WALLY, THE UPSIDE-DOWN EAGLE


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THE SONG    WALLY'S STORY





Wally the Eagle you're in show-biz.
You do your turn each day down at the Hall
You do your best to look wild and ferocious...
but Wally, you're a con-man, 'cos you're not like that at all....

Wally have some pride - you're the King of the Birds!
Don't just lie there with your talons in the air...
waiting to be tickled with your little eyes glowing...
Are you sure you're not a budgie that just kept on growing?
You won't fly in the rain 'cos it gets you all harrassed
and you fall off your perch when you get embarrassed!
I know that kind of action's not illegal
but it's hardly the behaviour of a regal eagle!...

Think about the symbol of the USA
the Roman legions marched behind you too...
With wings outstretched you made a noble start to the procession...
I hardly think that, upside down, you'd make the same impression!
Wally - you're a bird of prey - get out and catch some rabbits....
You'll lose your reputation if you don't change your habits!
Wally can't you be a little bolder?
Please don't go to sleep with your head on my shoulder...

I went to the library for books on birds
I even read old Audubon right through...
There were peregrines and peacocks,
there were sparrowhawks and seagulls
but he never made a mention of upside-down eagles!
Wally you and I - we are birds of a feather.
We eccentric showbiz types had better stay together!...
They made a movie 'bout a moody little seagull...
And a million from a certain little beagle...
So why not Wally - the Upside-Down Eagle?

Lyrics & Music: © Rosie Hardman 1978


THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG


In 1978 I recorded a song called 'Eagle Over Blue Mountain' as the title track for my first album with Plant Life Records. I was on tour in the north of England and whilst I was there someone told me about a number of birds of prey who were flown free in falconry displays at Leighton Hall, Lancashire. I went to see the displays and it turned out that they were being given by Alan Oswald, a chap who ran a local, bird of prey, rescue centre called 'Raptor Rescue'.

Two of Alan's birds were Bugsy (a Spanish Imperial Eagle) and Wally - a Wahlberg's eagle from Africa. I saw Wally and for me it was love at first sight. He was a character in many ways but probably his most memorable and endearing habit was that he liked you to gently turn him over and lay him in your arms to have his tummy tickled. If you did it for long enough he would roll his eyes in ecstasy and even sometimes fall asleep....


...waiting to be tickled with your little eyes glowing....

It would seem ludicrous to believe this story if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes... so thank goodness I had some photos taken! The one above shows Wally and I, hand-in-talon, enjoying a friendship that is unique in my experience.... he was a remarkable creature and despite the eagle's fierce reputation he showed a gentleness that was almost unbelievable. He never wore a hood and in all the time I knew him he showed not the slightest tendency to bite. I have known budgies that terrified me yet Bugsy (see below) I liked a lot.... and Wally I loved, with a passion. When I stayed at Raptor Rescue he sometimes slept perched on a chair next to my bed and was quite a sight to wake up to.....

Alan taught me a lot about birds of prey and falconry and eventually, to help publicise Raptor Rescue and add a unique twist to the 'Eagle Over Blue Mountain tour' Alan brought both Wally and Bugsy (official (posh) name Pegasus - see picture. ) to the concerts. The theory was that Wally would fly to my arm on the stage at the given cue but unfortunately he had a penchant for beer and would sometimes detour to the nearest table and stick his head in a glass.... For me it was embarrassing to say the least..... but Wally seemed to think it was great fun.....

To see Wally in action, take a look at my Autobiography where you can see him in full flight, buzzing my audience!


...Wally the eagle - you're in show biz!....
The star of the show - and me!...


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My grateful thanks to Heather S at HAWK'S AERIE
for use of the drawing which somehow captures Wally's
spirit even though she never met him! It is perfect!