Callum I suggest that you do not read 'Nick Fox Understanding Birds of Prey' this book is for already practising falconers and baffles a lot of them! it is a brilliant work but not targeted at your level. Phillip Glasiers Falconry and Hawking remains the defininative work for the novice to read.

Use your local falconry centre to access a local club where you can have direct contact with falconers who have no financial interest in encouraging and helping you. Sadly many falconry centre are owned and run by people with very little real experience of Falconry take my advise and learn real falconry from a real falconer avoid people who own nothing but owls and think they are a falconers they are not. Most Falconers at centres have no experience beyond flying for display purposes they can only teach you basics.