We had a very interesting day out yesterday at this fairly local venue.
After the usual horrible journey having to double back because of one road being closed, we were ready for a cup of tea! The venue has a pleasant cafe and generous pots of tea, which were very welcome.
This charity was set up nearly 30 years ago and has won many awards for their conservation work. We weren't sure what to expect, but it was much bigger than I'd thought. You could walk round the aviaries and see all sorts of birds, and the handlers were full of enthusiasm and knowledge.
We saw three flying displays - all in large open areas where the birds were free to fly wherever they chose. We saw 3 or 4 different species of eagles and hawks, lots of species of vultures - looking more benign that the traditional image of a vulture. After listening to the commentary about them, you see them in a different light. The falcons were also impressive, and incredibly fast. The last display was owls from huge grey owls to little tawny owls, and of course a Harry Potter barn owl.
We wondered if they lost birds, and occasionally they do disappear, but they all have GPS trackers and someone will go and collect them from wherever they end up.
I'll put a couple of photos up later. I didn't get many decent shots - mostly they were of our feet as we ducked low when birds the size of turkeys flew at reckless speeds inches above our heads. At one time there were about 20 birds swooping round and over us - definitely not for anyone with a bird phobia!
There were also wild birds, including red kites, flying around.
We'll definitely go back with the GDs when hopefully the weather will be a bit warmer!
After the usual horrible journey having to double back because of one road being closed, we were ready for a cup of tea! The venue has a pleasant cafe and generous pots of tea, which were very welcome.
This charity was set up nearly 30 years ago and has won many awards for their conservation work. We weren't sure what to expect, but it was much bigger than I'd thought. You could walk round the aviaries and see all sorts of birds, and the handlers were full of enthusiasm and knowledge.
We saw three flying displays - all in large open areas where the birds were free to fly wherever they chose. We saw 3 or 4 different species of eagles and hawks, lots of species of vultures - looking more benign that the traditional image of a vulture. After listening to the commentary about them, you see them in a different light. The falcons were also impressive, and incredibly fast. The last display was owls from huge grey owls to little tawny owls, and of course a Harry Potter barn owl.
We wondered if they lost birds, and occasionally they do disappear, but they all have GPS trackers and someone will go and collect them from wherever they end up.
I'll put a couple of photos up later. I didn't get many decent shots - mostly they were of our feet as we ducked low when birds the size of turkeys flew at reckless speeds inches above our heads. At one time there were about 20 birds swooping round and over us - definitely not for anyone with a bird phobia!
There were also wild birds, including red kites, flying around.
We'll definitely go back with the GDs when hopefully the weather will be a bit warmer!
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