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WIN a day with the Bird Team!

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WIN a day with the Bird Team at the Hawk Conservancy Trust!

Enter our fundraising raffle to win this money-can’t-buy experience to be an extra member of our Bird Team for the day!

You and a friend will join us for a full day when we will invite you behind-the-scenes to areas not normally open to the public. You will have an opportunity to help with the day-to-day care of our birds, including handling, flying and enrichment sessions. Plus there’ll be a chance to work with a variety of species that call the Hawk Conservancy Trust home, whilst learning more about the techniques we use to train our birds.

On this special day, there will also be an opportunity for you to be involved in one of our three world-class flying displays!

During the day, we’ll also give you an insight into some of the techniques we use to create the flying displays that we are best-known for. With an expert at your fingertips, this will be the perfect time for you to ask everything you wish to know about working with our impressive birds and the Trust.

Please note that the exact activities included in this special experience may vary from those advertised and will be dependent on the time of year booked.

Raffle will close at midnight on 31 December 2023, and be drawn on Monday 1 January 2024 and notified within the week.

Terms and Conditions apply

Be inspired on our brand new Tree Trail!

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From this May half term, discover the fascinating world of some of the trees we have here at the Trust on our brand new Tree Trail!

At the Hawk Conservancy Trust, we are all about conserving birds of prey and their habitats: trees are vital habitats to many birds of prey and the food they eat. Our 22 acre grounds are home to over 80 different species of tree, the most common including Elder, Silver Birch, Hornbeam, Hazel, Beech, Ash and Hawthorn.

As well as native species, we also have 45 non-native tree species which create a home for many different species, increasing habitats for our beautiful British wildlife. Most of the trees on site were planted by the founders of the Hawk Conservancy Trust, and we are planning on planting more native species in the coming years!

This May half term, be sure to collect your handout and join us on this inspiring new addition to our timetable to find out why trees are so vital and what we can do to help conserve our beautiful British wildlife. Fun for the whole family, follow the trail around our grounds to see and learn about these 11 different tree species, as well as the conservation and research we are undertaking at the Trust to continue conserving birds of prey and their habitats.

Bringing children along? Get the kids involved with deciphering the secret message we’ve hidden along the way!

Join us on this fascinating Tree Trail to discover all about trees, which species call them home, and how we can help trees that benefit our beautiful native wildlife.

 

 

 

Masters of the Sky: A brand new flying display

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From this April, join us at 2pm every day to witness our brand new flying display for our summer timetable: Masters of the Sky!

In the majesty of Reg’s Wildflower Meadow, watch in wonder and awe as we showcase the most amazing birds of prey from around the world, all together in one incredible new display. These species will highlight birds of prey and their exceptional adaptations – from some of the biggest birds of prey to the fastest, the most intelligent birds and the most vulnerable.

Masters of the Sky will feature the most birds we’ve ever flown in one of our daily flying displays, as well as the widest range of species too. You’ll see some of our biggest birds take to the skies in ways you’ve never seen before – taking off from our brand new 8m tall towers and soaring overhead in breath-taking flights.

There will be birds with starring roles that we’ve never flown in our daily timetabled displays before, including Azura the Black-chested Buzzard Eagle wowing us with her impressive wingspan, Miti the Bateleur Eagle displaying his unique flying style, and Warrior the African Hawk-Eagle soaring across the open sky. Flo the Crested Caracara will also be returning to displays, showing off her nest building skills for the very first time in an exciting segment.

Of course, there’ll be returning favourites making special appearances in the display, but perhaps differently to how you’ve seen them before. Our cheeky team of Hooded Vultures will still be getting close to you in the audience, our Bald Eagles will still demonstrate their powerful flights across Reg’s Wildflower Meadow, and fan-favourite Egyptian Vulture Boe will still stoop in from hundreds of feet up high.

Accompanying our birds will be beautiful soundtracks, carefully curated to fit the magnitude of these amazing birds, and our signature commentary from our passionate Bird Team. To top off this spectacular display, we’ll bring you a truly unique and jaw-dropping finale – without giving anything away we can tell you it will be a finale that we’re sure you’ll never forget.

Be sure to visit us this summer from Saturday April 1 to catch Masters of the Sky in action everyday at Reg’s Wildflower Meadow from 2pm!

 

Towers built with funding from the Loddon and Test LEADER Programme and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Allez Cedric!

