Allies of the air is a documentary series with script based on the book “Soltando pihuelas; Conocimiento y práctica de la cetrería”, written by Javier Ceballos and published by Clan Editorial (Madrid). It will take us to Spain, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Greece, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, China, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Zimbabwe, the United States….to explore the different approaches and attitudes to falconry, from its origins to the present day. We will discover peoples who continue to practice falconry precisely as they did 4,000 years ago, and others who in contrast employ the most modern techniques, such as using radio receivers to track their hawks. This method of hunting requires, in addition to considerable time and dedication on the part of the falconer, space in which to keep the bird, and a stretch of suitable countryside in which to hunt. It is not easy to find all these conditions together and much less all year round. Falconry is, therefore, today a minority interest. Allies of the air introduces the general public to a perfect alliance between man and animal, in its essence virtually unchanged in its thousands of years of history. We will witness the trapping of a bird in precisely the same manner as in the origins of this art. We will contrast this means of obtaining birds with modern breeding in captivity, the only authorised way to acquire birds of prey in many countries where numbers in the wild have been drastically reduced. Through the participation of representative falconers, we learn of the different stages in training and the bond which is formed between the falconer and his extraordinary hunting companion. Tenacity, sensitivity and self-denial form part of the character of those who have chosen this vocational form of slavery. We will enjoy the most spectacular scenes of the flight of falcons, goshawks and sparrowhawks pursuing and capturing different prey. We will see through the eyes of the falcon. From on high, we will scan the ground in search of the sought-after prey. Followed by the camera, suspended in the air in order to get the shot, we will gain an approximate idea of just how close the peregrine falcon comes to crashing into the ground each time it swoops down, simply in order to get something to eat. We will discover the most widely varied hunting arts, how these have evolved through history, and how they are now practiced in different cultures. We will follow its development, from the falconry of the Middle Ages, with its ostentation and social implications, to the self-sacrificing dedication of the contemporary falconer. We will also contrast the impressive resources employed by Arab sheiks, who travel in private planes with their teams of falcons to hunt down the mythical Houbara buzzard, with the traditional fox hunting of the Kyrgs on the Asian steppes, unchanged for thousands of years. We will witness different techniques in practice, using sparrowhawks to capture magpies, crowned eagles to hunt monkeys or golden eagles to hunt wolves. This extraordinary alliance between man and bird of prey has also been a constant source of artistic, literary and even iconographic inspiration. Different treatises are evidence that it was one of the first subjects dealt with in book form. Its influence can be seen in fields as diverse as music, painting, sculpture, poetry or photography. Kings and nobles were early on attracted by the spectacular nature of the sport – the casting off, the high flight, the sudden swoop, the thrilling chase of the sparrowhawks – and trained raptors became extremely valuable diplomatic gifts. By means of stiff laws, they conferred exclusivity on their favourite pastime. The best birds became sufficiently valuable to be used in payment of high ransoms of nobles. At the end of the tenth century, for example, king Sancho handed over the County of Castile to count Fernán González, in exchange for a sparrowhawk and a horse. In the education of nobles and knights, falconry was considered the most instructive of disciplines. Alphonse X The Wise was of that opinion. Almost a thousand years later, falconry today forms part of the school programme of a very different group of people: in Zimbabwe, falconry is taught as a school subject, complementing mathematics or literature in the comprehensive education of students. The falconers’ interest in birds of prey has not been restricted to their own game hawks, but has also maintained them alert to conservation in the wild. As a result of private initiatives, it is now possible to breed almost all hawk species in captivity. Projects with huge budgets use falconry techniques for breeding and repopulation of birds of prey. One particularly notable example is the way in which the peregrine falcon has been saved from extinction in the United States and Canada thanks to “Operation Peregrine”, an ambitious project promoted and directed by the eminent falconer and biologist Tom J. Cade. Falconry has also proven useful as a means of tackling the most diverse problems, in many different fields. Airports, space centres, environmental education centres, documentary producers, photographers or birds of prey recovery centres are just some examples. For several years now, a number of Spanish town councils have been working on projects to introduce hawks into their cities and natural spaces using falconry techniques.