In 2020, after 30 years in IT / simulation, I started as a volunteer in a raptor conservancy. It’s an outdoor job: in rain or shine, hot or cold, the birds still need their aviaries cleaning, and the weeds in the grounds don’t stop growing. The experts on the bird team are perhaps 30 years younger than me, and I will never be as good as they are at handling prima-donna falcons and flying-psychopath eagles. This has been a superb exercise in learning humility and the need to earn respect based on getting menial jobs done rather than one’s past glories.

The pay off is the privilege of being able to help with the flying displays, and having these stunning birds fly to you over the heads of the excited audience when you correctly give the "I've got food" signal they've been trained to recognise.

> What are people from the community here going to start to learn for the first time this year

Continuing learning how to handle these magnificent animals and to work with them to create impressive experience for the visitors.