally at treatment or script stage. Training and preparation take time, and early contact means we can tell you what is genuinely achievable before the sequence is budgeted.
Where are you based and do you travel?
Near Bristol in the south west of England. We work across the UK and travel internationally for productions.
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 your commercial
Tell us what you are trying to film and we will tell you honestly whether it is possible, and how.