What a wild night we had on 29 June. After months of planning, days (and nights!) of pre-show preparation by dozens of staff and volunteers and a lot of wishing for good weather, Chris and Megan’s Night of Nature finally arrived. The sun shone over the Hawk Conservancy Trust – Reg’s Wildflower Meadow was alive with a certain hum, a buzz of energy – and not just from the bees!

Visitors enjoyed the evening sun, some wandering the grounds with an ice cream, others partaking of our freshly prepared barbeque food and glasses of prosecco. We were also joined on the evening by Alex McGarry, Trust Artist in Residence. Guests could admire some of her previous work, and also watch as she created a new piece as the evening unfolded. This painting, immortalising the special event, was the top prize for the evening’s fundraising raffle, alongside a bottle of limited edition Poet Laureate sherry, donated by Simon Armitage.

To begin the main feature of the evening, as everyone settled in their seats, we were joined by Emily Hunt, the Young Poet Laureate for Warwickshire, as she gave a reading of her new poem – Sunset Flight. This poem had been written especially by Emily for the Trust and, specifically, this event. Emily’s words captured the spirit of the evening and the work we do at the Trust. Each bird  making an appearance in the meadow that evening was given a moment – a teaser for what was to come. The final stanza was enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end:

‘Our hearts full of feathers, beaks and wings

This magic which brings us together

For those who wheel, swoop and sing.”

The evening was hosted by our own Tom Morath (Deputy Head of Living Collection and host of our podcast, Nature’s a Hoot) and, against the backdrop of Reg’s Wildflower Meadow, Tom welcomed everyone to the evening and introduced the headline acts – presenter, writer and cherished friend of the Trust Megan McCubbin, and tireless advocate for nature: Trust President Chris Packham. Each of them recounted fond memories from visiting the Trust. Megan’s first trips here were when she was still in primary school – trips that later inspired owl pellet dissection birthday parties! Chris recounted his first visit and a chance meeting with Trust founder, Reg Smith, as he allowed Chris to get a little closer to the Peregrine Falcon he was attempting to photograph. Chris said “Reg saw past my bleached, blonde quiff and studded leather jacket and saw a shared passion for birds of prey and welcomed me in when not many others would have done.”

Tom, Chris and Megan were also joined in the meadow by Dr Zoe Randle from Butterfly Conservation as we took a closer look at some of Reg’s Wildflower Meadow’s smaller residents – the beautiful butterflies and moths. It’s sometimes tricky to demonstrate how these tiny insects to such a large audience – so we hatched a plan! Upon arrival into Reg’s Wildflower Meadow, guests were met with a large, 5m x 3m screen (expertly installed by Viv and Q from our volunteer team and who have a mind for the technical). With a camera close by, we could show the whole audience something tiny, enlarged on the screen.

Zoe brought some moths along – including the elegant White Satin Moth, Elephant Hawk Moth and Poplar Hawk Moth. Butterfly Conservation also presented us with an enormous puppet version of a Marsh Fritillary Butterfly– a beautiful representation of this native species. Zoe also demonstrated the defence mechanism of the Puss Moth caterpillar, bringing along a puppet version. Megan was asked to don a Blue Tit mask (the bird being a regular predator of the caterpillar) and was subsequently squirted by the puppet with its ‘formic acid’ (water from the in-built water pistol!).

Next we were onto the real stars of any of our shows here at the Trust – the birds. We introduced Scout, our Eurasian Kestrel, and demonstrated her hovering behaviour as Chris recounted his personal experiences and connection with the species. We delved into the world of small mammals and the role they play in the food chain, ultimately becoming lunch for larger predators like birds of prey. Charlie, our beautiful Barn Owl, quartered over the meadow, ever-so-delicately melting the hearts of all who watched – this natural behaviour captured in the fading summer light.

As beautiful as he is, Charlie is also adept at demonstrating his natural hunting behaviour and at this point, Tom set Megan the challenge to become a Barn Owl’s lunch. With an AstroTurf pad, fitted with a beeper that Charlie is trained to locate, Megan hid herself in the meadow. As Charlie got closer, following the beeper, Megan was allowed a prey’s-eye-view of a Barn Owl. And so were we as Megan video-called Tom who sent the images to the screen. Charlie pounced down, ‘caught’ Megan and continued with his flight. Definitely a highlight of the evening as Charlie concluded the first half.

