In 2020, 153 birds were admitted to our National Bird of Prey Hospital™. As in previous years, the most numerous species brought to us were Tawny Owls, Kestrels and Buzzards. Two of the last birds to be admitted late in 2020, spent Christmas at the Trust and were both released very recently!

Simba is a young male African White-backed Vulture who hatched here at the Trust in 2019. His parents live in our large Vulture Restaurant aviary so, if you’re lucky, you may have seen him in the nest as a youngster. Last year, we paired Simba up with Ria May and Mike Riley from our Bird Team for training, and we’ve caught up with Ria here to get an insight about how he’s getting on:

It is with much sadness that we announce the passing of our cherished Red Kite, Scarlett. She has been a member of our team since 2010 and was best-known for her striking good looks and raucous calling! She was a really cheeky and lively character, and enjoyed keeping our team on their toes. You would often hear her calling to members of our team near her aviary, as well as to nearby wild kites. Scarlett was a wonderful bird to have on our team and will be sorely missed.

Here you can read more about Nature’s a Hoot, and access resources, photos and extra insights from our sixth episode all about Community Conservation, with special guest Kevin Cumming from the Langholm Initiative in Scotland. Hannah and Tom chat about why involving the local community is important in conservation, both in developing and developed countries. Listen now to the Nature’s a Hoot sixth episode Conservation and Communities. Don’t forget to subscribe!

As the year draws to a close, we like to look back and reflect on our achievements at our National Bird of Prey Hospital™ and share the stories of some of the birds we admitted. 2020 was no exception, though of course the year we are looking back on has been no ordinary year. Nevertheless, we are proud of the work we have achieved, despite the challenges we have faced.

As the year draws to a close, we like to look back and reflect on our achievements of the year. 2020 is no exception, though of course the year we are looking back on has been no ordinary year. Nevertheless, we are proud of the work we have achieved, despite the challenges we have faced.

As the year draws to a close, we like to look back and reflect on our achievements of the year. 2020 is no exception, though of course the year we are looking back on has been no ordinary year. Nevertheless, we are proud of the work we have achieved, despite the challenges we have faced.

In very sad news this week we learned that the Secretary Bird (Sagittarius serpentarius)and Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus) are among the species up-listed this year on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. The two species are now categorised as Endangered, and considered to be at very high risk of extinction.

Here you can read more about Nature’s a Hoot, and access resources, photos and extra insights from our fifth episode, Rewilding. Hannah and Tom chat about what rewilding means, and how it is beneficial for wildlife on large and small scales, and Tom visits the Cotswolds to chat to Tabitha Rose, a rewilder and and nature enthusiast! Listen now to the Nature’s a Hoot fifth episode Rewilding. Don’t forget to subscribe!

Throughout the year, we are constantly monitoring our birds and their living conditions, and making various renovations and repairs to their accommodation. For our breeding birds, this can be a little trickier as we prefer to leave them undisturbed during the breeding season and so this has to be done visually and from afar. Outside of the breeding season, we take the opportunity to catch them up for a full health check and, at the same time, carry out planned maintenance work on their aviary before returning them. This involves a big team effort to ensure we can make the […]