If you’ve been lucky enough to join us on an experience day, you’ll know the breathtaking feeling of a silent owl or majestic Bald Eagle landing on your fist – there’s nothing quite like it! Our Bird Team work closely with our amazing birds to build strong and trusting relationships. We caught up with Bird Team Apprentice Jennie, who has been working alongside Foxtrot the Black Kite over recent months, getting her ready to meet our visitors on experience days this year. “Last year, as part of my apprenticeship, I was set the task to create a training plan for […]
We are so sad to have to inform you that Delores, our beautiful Cinereous Vulture, passed away 29 December 2022. She was so close to the hearts of many of the team here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust, and to many of you as well. After a period of illness, with heart disease and arthritis, with no signs of recovery, we took the kind, yet difficult decision to put her to a peaceful sleep. At the grand age of 32 years old, just 3 days off her 33rd birthday, we are devastated to have lost her, although blessed that she […]
We’re thrilled to welcome our newest member of staff Becky Ive, who has joined the Conservation and Research Team as the new Conservation Coordinator. Becky joined the Trust on Halloween in 2022, and has been busy networking at conferences on behalf of the Trust focused on Bearded Vultures and BIAZA Conservation Education topics. She has been utilising contacts she made over the summer from voluntary work in Bulgaria monitoring Egyptian Vultures to strengthen partnerships between the Hawk Conservancy Trust and the project in Central Uzbekistan tagging the same species. Carry on reading to hear from Becky all about her work! […]
Competition now closed. Enter our Winter Woodland Lights Facebook competition to win two tickets to our sparkling Winter Woodland Lights event! Join our Facebook competition and be in with a chance to win tickets for you and one other person to come along to an evening out like no other. Discover a new illuminated trail, delicious food in Feathers Restaurant, dazzling lights bringing the Trust grounds to life, and spectacular owl flight in an unforgettable finale. The competition ends at 10am January 6 2023. One winner will be drawn at random from the comments below. The dates chosen and […]
“Day to day life as a member of the Bird team and Registrar at the Hawk Conservancy Trust means sometimes the year passes by before you even realise that Christmas is on the doorstep again! Ryan Stephens looks back over the last year. There have been so many highlights throughout 2022, but I have to put completing my first ever marathon for the Trust right at the top. Running the London Marathon had been a personal dream for many years and it was such an honour to be able to do this whilst raising nearly £12,000 for the National Bird […]
This month, we caught up with our Head of Living Collection Gary Benton to find out all about our work to contribute to the survival of this wonderful species here onsite. Breeding Programmes “As many of you will know, we could be considered ‘Vulture nuts’ here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust! We have been a part of vulture conservation and research projects for many years, and are passionate about their survival in the wild. Although our projects across southern Africa and South Asia make up the majority of our work with vultures in the wild, we also contribute to their […]
Over his time working at the Hawk Conservancy Trust, Bird Team member Mike Riley has worked alongside a number of Variable Hawks. If you’ve visited the Trust recently, you may have seen him working with one of our younger hawks, Cooper. But Mike was also lucky enough to work with Cooper’s mum, Mace! We caught up with Mike to hear all about his bond with these wonderful birds: ‘I’d like to talk about a species of bird I’m really fond of here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust. It’s the Variable Hawk (Geranoaetus polyosoma), which you may also know as the […]
TV wildlife presenter, zoologist and conservationist Megan McCubbin has officially opened a new annexe at the National Bird of Prey HospitalTM near Andover, Hampshire – increasing the facility’s capacity to care for injured and sick birds of prey. The new annexe has been built to expand capacity, so there is potential to treat and rehabilitate more than 200 orphaned, injured and sick birds of prey each year. Birds are often brought to the facility by members of the public or transferred from other wildlife centres and the patients are predominantly victims of road traffic accidents; youngsters that have fallen from […]
After moving to the Hawk Conservancy Trust nearly a year and a half ago, Bird Team member Owen Lincoln has been fascinated by the wildlife that appears once the doors close and the Trust grounds go quiet. Join Owen as he tells us what it’s like to experience nature in the evenings when living onsite: ‘Since moving to the Hawk Conservancy Trust roughly 15 months ago, I think it’s safe to say I’ve settled in and found my feet! Living on site has certainly helped that process, and it’s a bizarre thing calling where you work home, but it most […]
On this episode Hannah and Tom take a walk around the grounds of the Hawk Conservancy Trust after hours with Mark Ison, Bird Team member and Ecologist, to carry out a survey of the wild bat species that live on site. We learn more about these fascinating flying mammals and how to identify some of the common species found in the UK. Sadly, this is Hannah’s last episode as she is leaving the Trust for a new position, so we bid her a reluctant but fond farewell! Hannah and Tom reminisce about her time at the Trust, and Hannah tells […]
