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Pleser eich cyfarfod chi, Poppy!

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Flying in from Wales, we’re excited to welcome Bird Team member Poppy to the Trust. With a lifelong passion for birds of prey, conservation and education, she moved all the way to Hampshire to join our team after working with birds of prey for five years in Carmarthen. Read more about Poppy below.

” Hello! My name is Poppy, and I’m thrilled to have recently joined the team here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust! Originally from Carmarthenshire in South Wales, I’ve made the big move to Andover to follow a lifelong passion for birds of prey, conservation, and education.

My background is a little unique—I began by studying for a Level 3 Diploma in Animal Management, but I also had a strong love for performance, which led me to a Level 3 in Performing Arts and then a scholarship place on the Young Actors scheme at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. I later went on to complete a BA in Welsh-language Performance at university.

Eventually, I found myself being drawn back to the animal world and began working at Manor Park Wildlife Zoo in Pembrokeshire, where I cared for a wide variety of species, from squirrel monkeys and Southern White Rhinos to lemurs and more. From there, my career led me into the skies—quite literally—when I joined The British Bird of Prey Centre as a falconer.

I spent five wonderful years there, working with a range of native raptors and developing a deep understanding of British species, conservation, and restraint-free training. I had the privilege of working with everything from the elusive Honey Buzzard to the magnificent White-tailed Sea Eagles, who played a vital ambassadorial role in the Eagle Reintroduction Wales project. I also led many of our educational initiatives, delivering wildlife sessions to schools and communities across Wales. Alongside this, I managed the Centre’s social media accounts, sharing the stories of our birds and the important educational work we were doing with a wider audience.

During this time, I completed the Neil Forbes Management of Raptors Health and Longevity course, gaining hands-on experience in avian nutrition, health checks, and veterinary techniques. Whilst I was there, I even had the chance to share my work on television, teaching footballer Jess Fishlock how to fly eagles—and how to speak a bit of Welsh too!

Now, I’m beyond excited to be starting a new chapter with the Hawk Conservancy Trust. I’ve long admired the Trust’s dedication to conservation, scientific research, and public engagement. The work being done here to conserve both native and global bird of prey species is truly inspiring, and it’s an honour to be part of a team so passionate about making a difference. I’m really looking forward to learning from everyone—humans and birds alike—and getting stuck in with all the brilliant work the Trust is doing.

As a fluent Welsh speaker, I’d love to offer a warm croeso to any visitors from Wales—if you come to visit, I’d be delighted to have a chat in Cymraeg. And if you’re not a Welsh speaker, I’d still love to teach you a few fun Welsh words while you’re here!

See you at the Trust!”

An update from Kenya

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Our Marion Paviour Award winner for 2024, Kioko has been busy in the field, with him and his team making great headway.

Kioko’s project aims to reduce human-wildlife conflict and protect critically endangered vulture populations in Laikipia, Kenya. He is particularly focusing on engaging local communities and collaborating with them as a way to achieve his objectives.

So far Kioko has made great progress, balancing research work in the field as well as engaging with local communities and forming positive relationships in these spaces. The team has established a growing Vulture Guardian network in local communities as well as rapid response protocols to poisoning events, and while this is still in the early stages, Kioko and his team are already recording a reduction in poisoning events in their targeted areas. In addition, communities have started to become more proactive in reporting any suspicious activities and potential poisoning events they see – something that was not occurring at all beforehand.

Perhaps most encouraging is the appearance of a shift in perceptions by members of local communities. Many members of the communities Kioko is working with, now view vultures as beneficial rather than harmful, with Kioko reporting that many are requesting training on how to safely handle poisoned vultures and are reporting any incidents. All these efforts are important steps toward creating a healthier and more sustainable environment for vultures across the wider Laikipia area. By actively involving local communities, these efforts also help lay the groundwork for long-term support, ensuring that residents not only understand the value of vultures but also become advocates for their protection and future conservation strategies – a key objective behind Kioko’s project.

In addition, Kioko has broadened his outreach efforts within these communities to raise awareness about the dangers posed by road traffic and powerlines, not just to vultures, but to a wide range of wildlife. By highlighting these threats, which can sometimes be overlooked, his work is encouraging a more thoughtful and proactive approach to wildlife conservation. The hope is that this growing awareness will continue to shift public attitudes, nurturing a stronger, more widespread culture of respect and stewardship for wildlife across the region.

We are also getting excited for what might be coming next our Marion Paviour Award, with applications open for our 2025 award until the end of August. Past applications have come in from many parts of the world and for many different species and we are looking forward to seeing many incredible and beneficial projects that will help conserve birds of prey. We are pleased to be able to offer a slightly increased award of £1250 this year – get those applications in! The full details of the award criteria and application process can be found by clicking this link.

Meet Aderyn

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We’re delighted to welcome a second intern into our Conservation, Education and Research Team! Meet Aderyn, our Conservation Education Intern, who joined us in May to support our education delivery. In her first month, she’s already been supporting school visits with welcome talks and workshops – read below to hear more about her time so far. We are grateful to the Cameron Bespolka Trust for funding this Internship.

“Hello, my name is Aderyn, and this spring I had the pleasure of starting at the Hawk Conservancy Trust as the Conservation Education Intern! I have been working with children for 10 years now – all starting with running an afterschool club at a local first school as part of my Bronze Arts Award project! I then continued my work experience in a first school at 14, specifically as an assistant for Years 2 and 3. More recently I have been working as an education volunteer for the Wessex Rivers Trust; attending assemblies and events.

However, I also have a passion for science and nature and last year I achieved my BSc (Hons) Environmental Science from the University of Plymouth. My focuses were on environmental chemistry, specifically emerging contaminants, and biological conservation. After finishing my degree, I knew I wanted a job that was rooted in science, but I was unsure which direction to go with it. I was lucky enough to find this internship which combined my two interests perfectly and provided me with the opportunity to explore different aspects of my career such as education, conservation research, non-government organisations/charity work, animal care and management, marketing and branding, and so much more! It’s been such a pleasure working daily with school children again!

My first month at the Trust has been filled with school workshops, events planning, and assisting with bird flying! My highlights have been holding the chatty Burrowing Owls, feeding Angola the Secretary Bird, assisting with school visits (especially showing children different types of feathers!), and creating a new accessible sensory experience for SEND children. I’ve been lucky enough to hold a Barn Swallow nestling whilst it was being ringed too!

I’m excited to continue leading different aspects of school visits and developing activities for our Dream Night, Big Wild Weekend, and International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD) events. I look forward to further developing my skills and knowledge with the lovely Hawk Conservancy Trust Team!”

©2025 Hawk Conservancy Trust