Ryan Stephens, Senior member of the Bird Team at the Hawk Conservancy Trust, has been the lucky chap working most closely with Mamba recently, one of our very impressive White-headed Vultures. Ryan reflects on how things have been going lately, as she reaches a poignant stage in her life. Mamba celebrated her 8th birthday with us this year, which means that she arrived at the point in her life where we would like to explore potential breeding opportunities for her. Listed as a Critically Endangered species under the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), the preservation of this species […]
Last year was a tough one for the species in our Raptor Nest Box Project – Barn Owls, Tawny Owls, Little Owls and Kestrels. The nesting and fledgling numbers were some of the lowest we have recorded since 2013. A mix of factors contributed to this, including a lack of prey – something we also saw reflected in our small mammal surveys last year. All in all, it left us with some very low fledging numbers, with last year’s minimum numbers of fledglings compared to 2024’s minimum numbers below for comparison… quite stark! Species 2025 2024 Barn Owl 12 340 […]
CITES CoP20 took place towards the end of 2025. One of the proposals discussed was whether to lower Peregrine Falcons from CITES Appendix 1 to Appendix 2, and ultimately the discussion resulted in them staying on Appendix 1. But where did this proposal come from and what would it have meant for Peregrines? Let’s start with what CITES and these appendices are… CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora – a bit of a mouthful, hence the widespread use of CITES! Fundamentally, it is an international agreement between governments to regulate the […]
Bird Team member Jennie Marshall has one of the most enviable jobs here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust – she has the privilege of saying good morning to our young Secretary Bird Sherbie every day! While living on her section at the Trust, Sherbie has been getting to know Jennie very well, and the duo are forming a really close bond. We chatted to Jennie to hear what it’s been like working with our newest arrival so far: “After Sherbie arrived in October, he moved into my section of the park after about one month. This section is off-show to […]
Many of you already know Sarabi, our Lugger Falcon who joined us in 2019. Her species, found across the Indian subcontinent, faces serious pressures from pesticides and illegal trapping across their range. They are in need of conservation action, aligning with our mission to conserve birds of prey and their habitats. Sarabi has always been a bit of a character. For years she was timid, selective, and never quite settled into a regular flying-display role. Nevertheless, we do our best to work closely with our birds in a way that suits them best. When I first started working with her […]
After tens of millions of vultures in south Asia have died since the 1990’s from being poisoned by veterinary diclofenac in their food, progress to fix the problem is slow. Our Head of Conservation, Research and Education Dr Campbell Murn and colleagues from WWF Pakistan have co-authored a study about undercover pharmacy surveys that showed the use of vulture-toxic drugs is still, unfortunately, widespread. New Insights into the South Asian Vulture Crisis: What Pharmacy Surveys Reveal About NSAID Use A new article published in December has shed important light on the ongoing South Asian vulture crisis. Our Head of Conservation, […]
We’re excited to announce a new conservation and rehabilitation project to help and protect Vulnerable Cape Vultures in South Africa! Partnering with Blouberg Nature Reserve, our work involves supporting their initiative to rescue and rehabilitate young vultures. The stunning Blouberg landscape is home to approximately 1200 nests of Cape Vultures, making it one of the largest breeding colonies of this species in the world. However, these birds face a serious threat. Around the same time as their breeding season, the Blouberg area has its rainiest season. Huge storms and intense downpours often result in young vultures, who have only just […]
‘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 […]