The second half of the evening began as two lucky guests were selected to ask Chris and Megan their questions – “When does a cuckoo know it’s a cuckoo?” and “What’s the most interesting animal you have ever seen?” – if you wanted the answers, you had to be there!

Kiara, our Steller’s Sea Eagle, was up next. As the newest member of the flying team at the Trust, we were uncertain about how she might react to the biggest audience she’s yet to see here. As she took off, just behind the audience, we got one wonderful glimpse of her enormous wings, before she took up residence in a tree near the bottom of the park for the rest of the evening where she watched the proceedings unfold! Maybe next time…

Next, Fagin, our Hooded Vulture took centre stage, and he flew to both Chris and Megan right over the heads of the entire audience. Fagin is known for cutting it fine as he skims overhead so this is always an exciting experience. All the while though, the important message of vulture conservation was the focus. A large part of why fundraising events like this one are needed at the Trust is to support the work we do with Critically Endangered vulture species like the Hooded Vulture. They’re expert scavengers and so to demonstrate, Chris invited Megan to try something he’d had the chance to do before at the Trust – become dinner for the vultures. Suiting up with our ‘bait suit’ (a jacket covered in tasty vulture food) and a pair of goggles for safety, Megan gave a Shakespearean ‘death scene’ in the meadow before Fagin and his friends flew over to make the most of the opportunity!

For one final time, our amazing birds took to the wing for an epic finale. Our Hooded Vultures were joined by our entire team of Black Kites – wheeling and swooping around the meadow as only they can – set against the backdrop of the last fading light of this beautiful summer evening.

A huge thank you to everyone involved in this event and a special thanks to Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin for their support of the Trust’s work. It allows us to raise vital funds for our conservation and research work to help us to achieve our mission – the conservation of birds of prey and their habitats. Now it’s time to start planning the next one. Watch this space…

At 11 years old, we said a sad goodbye to Delta, our Barn Owl, recently. Many of you will remember Delta from her captivating and mesmerising appearances with her brother, Charlie, as she flew across Reg’s Wildflower Meadow, on summer afternoons and evenings – a memorable and emotive moment for many. Delta will also be remembered for her quartering flights in the Woodland Arena, gracefully floating in and out of the trees. On occasion, she would also wander off to catch her own lunch in the Savannah Arena during the Woodland Owls display!

Over the years, she has been a special part of some couples’ weddings at the Trust and her legacy will live on in their photographs and memories. As a UK species, she has been a real ambassador in inspiring young and old to care for the wildlife on our doorsteps and the work we do to conserve Barn Owls.

As she moved into her later years, Delta was being treated for a heart condition which was causing a decline in her health. She made appearances in our displays up until only a few months ago and flew so elegantly. Whilst we were aware that heart failure was a possibility, we are still saddened to see her go. She peacefully passed away at the Trust. The team here will miss her, she has been a part of many of their lives for so long.

We’re delighted to share that we have secured special funding to ensure school visits to the Hawk Conservancy Trust can still take flight with visit bursaries for deserving pupils from across the Hampshire region.

For some children, trips to places like the Trust are beyond their reach because financial pressures on schools and the cost-of-living crisis are making it harder for parents to support educational trips.  The Trust says this is detrimental to children’s experiences, their learning and to the charity’s mission to help the future of our planet by inspiring conservation through education.

Chief Executive Penny Smout said: “Our visitor centre near Andover is all about shining a light on the incredible world of birds of prey; our work to conserve them; and spreading the word to inspire more people to appreciate the wonders of wildlife and the need to look after it. One of our aims is to encourage pupils, from all walks of life, to follow a career path in conservation and that spark can come from a school visit. At the same time, we have research to show just how valuable being close to nature is for the wellbeing of us humans. Our hope is that with this funding, we can help bring all of those benefits to children who often don’t get the chance to experience such things.”

The Trust has been supported by the financial services company Investec to provide funds to enable the charity to support education in several ways.

Investec’s support has enabled us to specially design “Explore Nature” days. These will be offered to children who might not normally be in a position to visit to do so and meet our resident birds, experience our multiple daily flying displays and learn about the species, their habitats and conservation through fun workshops with our expert team.

We have also been awarded a separate grant from the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) for a travel bursary to help fund transport costs for state-funded schools where high fuel and coach hire prices might be a financial barrier to some schools.

We’d love to hear from schools who feel they have pupils who could benefit from participation in “Explore Nature” days or bursary support.

