Tom Morath, Bird Team We often talk about the bond that we build with the birds on the bird team – a working relationship built on confidence and trust from both sides is vital if our birds are to be properly cared for. The strongest of all of these relationships, I think, are the ones built from the very beginning.
If you’ve visited the Hawk Conservancy Trust, there’s no doubt you will have seen Sirius the Striated Caracara star in our World of Birds of Prey flying demonstration. But did you know his parents, Lafonia and Darwin, also reside at the Trust?
We are sad to announce that Madeleine, one of our Secretary Birds, passed away last Thursday (24.03.22). At the grand old age of 34, he reached the end of his healthy life. The kind, yet difficult decision was taken to send him peacefully to sleep and to avoid any ongoing suffering from a heart condition brought on by old age.
We’re thrilled to share the news of three healthy Asian White-backed Vulture chicks, a Critically Endangered species, hatched at Changa Manga! This conservation breeding centre is run by our partners WWF-Pakistan, and is a key element of our Pakistan Vulture Restoration Project, which also includes a Vulture Safe Zone to protect wild vultures.
On this episode we explore the fascinating world of animal migration. Join Tom and Hannah as they chat about why certain species migrate, how they know where to go, and the epic distances some of them travel on their migrations.
This year I have had the great honour of being involved with the Behind the Scenes Winter Experiences we offer here at the Hawk Conservancy Trust during the closed period in the winter season. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am as much of a people person as an animal person, so I jumped at the opportunity to be able to spend the day showing people some of our lovely birds alongside my colleague, Cedric.. I enjoy the closed period when we work on all the big maintenance jobs, however I do start to miss our visitors so […]
We’re thrilled to welcome our newest member of staff, Lauren Collins. Lauren joined us as Marketing & Communications Executive at the beginning of February. A keen environmentalist, Lauren is passionate about protecting and conserving the natural world around us, and is looking forward to inspiring others to do the same in fun, new, creative ways. “I’m so excited to be joining the fantastic team at the Hawk Conservancy Trust! I’ve always wanted to work in some form of animal conservation, even at one point taking a course in Animal Management with the intention of going into zookeeping. I’ve also always loved creative skills such […]
Despite the challenges we (and many others) faced in 2021, we’re incredibly proud of what we achieved for Critically Endangered vultures, and for our wonderful British birds of prey, both in the wild and in the National Bird of Prey Hospital™. As we head into 2022, we take a look back at some our accomplishments in bird of prey conservation over the last year.
During the darker months, the bird team have the opportunity to work alongside our team of owls at the time of day when some owl species would be more active in their pursuit of prey. For those who attended some of our winter events, you will have seen Ennis, one of our Great Grey Owls, an iconic and well-loved species, often recognised by their striking facial disc. Ryan Stephens, who works closely with Ennis tells us more about Ennis’s endearing characteristics and why he loves working with her.
We are thrilled to welcome Jennie Marshall. Jennie started her apprenticeship in October and has moved away from her home in Buckinghamshire for this opportunity. She was so excited to be offered the apprenticeship, she screamed down the phone at Gary! (Gary Benton, Head of Living Collection). After gaining some work experience with us in 2016 she was really keen to work with our birds “I absolutely loved it and wished I could start working here right there and then”
