‘For twenty-five years, the Hawk Conservancy Trust has worked on and supported a long-term ringing project for African White-backed Vultures in South Africa. Supported by De Beers and working with local partners the Endangered Wildlife Trust and BirdLife South Africa, plus other partners including Gauntlet Conservation Trust and Puy du Fou, Trust team members spend two weeks each breeding season ringing chicks. With former lead and Head of Development at the Trust Andy Hinton now retired, this season Patrick King and I represented the Trust. The main focus is across De Beers’ Dronfield Reserve, an area with one of the […]
We are very excited to announce our 2025 Marion Paviour Award winner – Samik Bista! Samik’s work will be on the stunning Steppe Eagle. These Endangered eagles get their name from their preferred breeding habitat – the steppes of Central Asia. While the current estimate for their global population stands at just over 31,000 pairs and around 94,000 individuals in total, this is based on studies from 2015 and 2016, and there may well be fewer now as their population trend is declining. Alarmingly, a study in 2014 showed that Steppe Eagles are also impacted by exposure to diclofenac (a […]
With your dedicated support, our 60th Anniversary year has been one of our biggest yet. From helping us approach one of our most ambitious fundraising targets ever to massive steps forward in our conservation work, you’ve helped us fly in our mission of conserving birds of prey and their habitats. As this monumental year draws to a close, we’re reflecting on what we’ve achieved with your help, and looking ahead to what 2026 holds. Lappet-faced Vulture This year has seen us realise an exciting development in our conservation work – the launch of our very first ’tree-safe installations‘ to protect […]
Our 2023 Marion Paviour Award winner, Ivan and his work for that project, has recently been published in an academic journal – a fantastic achievement! We are proud to have supported Ivan in his project and this amazing milestone. Ivan’s study focused on the Critically Endangered Rüppell’s Vulture. While they are a resident species in Uganda, their only one known breeding site in the country is in the Luku Central Forest Reserve. With support from the Hawk Conservancy Trust Marion Paviour Award grant, Ivan documented their population size and breeding success at a small colony inside the reserve, and identified […]
As well as working with and flying our beautiful birds of prey, many members of our Bird Team work across other areas of the Hawk Conservancy Trust. Senior Bird Team member Jillian, who joined us early last year, works closely with our Principal Educator Jenny to engage with the thousands of students that visit each year. We caught up with Jillian to hear all about how special it is to watch students fall in love with birds of prey. “What a whirlwind of school workshops! After a busy summer, where in June alone we had over a thousand students come […]
Endangered Lappet-faced Vultures are on the brink of losing critical breeding opportunities in Kruger National Park. Breeding territories depend on a handful of key nest trees, yet elephants are destroying these trees at an alarming rate. Our monitoring has highlighted just how scarce these nest trees have become. With so few trees remaining, and the slow breeding cycle of Lappet-faced Vultures, the urgency to act is clear, and we think we might have the solution to protect these trees. Although Kruger National Park is home to one of the largest remaining populations of Lappet-faced Vultures in southern Africa, we estimate […]
We’re delighted to introduce brand new Bird Team member Leainya to the Hawk Conservancy Trust! Her passion for birds of prey was sparked by visits to the Trust from a young age, so it’s wonderful to welcome her to the team. We’re sure you’ll give her a warm welcome on your next visit! “Hello! My name is Leainya and I am so excited to have joined the Bird Team this September! It was a visit to the Trust when I was 12 that cemented my interest in birds of prey, so much so that I was lucky enough to volunteer […]
Last week, we said a fond farewell to our 2025 Conservation and Research Intern, Sorcha. Over her five month placement with us, generously funded by the Cameron Bespolka Trust, Sorcha has supported much of our work, including our onsite biodiversity, bird of prey population and small mammal population surveys. Plus, she even supported ringing Kestrel chicks as part of our Raptor Nest Box Project! “Unfortunately, my time here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust has come to an end. These past five months have been absolutely jam-packed and I’m not sure where to begin, but I will try my best to describe some of the […]
Have a Hawk Conservancy Trust Halloween! Over the October half term (Saturday 25 October – Sunday 2 November) enjoy an autumnal day out in the Hampshire countryside, surrounded by the beauty of nature as the seasons change, and our beautiful birds swooping and soaring overhead. PLUS spooky added extras for this week only – all included in your ticket price! Spooky Owl Show If you go down to the woods this week, you’re in for a spooky surprise! During October half term only, our Woodland Wonders flying display transforms into our special Spooky Owl Show. Bring the family along to […]
Migration is one of the riskiest times in a bird’s life, and sadly, many migratory species are seeing their numbers drop. One such species is the Egyptian Vulture, the only true migrant among the Old World vultures, and currently listed as Endangered. These remarkable birds come in two populations: one spread across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, and the other in central and south Asia. Protecting migratory birds is not an easy task. They face a range of threats depending on where they are, be that where they are breeding, where they are spending the winter, or where they […]
