FEATHERED friends and foes will fly into Haworth next month to help celebrate Emily Brontë’s interest in birds.

The centrepiece is a new commission by artist Kate Whiteford, entitled Wings of Desire, which explores Emily’s hawk Nero through film.

Families can get involved in art activities during the half-term holidays and there will also be a chance to see real birds of prey.

Wings of Desire, part of the 200th anniversary celebrations of Emily’s birth, runs from May 25 to July 23 at the Brontë Parsonage Museum.

Kate Whiteford has used aerial photography to create a bird’s eye view of the landscape around the Parsonage and across the moors to Top Withens, reputedly the setting for Emily’s novel Wuthering Heights.

Whiteford will meditate upon the iconography of the bird of prey, its metaphorical properties and association with fight or flight, escape and predation.

The exhibition also includes a series of new works on paper, and a ‘hawkcam’ will allow Brontë enthusiasts to view the moors from the comfort of their armchair.

Kate Whiteford is a leading exponent of land art, bringing together painting, drawings, tapestry, film and archaeology by transforming sites worldwide from remote Hebridean islands, to the hills above Nairobi, to inner-city Coventry.

Her Brontë project was featured on the BBC’s Countryfile programme of the Easter weekend, with filming from Haworth.

SMJ Falconry will visit Parson’s Field behind the museum on May 27 to introduce visitors to some of the birds of prey that feature in Kate Whiteford’s film, including the tiny merlin hawk similar to Emily’s Nero.

Visitors will be able to witness flying displays with a variety of incredible birds, from the amazing speed of Peregrine falcons to the fantastic ability for red kites.

During the session, which runs from 10am to 4pm, people will be able to handle the birds and talk with SMJ Falconry’s specialist team.

The activity is free with admission to the museum, as is a Wild Wednesday! family workshop to be held on May 30 inside the museum.

The title is Flights of Fancy, and it will focus on Emily’s love of birds and her novel Wuthering Heights, where many birds are mentioned, such as larks, lapwings, linnets and cuckoos.

Emily even looked after a hawk with a broken wing for a while, which she called Nero, and she painted a picture of him.

Children will be inspired by Emily and all feathery things, and can make their own bird out of paper with moving wings.

Wild Wednesday! runs from 11am to 4pm, and there are other children’s activities between May 28 and June 1, including museum trails, short guided walks and hands-on history sessions.

Visit bronte.org.uk/whats-on or call 01535 642323 for further information about all the activities.