BIG INTERVIEW: The wonder of animal magic with Lloyd and Rose Buck

You have probably watched Sir David Attenborough on the television and he is talking about bird migration and there before you very eyes you see a gaggle of geese or a wedge of swans in flight.

Like Sir David Attenborough you are amazed at the wonder of nature as the bird faithfully follow the boat on the lake or loch.

What you probably do not know, but will in a few seconds, is Lloyd and Rose are the dynamic duo who have reared the birds, trained them and established a bond with them, allowing the birds to want to fly so close to the boat which they will follow.

As Sir David Attenborough himself said: “The Bucks are remarkable people because when they do imprint, they form a bond they can’t break and it means those swans are with them for life.”

Now you can see birds on stage in a theatre and even watch them fly over the audience.

But this is what you will get in Our Life with Birds (Lloyd and Rose Buck stage show which will be in Yeovil on Wednesday, February 7) which promises to give audiences a rare opportunity to meet Golden Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, hawks, owls, starlings and many more - all raised and trained with the utmost loving care by Lloyd and Rose.

Over the last 25 years, Lloyd and his wife Rose have devoted their lives to taking care of birds and mastering the art of capturing them on film. They are, without a doubt, the world’s experts at tracking birds and inflight filming.

Between them Lloyd and Rose have been involved with over 100 different productions and feature films and have worked with every natural history television star including Sir David Attenborough, Steve Backshall, Bear Grylls, Michaela Strachan, Chris Packham, Kate Humble and many more.

They often appear on camera themselves and are frequent guests on BBC programmes such as The One Show, Springwatch and Countryfile. From Tilly the Golden Eagle to Poppy the pigeon, it’s unusual to find Lloyd and Rose without one of their feathered family under their arms.

Speaking about his love of birds and wildlife, Lloyd said: “I kept birds since I was a small boy.

“When I was a teenager I had a buzzard, Eagle owl and a Barn owl.

“What you need is time, time to fly the birds of prey.

“It is time consuming and more than just a hobby.

“By flying them you form a connection and you have to keep that connection going.

“I learnt all about looking after birds of prey by attending the British School of Falconry in Kent.

“I started to keep birds as I had an interest in wildlife and nature.

“Some people can connect with the birds as they as intuitive and the animals pick up on this immediately.

“It is strange as I trend to look after the birds of prey and Rose looks after the water fowl and starlings.

“The birds of prey are different characters and they seem to suit me better.

“Each bird has its own personality just like any human which many people would not realise.

“I remember turning up in Bristol to help re-capture a bald eagle and the second I turn up it spotted me and realised instantly I was someone it could trust and it flew down.”

The couple got into television work (natural world) when Lloyd gave some advice to a producer who was putting together a programme for the Natural History unit in Bristol.

That was 27 years ago and was about flying an eagle and at the time I thought nothing of it but then a year later I got a call if I was still interested to help they were filming the programme.

Lloyd said: “It was something we did not plan, it just happened.

“It is a small world with the television arena for making these types of programme.

“All the work we got after that was from people recommending us.

“Whatever filming we do, we do with the welfare of our birds in mind.

“Doing the geese and swan sequences with Sir David Attenborough was great.

“He was very nice, a real gentleman and he very much appreciated what we had achieved.

“The geese are intelligent birds but you have to keep up a bond with them every day.

“They will only follow you if they want to and what they do they love it.”

Both Lloyd and Rose enjoy being involved in the wildlife filming as the technology is so much better and viewers can really see what is happening.

Talking about the type of assignments they have been involved with, Lloyd said: “The swans were filmed in 3D (for Sky) on Loch Lomond.

“The swans we used for the filming were 12 years old.

“We have to fly them every week at the airfield and that is one of the biggest reasons we do it as we have a natural and close bond to the birds.

“The filming we took was over two days and there was a lot of time and effort to get it done.

“Swans and geese are very sociable birds and live in groups.

“Where as birds of prey are more food orientated and have a definite hunting instinct.

“I like the idea we do things such as a Peregrine following a cyclist coming down a mountain.

“What we would like to think is these programmes will help draw people into becoming more interested in nature and wildlife.

“We have never done these tours before. We have done little talks to wildlife groups but this is our first tour.

“We hope people will come along and have a very enjoyable time.

“What we can talk about is the behind the scenes action which goes on these wildlife shoots for programmes.

“We have not been on holiday in years, well not at the same time, as we have to be with the birds every day even Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

“Some people are bewildered we do this but it is our way of life and we are tied to them as much as they are to us.

“It is a real commitment but we want to do this and we enjoy it because of the rewards.”

- Lloyd and Rose Buck: Our Life with Birds is at the Octagon in Yeovil at 7.30pm on Wednesday, February 7.

Tickets cost £15.50 - £13.50.

These can be bought online at octagon-theatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01935 422884.

This show is illustrated with Lloyd and Rose’s own film footage and photography and is suitable for all ages.

It promises to be an interactive wildlife experience like no other!