Five things to get egg-cited about at the Hawk Conservancy Trust! Fly over to see us here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust this Easter. Bring the whole family along to enjoy a jam-packed day watching our new display, cracking our Easter trail, plus activities running from first thing in the morning through until the very end of the day. Easter is a popular time to visit, so pre-booking your ticket is recommended to guarantee your visit on your chosen date.
A new bird of prey flying display is being launched just in time for the Easter holidays! The new ‘Woodland Wonders’ flying display will take flight daily from Saturday 5 April, following extensive remodelling work within our Woodland Arena. It will bring to life the quintessential British woodland environment and highlight its importance as a habitat for the many species of wildlife it supports. Multiple birds of prey will take to the air as stunningly choreographed music, special effects and narration give visitors a close-up view of life deep among the trees. Some may feel the breeze of an owl’s […]
Last month, we said goodbye to our Conservation and Research Intern, Mathilde Ducroz, as she finished her seven month Internship here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust. We caught up with her in her final month to hear about her time with us and the hands-on experience she gained. “As my time at the Trust is coming to an end after an exciting and packed seven months, here are some of the things I have been up to as Conservation and Research Intern. My first week started strong with a successful moth trapping session in the Savannah Arena. Having not studied […]
An impressively sized Steppe Eagle is settling into his new home here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust. Visitors to the Trust have already been meeting the new resident and learning his name is ‘Stilton’, in line with the bird of prey charity’s 2024 cheese-based naming theme. However, this migratory species is named after its preferred breeding habitat – the Steppe region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.Stilton is a magnificent example of these dark brown eagles, which can be between 71 and 81cm tall, weigh from 2.4 to 4.9kg (the same as an average Yorkshire Terrier) and have a wingspan […]
February brings us National Nest Box Week – as you can imagine, a pretty big deal for us here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust! Started by the British Trust for Ornithology, National Nest Box Week starts on 14 February – Valentine’s Day – every year. Nest site availability can be a limiting factor for bird populations that typically nest in cavities, such as tree hollows, old pots and pipes or the lofts of old buildings. Providing artificial nesting sites (nest boxes) can help improve this. This forms the basis for our Raptor Nest Box Project that focuses on the four […]
While we’ve been closed, our team have been busy caring for our birds, and preparing the Trust for another jam-packed year! We checked in with Bird Team member Katy Barnes about working with our birds over winter. “It has been a busy winter on the Lower Section of the Hawk Conservancy Trust! Every year during this closed period, we have a good spring clean here at the Trust, making sure we’re ready for another fun year. The Lower Section of the Trust is often one of the first places visitors explore when they visit. It’s where one of our biggest […]
The winter months bring a change to our timetable, and with it our flying team of winter birds takes to the skies. On this team is one of our biggest birds – Saxon the Golden Eagle. She is a sensitive girl, and is very particular about who she chooses to work with on our team, so when newest Bird Team member Hugo Wilson was given the opportunity to work with her, it was ‘a dream come true’… ‘I started working alongside Saxon during the closed period last winter – it was a real honour when I was asked by our […]
2024 was another busy year for our Conservation and Research team, with over 20 projects running from England to Asia and Africa! As we look ahead to another year working hard to conserve birds of prey and their habitats, we wanted reflect on the last twelve months of work, and share some exciting updates from a few of these projects. Check out some project highlights below! Raptor Nest Box Project Our nest box numbers in our Raptor Nest Box Project now exceed 1500 boxes! Dr Matt Stevens, formally our UK Conservation Biologist and now our British Projects Manager, always […]
Please give a warm welcome to Tanith Jones, who joins our Conservation and Research Team as our new Research Assistant! In this exciting and important role, Tanith is supporting our UK Conservation Biologist Dr Matt Stevens with our vital conservation work. She’s already got stuck in carrying out transect surveys, helping monitor nest boxes, and even building a few of them herself! “I am very excited to have recently joined the Hawk Conservancy Trust as a Research Assistant within the Conservation and Research Department. Growing up in Hampshire, not too far from the Trust, I have memories of my parents teaching me […]
We’re delighted to share that Bird Team member Jennie Marshall has passed her Level 3 Zookeeper and Aquarist Apprenticeship with flying colours! A very well-deserved accolade for nearly two years of hard work. We chatted with Jennie to reflect on her time working towards this qualification, the skills she’s learnt along the way, and close bond with one particular bird she’s bonded with through it all… I started at the Hawk Conservancy Trust in October 2021, where I began my Level 2 Apprenticeship qualification. After completing this, I then began my Zookeeper & Aquarist Level 3 Qualification in February last […]
