The seven acres of chalk downland was created in 1995 and named in memory of the Trust’s founder, Reg Smith. As well as being a stunning location to enjoy, Reg’s Wildflower Meadow, represents one of the greatest conservation achievements of the Hawk Conservancy Trust. It is a habitat of incredible diversity and is listed in the National Biodiversity Action Plan as one of 65 habitats that are a priority for conservation. English chalk downland meadow is rarer than tropical rainforest.

The White-backed Vulture colony at Changa Manga breeding facility has fledged three new chicks this year! This brings the group size up to 25, and is the best breeding year yet. It really shows what a brilliant job facility supervisor, Abdul Ghaffar, is doing.

Get children excited about birds of prey with our fun and educational activity sheets.

We wanted to keep you updated with how things are going at the Trust during the closed period due to COVID-19. We have been completely overwhelmed by the wonderful support we have received from our supporters, members, visitors, staff and volunteers. We have always known that we have a loyal following, but it is only during times like these that we really, truly realise the magic of our community.

Here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust we are fortunate enough to have had Cinereous Vultures in our collection for many years. An iconic vulture and one of the largest we house.

Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle Not only is Azura a beautiful bird, she is also gentle and kind in character, and a very independent girl. She is 7 years old, so a fully-mature adult. She was hatched in a collection in Spain and came to the Trust when she was a couple of years’ old. She was a member of our team when we undertook flying displays at Longleat Safari Park and since her return to our team on site at the Trust, she has proven to be very popular with visitors, particularly for her striking appearance and incredible flying. She can be […]

With the government’s announcement on Monday 23 March 2020 regarding COVID-19, the Trust is closed for the foreseeable future. It is vital to reduce the spread of this terrible virus and keep our visitors, staff and volunteers as safe and healthy as possible. Rest assured that we have measures in place to make sure our birds are well-cared for while we are closed; that is our top priority. In order to do that, we need to do our best to ensure we have a strong and healthy Bird Team to take care of our birds, themselves and their families. Gary Benton, […]

We were very lucky that our Africa Project Officer Andre made it to the UK for a visit to the Trust (and safely back home to South Africa!) just before the virus restrictions were increased.

Due to the government guidelines on social distancing, we’ll be closing the Trust for the foreseeable future.  We feel we need to do our bit to help reduce the spread of this terrible virus and keep our visitors, staff and volunteers as safe and healthy as possible.  Rest assured that we have measures in place to make sure our birds are well-cared for; that is our top priority. In order to do that, we need to do our best to ensure we have a strong and healthy bird team to take care of our birds, themselves and their families.  We’re […]

But, the species still faces numerous threats. Our latest research on Red Kite population changes is out now!