Since 2008, we’ve been providing nest boxes for Tawny Owls, Barn Owls, Little Owls and Kestrels across southern England as part of our Raptor Nest Box Project. Through your support, what started with a project of just 38 boxes has now dramatically expanded to over 1300! This important project aims to provide homes for these key species to help boost their population. These nest boxes are also monitored regularly to better understand the behaviour and ecology of these birds so we can improve how we conserve them. Let’s take a look at our four species involved in the project! Barn […]
A wedding is as special as the couple getting married and we, at the Hawk Conservancy Trust, will ensure that your wedding is one of a kind. Set within 22 acres of woodland and wildflower grounds and in the heart of the Hampshire countryside, the Trust has a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces for entertainment, your ceremony and photographs. Enjoy your special day surrounded by friends and family, be entertained with our three world-class flying displays and come face-to-face with a special feathered friend. Make your first photographs as a married couple memorable by inviting the wonderful Great Grey Owl, […]
Bird Team member Jennie Marshall is currently undertaking the Level 3 Zookeeper and Aquarist Apprenticeship, and is now in her second year! Jennie is learning about a range of topics on her apprenticeship, and not just about birds of prey. From legislation to training, to conservation and the roles of zoo and aquarium collections. We caught up with her to hear a little more about what she’s been up to recently… “One of my modules involves studying the behaviour of the birds in our care, monitoring for their health and behaviour to ensure they have the best welfare possible. To […]
Dr Campbell Murn, Head of Conservation, Research and Education at the Hawk Conservancy Trust, together with an international team of researchers has revealed how Africa’s savanna raptors are facing an extinction crisis. The research, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution on 4 January 2024, describes declines in nearly 90% of 42 species assessed, and suggests that more than two-thirds may now qualify as globally threatened. The study led by Dr Phil Shaw from the University of St Andrews and Dr Darcy Ogada of The Peregrine Fund, and co-authored by Dr Campbell Murn as part of an international team, […]
If you hadn’t heard the news, last year we welcomed a beautiful new Barn Owl to the Hawk Conservancy Trust! Willow has been spending her time getting to know Bird Team member, Registrar and resident owl-whisperer Ryan Stephens, and they are really beginning to grow close. We caught up with Ryan to find out how she’s getting on, and her next steps towards taking part in flying displays. “Willow arrived at the Trust in April last year and is a spritely three years old. If you have heard the commentaries given by our expert Bird Team members, you will know […]
We’re excited to announce a new publication co-authored by Dr Campbell Murn, our Head of Conservation, Research and Education. The paper looks at differences in the visual field of African Harrier-hawks (AKA Gymnogenes) and other birds of prey and how this relates to their distinctive hunting style. The paper was co-written Dr Campbell Murn alongside a team of evolutionary and comparative ecophysiologists and biologist (researchers who study the physical features of birds and how they may have evolved). We have worked with Dr Steve Portugal from Royal Holloway University of London, Prof. Graham Martin from the University of Birmingham and […]
While we have been closed for our winter maintenance, our Bird Team have been busy working hard to make sure our grounds are in tip-top condition and our birds’ homes are ready ahead of the breeding season! We caught up with Bird Team member Owen Lincoln to find out what he’s been working on, and what he’s looking forward to the most as we enter our most festive time of year. “Winter’s coming…this special season is fun and enjoyable, but has a completely different feel at the Hawk Conservancy Trust! Especially during the short periods that we are closed for […]
We have recently rounded up our fieldwork in Kruger National Park investigating the elusive lives of Hooded Vultures. The project began in 2016 in collaboration with the Birds of Prey Programme of South Africa’s Endangered Wildlife Trust, the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania in the USA. It was started because Hooded Vultures are listed as Critically Endangered due to recent declines across much of their African range. We began this project to find out more about the ecology of these birds, from nesting sites to behaviour and interactions with other species so we […]
We’re delighted to welcome professional artist Alex McGarry as the Hawk Conservancy Trust’s official Artist in Residence! Alex McGarry is a professional artist specialising in oil paintings of British Wildlife and birds. she is the winner of the prestigious title ‘Up & Coming Artist of the Year’ awarded by the Fine Art Trade Guild. She is represented by the UKs largest distributor of original paintings and limited edition prints – De Montfort Fine Art. And as such her paintings can be found in galleries across the UK and on board luxury cruise ships such as the Queen Mary II. […]
As the summer is behind us, our winter timetable returns. This means our summer flying team of birds begin their winter rest period. When weather conditions change which may not suit their natural flying style as well as at other times of the year, they get the opportunity for a period of rest. Some of these birds will moult through a new set of feathers during this time, while they are resting and relaxing. Wild Birds don’t have the same luxury as our birds, they will moult a new set without the chance for a winter rest. While they take […]
