About Me

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Westward Ho!, Devon, United Kingdom
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About David Rampling

Me and 'Stich' my Gyr x Saker. Giving a demo with my 'Madonna' headset. 2010... I had such lovely hair once!
My name is David Rampling and for those of you that do not know me here is a quick synopsis of my life :-

I was born in Reading in 1963, but spent my childhood in rural Suffolk surrounded by the wildlife that was to become an obsession. My interest in natural history started with Jackdaws, Magpies, Lizards and Snakes. I hunted with ferrets, lurchers and terriers. Rabbits, Hares, Rats, Coypu and Foxes were caught and often eaten by my family.

On my fourteenth birthday, my father bought me an old book about falconry and it changed my life forever. Birds of prey filled my thoughts day and night. I have trained and hunted with birds of prey ever since.

I studied farm management at Agricultural College. My Sparrowhawk came to college with me every day, and we hunted during lunch-break. I went on to run the college farm and then later to manage a hill farm in Scotland on the Island of Mull, and I got to watch Golden Eagles soaring over my lambing fields. Eventually I moved to the east coast of Scotland to manage an Arable farm which surrounded a Deer park, a fly fishing Trout farm and one of the UKs first Falconry centres. In what spare time I had I learned to manage a team of birds and do flying demonstrations. I eventually gave up the farming and became head falconer.

I moved to Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel in 1993 and there I met the girl who was to become my wife, and it was on Lundy, with its falconry and pirate history, and with no distractions, that I first picked up a paintbrush.

I stayed in North Devon and became a self employed falconer running small centres. For the last ten years I have run the North Devon bird of prey centre based at the MilkyWay Adventure Park near Clovelly. Here you can see my collection of birds, watch my demonstrations, and visit my small Art Gallery. In the winter I hunt with my hawks and I paint. My birds of prey are my favourite subjects, but now I enjoy painting anything. If you look though my site you will see pictures of both birds and mammals, wild and domestic. There are also portraits and panoramas.

I now live in Westward Ho! North Devon, with my wife Louise and my two youngest children, Jack and Katie.

Read the Blog here.

Paintings from RamplingArt

Portrait of ChunkyEagle OwlKestrelStoatKingfisherPortrait