Stories from the set

According to director Philippa Lowthorpe, all scenes with the hawks were shot without the use of computer graphics. Only in one of the hunting scenes was a pheasant, which was to become the hawk's prey, drawn using graphics.

To make the scenes with the hawk look natural, actress Claire Foy underwent an intensive two-week training course with five birds of prey. According to her trainer, if the birds had not accepted Claire, the film could not have been made.

The role of Mabel was played by five birds — four female goshawks and one male peregrine falcon. Each of the birds has its own personality, so they only took part in scenes that suited them.

Alisdair MacDonald was a British photojournalist who worked at The Daily Mirror for 26 years. Alisdair's photographs and cameras were used during the filming of the movie.

Brendan Gleeson deliberately chose a Scottish accent rather than the London accent of the real Alistair MacDonald. According to the actor, he does not resemble him physically, so he took this artistic liberty to create a similar image. Brendan also clarified that Helen MacDonald, Alistair's daughter and the author of the original book, approved this choice and said that her father would certainly have liked such a decision.