Home->About Us->Valley of the Eagles

The Valley of the Eagles Demonstration

For many of our visitors, the 2pm Valley of the Eagles display is their favourite part of the day. During this display we tend to fly some of the larger birds at the park, and part of the appeal for our regular visitors is the unpredictable nature of the demonstration. The commentator usually has no idea what the birds will do, and although he may know which birds are going to fly this may change as well!
Set against the backdrop of Reg's Downland Meadow, the flying ground looks out across a broad valley and offers a view of several miles. Of particular benefit to the display are the prevailing westerly winds, which blow out of the valley. This means that on most days the birds are able to push off head into the wind directly in front of the visitors.

Valley of the Eagles - click on the image for a video clip (Windows Media format, 1.4MB)

The inspiration for the display came from one of our eagles called Danebury, who is a Bald Eagle. Danebury used to fly in the lower flying ground, until he decided it would be easier to cross the hedgerow and head out into the valley where there is more lift and more thermals. This usually resulted in him doing a wonderful demonstration completely out of sight. Following the purchase of Reg's Meadow, it seemed a good idea to take our visitors up to the meadow and watch Danebury fly out in the valley. This was how the demonstration began. Since then, many more birds have joined the two o'clock team, creating a marvellous spectacle in the valley.
When the wind blows easterly, we will sometimes take the eagles across the other side of the valley. From there, they make their way home. If the weather is at least reasonable, the birds will have some free time circling in the valley before heading for home. On warm days, local raptors will sometimes join our birds in the display. It is not unusual to find buzzards flying in to see what our birds are doing. Less common visitors during the display have included Ospreys, Marsh Harriers, Peregrine Falcons, Short-eared Owls and Red Kites. Apart from raptors, a large number of rooks and crows will also join the eagles as they fly in the valley. Some of these wild birds can be extremely territorial, and there will sometimes be dog-fights between our birds and the other locals.
Summer is the time when the display is at its best. With the warmer days, there is more thermal activity, making flying a lot easier for the birds. The eagles will sometimes go so high that they cannot be seen without field glasses. When this happens, what usually follows is a dramatic stoop as the eagles return to the fist. Some of the younger birds, who have less experience at such heights, will sometimes stay up for quite a while. This is not because they do not want to come back - they often don't know how to get down again!
One potential difficulty with the display is that the birds fly across the surrounding fields. At certain times of year, farm machinery will be doing the rounds. When this happens, any rabbits sitting out in the fields will be 'harvested'. The result is a large amount of very neatly presented eagle burgers'. Our eagles are particularly fond of take-away, and will make full use of any dead rabbits they find on the way home.
Valley of the Eagles is the biggest display at The Hawk Conservancy Trust, and can have as many as 15 birds representing six species from around the world. As with the other demonstrations, the commentary aims to be as informative as possible.

The images on this page are taken from actual Valley of the Eagles demonstrations, but not all of these species are currently flying in demonstration. It is our policy to give the team members rest years and years when they are kept paired for breeding purposes.

Species flying this year include Griffon Vulture, Bald Eagles, Brahminy Kite, Black Kites, and Bateleur Eagle.

	Micawber, our male demonstration Griffon Vulture. Image by Linda Wright
	The climax of the demonstration is the return of the Bald Eagles - the national symbol of the United States of America - from far across the valley. This to the stirring strains of the title track of Vangelis' album 1492 - Conquest of Paradise (album usually available in the Gift Shop). Photograph by Martin Jones-Gill. Video footage captured by your webmaster.

---