I'd agree a jackdaw is an excellent bird, I had one that followed me to school.
As for BOP the weight management is a real skill, can be overcome by buying an imprint bird, ie raised from a chick by humans, but these can be VERY noisy and may show aggression when sexually mature
Remember BOP are not meant to be stroked (the oil in your fingers can damage plumage)
As a rule of thumb the smaller the bird the easier it is to kill it! hence kestrels, spars etc are difficult.
Heres a very young 'Sighthound' with his jackdaw