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National Bird of Prey HospitalTM Manager Cedric Robert is once again lacing up his running shoes and hitting the road in his first attempt at the London Marathon to raise money for the Hawk Conservancy Trust!

Inspired by the incredible effort and support of Bird Team member and Registrar Ryan Stephens, who ran the London Marathon last year and raised nearly £12,000 for the National Bird of Prey HospitalTM, Cedric wanted to do his part to support the Trust.

This time around, Cedric has chosen to raise funds to support the work of our UK Conservation Biologist Matt Stephens, and his hard work on our Raptor Nest Box Project!

Bird of prey and owl Christmas gifts - Amazon Wishlist

Speaking on his marathon bid, Cedric said:

“Ryan did such an amazing job of running his first ever marathon last year, and raising so much money for the National Bird of Prey HospitalTM at the same time, the area of the Hawk Conservancy Trust that I manage! It’s now only fair I put my running shoes back on and do my part to help another team member at the Trust with the area they look after.  A bit like the relay baton, I suppose!

I am so excited to be taking part in the 2023 London Marathon in April, raising funds for our incredible Raptor Nest Box Project. This project is very close to my heart. Matt (Dr Matt Stevens, UK Conservation Biologist) and I work closely together when wild birds of prey come into our National Bird of Prey HospitalTM. The condition of these sick, orphaned or injured birds can give us an indication of what life is like for wild birds around the country. By understanding how these birds end up coming into our care, we can find out how we can help to conserve them.

I want to run this marathon to help Matt to continue the conservation work of UK species of birds of prey such as Barn Owls, Tawny Owls, Little Owls and Kestrels. This is a project that is really special to me because I treat and work with many of these wild species when they are brought to the hospital. It is especially important for Kestrels and Tawny Owls, who’s UK Conservation status’ are both Amber. I am hoping to raise enough money to fund new equipment for Matt, who spends most of his time out in the field installing, repairing and monitoring over 1000 nest boxes – his dedication is truly inspiring. This equipment will help us learn more about the lives of these birds in the wild, and what we can do to help them.

Each time we successfully rehabilitate and release a bird back into the wild after treatment in our Hospital, I wonder whether they’ll end up using one of our nest boxes to build a family. Wouldn’t that just be incredible?”

Cedric is a seasoned marathon runner, with multiple marathons under his belt. He actually prefers off-road marathons running through the countryside, and has only ever taken part in one road marathon in the past. His fastest time ever for a marathon in the countryside was an outstanding 3 hours and 52 minutes – imagine how fast he might be on London’s tarmacked streets!

If you’d like to support Cedric’s efforts in raising enough money to fund new equipment for our Raptor Nest Box Project, you can make a donation on Cedric’s fundraising page here.

 

Enter our Winter Woodland Lights Facebook competition!

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Competition now closed.

Enter our Winter Woodland Lights Facebook competition to win two tickets to our sparkling Winter Woodland Lights event!

Bird of prey and owl Christmas gifts - Event Tickets

Join our Facebook competition and be in with a chance to win tickets for you and one other person to come along to an evening out like no other. Discover a new illuminated trail, delicious food in Feathers Restaurant, dazzling lights bringing the Trust grounds to life, and spectacular owl flight in an unforgettable finale.
 
The competition ends at 10am January 6 2023. One winner will be drawn at random from the comments below. The dates chosen and tickets allocated (either adult or child tickets) will be allocated when the competition closes.

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National Bird of Prey Hospital™ Annexe opened by wildlife presenter Megan McCubbin

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TV wildlife presenter, zoologist and conservationist Megan McCubbin has officially opened a new annexe at the National Bird of Prey HospitalTM near Andover, Hampshire – increasing the facility’s capacity to care for injured and sick birds of prey.

The new annexe has been built to expand capacity, so there is potential to treat and rehabilitate more than 200 orphaned, injured and sick birds of prey each year.  Birds are often brought to the facility by members of the public or transferred from other wildlife centres and the patients are predominantly victims of road traffic accidents; youngsters that have fallen from nests; and sometimes birds that have been targeted by persecution activities.

Operated by the Hawk Conservancy Trust, a specialist bird of prey conservation charity, the hospital is also involved in breeding programmes and research for the conservation of species both in the UK and overseas.

Funded from donations from Animal Friends and public donations from Graham & Rita Morgan, Carline Stelling in memory of David Stelling, and Maureen Dixon in memory of Valerie Roberts, the new annexe features not only additional space, but also improved access for anyone bringing a bird for assessment and treatment and its modern construction further improves biosecurity.

