Scarlett lived at a number of other collections before she joined us at the Trust. She was even in the care of Miriam from our Bird Team before she too joined the Trust! In her time with us, she has proven to be an absolute favourite amongst photographers lucky enough to capture her beauty in Photographic Experiences. She has also flown in some of our quieter displays and experiences, preferring smaller groups of people.

Tom Morath, who has most recently been caring for and working closely with Scarlett, said, “I am very sorry indeed to that Scarlett has passed away having worked with her last year for around six months. She was a beautiful bird of experience and true character. She’d look at me with a knowing eye and probably trained me more than I trained her – she’d done it all before! I had the great privilege during that time to fly her in Reg’s Wildflower Meadow just her and I and even a handful of times for our British Bird Encounter. To see her up in the air, alongside her wild counterparts and commanding the sky, was magical. I’ll also miss her morning greeting as I walk to get ready for the day – she always had something to say to anyone who passed by.”

In the autumn of last year, Scarlett was diagnosed with a heart condition linked with old age. She received treatment for this and responded well. However, just before the New Year she quickly took a turn for the worse and was rushed to our vet. Sadly, there was nothing more that we could do for her and so we took the heart-breaking decision to have her put to sleep.