As the summer is behind us, our winter timetable returns. This means our summer flying team of birds begin their winter rest period. When weather conditions change which may not suit their natural flying style as well as at other times of the year, they get the opportunity for a period of rest. Some of these birds will moult through a new set of feathers during this time, while they are resting and relaxing. Wild Birds don’t have the same luxury as our birds, they will moult a new set without the chance for a winter rest. While they take […]
In September, we hosted the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE) UK symposium – the first of its kind! Gary Benton, Tom Morath and James Knight represented the Hawk Conservancy Trust at this event, giving talks about how we work alongside our incredible birds in flying displays and events. We also invited symposium attendees to the Trust for the day to get an insight into life at the Trust! Hear from James Knight all about his experience. It has been a busy couple of weeks here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust! With the buzz of the summer holidays […]
What is our previous Conservation and Research Intern Mel up to now? Our Conservation and Research Internships are designed to train early career conservationists with many of the skills they will need for a career in conservation, including data analysis, conservation communication and data collection. We are grateful to Investec for financially supporting our interns and their investment helps these budding conservationists contribute to the conservation of birds of prey in the UK and their habitats alongside our Conservation and Research team at the Hawk Conservancy Trust. We are delighted that Investec have also been able to support one of […]
Have you been along to see our brand new flying display this year? Masters of the Sky is our biggest daily flying display yet! Who better to talk to you all about it than the man who came up with the concept and led the Bird Team (and birds) to creating this incredible spectacle of birds in flight – our Deputy Head of Living Collection, Tom Morath? ‘At the Hawk Conservancy Trust, we have a mission – to conserve birds of prey. That’s it. It’s that simple. But as simple as it sounds, there’s an awful lot of conserving to […]
The hatching of three vulture chicks at the the Hawk Conservancy Trust is a hard-fought win for two of the world’s most threatened species of bird. The two African White-backed Vulture chicks and one Hooded Vulture chick are among the most threatened species of birds globally. Some 70% of vulture species have an unfavourable conservation status meaning they are at risk of extinction. The recently hatched chicks are particularly important because they represent vital and substantial progress towards creating a sustainable safety-net population. African White-backed and Hooded Vultures are Critically Endangered with rapidly decreasing populations across their African range. Over […]
Friday 4 August 2023 is International Owl Awareness Day, and here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust we think owls are a hoot! Everyday we celebrate the wonderful world of owls – come along and find out more our work with these mystical creatures, how you can experience the magic of owls for yourself, and what we’re doing to help conserve them. Woodland Owls Display If you’ve ever wanted to get close to owls, our Woodland Owls display is your chance! Witness an array of beautiful owls skim silently over your head and discover more about these beautiful creatures in this […]
Bird Team member and Events Coordinator Ben Cox has been working closely with Azura, our Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle for a few years now. Azura is an absolutely beautiful bird to watch in flight, but is a very reserved and sensitive girl. Carry on reading to find out more about this pair’s special bond, and how Azura’s flight training is coming along ahead of her joining our brand new flying display: Masters of the Sky! “Azura is a 10 year old Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, who came to live with us in 2013 from a collection in Spain when she was 3 months old. […]
This week, our annual DreamNight event returned to provide a special evening for local children who face more challenges than most. The return of the Trust’s ‘DreamNight’ event, following a hiatus during the Covid 19 pandemic, welcomed over 200 children along with their families and carers from local hospices, youth charities, and children’s support groups. They all came along to enjoy an exclusive evening of inspiration and entertainment featuring a fantastic flying display with a chance to see the our birds fly exhilaratingly close. It was great to hear the Trust come alive with excited cheers from the children as […]
Jenny Abery has joined the Hawk Conservancy Trust’s Education team as our brand new Principal Educator! We are delighted to have Jenny on board. She joined us at the beginning of May and has already been getting busy working with our Bird Team on our educational visits! Read more from Jenny: ‘Thank you for the warm welcome to the Hawk Conservancy Trust, I am thrilled to be a part of the team and am very excited to get stuck into the new role. Since graduating from the University of Southampton in 2016, I have had many different roles, including working […]
We are very excited to introduce our latest recipient of the Marion Paviour Award for 2022, Sopani Sichinga. Sopani is a BSc Forestry graduate from Mzuzu University in Malawi, and has been working with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) mainly in the Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve in northern Malawi. His research project for the award focuses on assessing the Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) in and around Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve. Currently, Martial Eagles here are reported as being resident although a comprehensive assessment of the population has not been carried out despite concerns about recent declines in […]
