Whilst fiIming a documentary on falconers in the woods, I became seriously ill and had a near death experience that almost cost me my reproductive system and fertility. This had occurred due to my IUD contraception which created pelvic inflammation. It contextualised the importance of what fertility means despite the contemporary outlook that our society may have. Instinct and perhaps learnt behaviours - even coincidence and fortune telling - play a large role in emotional attachments to these functionalities. I used my time being hospitalised along with footage of falconry in my film to highlight these themes and how in turn nature is taken for granted. In medieval times, Falconry and fishing were the most popular sport amongst royalty. Once commoners began to use these birds of prey, laws were passed to set a hierarchical standard for which birds could be used. Falconry also dates back to ancient Greece, where men and boys would practice in marshes. As humans, we often put ourselves above others, above nature, but our tribal, spiritual and natural histories depend on these elements. Fish are of the water and often the victims, ferrets and rabbits under the earth, the falcons in the air as victors and the humans deeming themselves facilitators. Though each have a purpose and were once free, they have been priced, hunted, limited, and owned to the benefit and detriment to ourselves.