The hospital is located at the Hawk Conservancy Trust’s visitor centre and the design of the new annexe makes it possible for educational visits to learn more about the hospital’s vital work.

To give you an insight into the fascinating work at the Hospital, we’ve gone behind the scenes with Hospital Manager Cedric Robert in our latest documentary – Stories from the Hospital. We hope that you enjoy it and continue to support the important work that the National Bird of Prey Hospital™ does daily.

WIN a day with the Bird Team at the Hawk Conservancy Trust!

Posted on: by

This raffle has now closed.

Enter our fundraising raffle to win this money-can’t-buy experience to be an extra member of our Bird Team for the day!

You and a friend will join us for a full day when we will invite you behind-the-scenes to areas not normally open to the public. You will have an opportunity to help with the day-to-day care of our birds, including handling, flying and enrichment sessions. Plus there’ll be a chance to work with a variety of species that call the Trust home, whilst learning more about the techniques we use to train our birds.

On this special day, there will also be an opportunity for you to be involved in one of our three world-class flying displays!

During the day, we’ll also give you an insight into some of the techniques we use to create the flying displays that we are best-known for. With an expert at your fingertips, this will be the perfect time for you to ask everything you wish to know about working with our impressive birds and the Trust.

Please note that the exact activities included in this special experience may vary from those advertised and will be dependent on the time of year booked.

Raffle will close at midnight on 31 December 2022, and be drawn on Monday 2 January 2023 and notified on the same day.

Terms and Conditions apply

 

 

Run Ryan Run!

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We’re excited to share that our Registrar and Bird Team member, Ryan Stephens is taking part in this year’s London Marathon. Ryan is hoping to raise £6500 to support the vital work of the National Bird of Prey HospitalTM. He has never run a marathon before – so it is a big challenge!

Ryan shares his story about finding solace in running, and how your support can make a difference:

“Growing up I was never really a sporty person. I enjoyed playing a little bit of badminton and tennis, but apart from that, I was always side-lined during PE lessons. However, I used to love doing cross-country runs, and I used to be pretty good at it!

Fast-forward 20 years, long distance running is still the only sport that I really enjoy and it is a fantastic way to relieve anxiety. I started to fully commit to distance running during the first COVID-19 lockdown, as like most people, I had little else to do. I put my running shoes on and off I went!

It was at this time I set myself my first major challenge of completing a half marathon around Reg’s Wildflower Meadow to fundraise just a little of the money the Trust lost. Together we raised just over £4000! I was blown away by the support and warmth from everyone, especially two of my fellow Bird Team members, Ben Cox and Ria May, who were instrumental to the success we had.

At the beginning of 2022, I found myself in quite a rut. It seemed to be a very wet and murky winter which felt never ending. I caught a nasty virus which caused quite a lot of anxiety and left me feeling pretty low. Just when I started to feel back to myself again, a place became available to participate in this year’s London Marathon thanks to Investec, the Trust’s official partners. I jumped at the opportunity, as I needed something to get myself back on track with a focus. The opportunity to train and raise funds for the Trust was just what I needed!

This will be the biggest challenge I have yet to undertake in my life, but under the guidance of marathon veteran and our National Bird of Prey HospitalTM Manager Cedric Robert, and the support from everyone at the Trust, I know I can do it. I hope to raise a fantastic amount for the National Bird of Prey HospitalTM – It is just the most uplifting feeling to see a young Tawny Owl come into the hospital in a sorry state and, with Cedric and his team’s care, returned back into the wild fit and healthy. Having worked and lived so closely with owls over the years, it is a well-known at the Trust that the owls (as well as the donkeys) are my favourites!

Roll on October, and look out for my training progress and updates along the way! I’m hoping you can help me beat my £4000 half-marathon figure and get somewhere near the amazing £8000 that Gary Benton raised in 2016 when he ran the London Marathon! Wouldn’t it be amazing if I beat him?”

Donate to Ryan’s fundraising page here.

Poison response training in Uganda

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We are delighted to share news of expansion of our vulture conservation work into Uganda, East Africa!

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First ever records of Egyptian Vulture migrations in Central Asia!

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We are very excited to be able to share the initial results from this project, showing the first recorded migration routes of Egyptian Vultures in Central Asia. (more…)

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