My Sporting Companion: Erlan the golden eagle

Meet Erlan, John Mease's golden eagle, who regularly flies with the Fitzwilliam (Milton) Hunt

Erlan is a male golden eagle and his name means 'courageous one' in Kazakh. He'll be 21 this year and I've been flying him since he was 18 months old. I've spent so much time with him and we've just clicked effortlessly – it's like a horse or a dog, you sometimes get a once-in-a-lifetime animal that you can really bond with – he's got his quirks and he certainly has a character but we've just clicked.

He has a 6ft 4in wingspan and weighs in at over 8lbs, which doesn't sound like a lot but he is an immensely powerful bird. I've always been into birds of prey, right from when I could walk and climb trees. As a child I found a young sparrowhawk fallen out of his tree so I picked him up, went to the library to find a book on training birds and then even cut up mum's handbag to make a hood. That bird went back to the wild, but from then on, I was hooked.

As well as Erlan, I have another female golden eagle called Axel who I have inherited from a friend who sadly passed away. We have only just started working together and building up our friendship – eagles generally bond to one person so we're just getting to know one another at the moment.

The Fitzwilliam is my local pack and I've been employed by the hunt since 2004. Erlan is on hand to catch foxes flushed by the pack to the bird of prey, in line with the Hunting Act. I proudly wear the Fitzwilliam tweed, which is the same tweed that all the gamekeepers on the estate wear. I generally use a quad bike to get around – I can ride a horse but handling a horse and a golden eagle while mounting and dismounting out hunting is fairly tricky!

I fly Erlan on the estate every day throughout the season, depending on the weather. At the beginning of the season, September time, it's warm so we train early in the morning. He loves to fly and hunt – he is quite a quirky character and his favourite treat is the warm heart and lungs of whatever he catches! When I'm not out on the estate I also make falconry equipment – I was self-taught in leatherwork, although these days I don't need to wreck anyone's handbags!

Having an eagle is a way of life; he's not a pet, he's a part of my family. I've put my heart and soul into flying my birds and helping them to be the best they can be and Erlan is very special to me.