Friday 4 August 2023 is International Owl Awareness Day, and here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust we think owls are a hoot! Everyday we celebrate the wonderful world of owls – come along and find out more our work with these mystical creatures, how you can experience the magic of owls for yourself, and what we’re doing to help conserve them. Woodland Owls Display If you’ve ever wanted to get close to owls, our Woodland Owls display is your chance! Witness an array of beautiful owls skim silently over your head and discover more about these beautiful creatures in this […]
Bird Team member and Events Coordinator Ben Cox has been working closely with Azura, our Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle for a few years now. Azura is an absolutely beautiful bird to watch in flight, but is a very reserved and sensitive girl. Carry on reading to find out more about this pair’s special bond, and how Azura’s flight training is coming along ahead of her joining our brand new flying display: Masters of the Sky! “Azura is a 10 year old Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle, who came to live with us in 2013 from a collection in Spain when she was 3 months old. […]
This week, our annual DreamNight event returned to provide a special evening for local children who face more challenges than most. The return of the Trust’s ‘DreamNight’ event, following a hiatus during the Covid 19 pandemic, welcomed over 200 children along with their families and carers from local hospices, youth charities, and children’s support groups. They all came along to enjoy an exclusive evening of inspiration and entertainment featuring a fantastic flying display with a chance to see the our birds fly exhilaratingly close. It was great to hear the Trust come alive with excited cheers from the children as […]
Jenny Abery has joined the Hawk Conservancy Trust’s Education team as our brand new Principal Educator! We are delighted to have Jenny on board. She joined us at the beginning of May and has already been getting busy working with our Bird Team on our educational visits! Read more from Jenny: ‘Thank you for the warm welcome to the Hawk Conservancy Trust, I am thrilled to be a part of the team and am very excited to get stuck into the new role. Since graduating from the University of Southampton in 2016, I have had many different roles, including working […]
We are very excited to introduce our latest recipient of the Marion Paviour Award for 2022, Sopani Sichinga. Sopani is a BSc Forestry graduate from Mzuzu University in Malawi, and has been working with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) mainly in the Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve in northern Malawi. His research project for the award focuses on assessing the Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) in and around Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve. Currently, Martial Eagles here are reported as being resident although a comprehensive assessment of the population has not been carried out despite concerns about recent declines in […]
This summer, Bird Team member Owen Lincoln is celebrating his birthday in style – by lacing up his hiking boots and taking on the Three Peaks challenge to raise funds for vulture conservation! With the tallest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales to conquer in just 24 hours, this is no mean feat. Owen is hoping to raise £8000 for our Pakistan Vulture Restoration Project (PVRP) – an important part of our work conserving Asian vultures. Find out more about why Owen is so passionate about our work in Pakistan: “Why am I taking on the 3 Peaks Challenge? For […]
Our birds have strong personalities, choosing who they work with amongst our members of the Bird Team. Our seasonal Bird Team member, Mark Ison, discovered this when he began work alongside our Bald Eagle, Orion! Keep on reading to find out the incredible dedication and care it takes for our Bird Team to earn our birds’ trust, and how truly special these bonds can be. “Having a lifelong passion for the natural world and in particular, the conservation birds of prey and their habitats, means I have been visiting the Hawk Conservancy Trust for many years. Following a work experience […]
From this May half term, discover the fascinating world of some of the trees we have here at the Trust on our brand new Tree Trail! At the Hawk Conservancy Trust, we are all about conserving birds of prey and their habitats: trees are vital habitats to many birds of prey and the food they eat. Our 22 acre grounds are home to over 80 different species of tree, the most common including Elder, Silver Birch, Hornbeam, Hazel, Beech, Ash and Hawthorn. As well as native species, we also have 45 non-native tree species which create a home for many different […]
It is with great sadness that we share the news that our former Chairman, Marion Paviour has died. Marion was Chairman of the Board of Directors since the inception of the Trust in 2002, until she stepped down from this position in 2017. Marion’s vision for the Trust from its outset was to create a world leader in bird of prey conservation, and she worked tirelessly to achieve that. Under her guidance the Trust transformed into a highly-regarded conservation charity with international impact, and a visitor attraction that has gone from strength to strength. Ashley Smith, Life President and Founder […]
After joining the Bird Team last summer, Ronnie Hunter has been getting to know the amazing birds of prey that live here at the Trust. During her time so far, Ronnie has grown very fond of our older pair of Striated Caracaras, Darwin and Lafonia, and their adorable antics. We caught up with Ronnie to hear all about this pair of intelligent birds. “For the past few months I have spent a lot of time working on the Hospital section of the grounds. As part of working on this section, one of our duties includes taking care of our elderly […]