Anyone wishing to learn more about educational visits to the Hawk Conservancy Trust should visit our Education webpages here.

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 in other collections, outdoor education in the New Forest National Park, Ecology, and managing nature reserves. My passion has always been in conservation education, reconnecting people with the natural world and raising awareness of the threats which many species face.

I have been coming to the Trust since I was a child and have long admired the conservation work and mission. A group of birds which really drew me here is our amazing vultures, and the vital conservation and education work the Trust undertakes to preserve these important species. Changing people’s perceptions of these beautiful birds which have often been villainised in the past and raising awareness of their plight is a challenge I have always enjoyed. It is a prime example of just how important conservation education is in the long-term protection of species and their habitats.

I first became passionate about the natural world through sharks, another misunderstood and often feared species. I clearly have an affinity for the misunderstood and underappreciated of the natural world, but those that clearly need all the attention and protection we can give. The work the Trust already does to promote these wonderful animals is inspiring, and certainly piqued my excitement to come and work somewhere which embodies my values and passion for wildlife.

My role will encompass everything involving education delivery. Conservation education is embedded in everything we deliver here at the Trust and is vital to our national and international conservation efforts. In my first month, my focus has mainly been on the school visits, upcoming events and compiling new Super Top Trump cards for our Top Trumps Trail, but my long-term aim will also be to develop a long-term education strategy for the Trust. Through my role I hope to continue the fantastic work of the Trust to raise the profile and awareness of the amazing birds we work with.’

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 of the Hawk Conservancy Trust, reflected back on Marion’s life, and her dedication towards the success of the Trust:

‘Born in the 1930’s, Marion was the youngest of 3 sisters by 16 years. As a child, she lived through the war years which helped shape her determined spirit and a will to live life to the full.

When she was twenty-five, she met Andrew, her husband. Marion became an officer’s wife and threw herself into all that this entailed, and Andrew for his part encouraged her lifelong interest and involvement in the law. In 1976, they settled in Hampshire. This was when I first met Marion, when she became a friend of my family and helped us with the work of the Hawk Conservancy.

My father’s last request to Marion was to keep an eye on his family, and she stayed true to that promise and was by my side as a wise counsel for many years. She always thought big, and wanted the Conservancy to grow into an international conservation organisation and was the driving force in helping us achieve my father’s ambition for ‘The Hawks’, as she affectionately called us, establishing it as a charitable Trust and becoming its first Chairman. As with all her passions Marion was determined and would fiercely fight for what she thought was right.

She was never shy to express her views but would always listen to others even if she did not agree. I know from speaking with her if she said, “My Dear Boy,” we were going to have a battle and if she followed it by saying “With the greatest of respect” I knew I had lost.

She could also be very fiery and was not afraid to deploy it for effect, for which she had a reputation. On one occasion, after I had been in discussion with the County Council for nearly two years about having new tourist board signs erected, eventually I said if things didn’t progress, I would have to pass it onto our Chairman. When he asked who that was, I informed him it was Mrs Marion Paviour. His reply was “Thursday, I will have the signs up by Thursday “.

Marion was one of a kind; an independent lady who was so proud of her family and all they achieved, and fiercely protective of those she cared for.’

Marion was a champion of young people, rooting for them, offering support and providing opportunities. It is from this legacy that the Marion Paviour Award was created in 2018. This conservation and research award aims to further the conservation of birds of prey and it is intended to support early-career researchers working towards this goal – something that was always been very important to Marion. Previously this fund has been awarded for research of energy use by Striated Caracaras, to study King Vulture populations, research Kestrel diets in the UK, Barn Owl benefits to viticulture in Napa Valley, and most recently the study of Martial Eagles in Malawi.

Marion touched so many people’s lives, making lasting impressions, and inspiring so many. We will miss her.

We are delighted to have partnered with the Hampshire Forest Partnership to help it reach its goal of planting 1 million trees before 2050.

A step towards that goal came when 75 trees donated by the Partnership were planted at the Trust.  The trees, in their infant stage, were planted by some young nature enthusiasts visiting us on the day, who joined our team to carefully position them in the ground.

Elliot, Lewis, Harry and Emily each planted a tree which will grow to form a hedgerow along the new John Ellicock Outdoor Classroom.  The hedgerow is made of a mixture of Blackthorn, Hawthorn, Hazel, Elder, Dogwood, Crab Apple and Field Maple.

Our CEO, Penny Smout, said: “It was really important that young people were invited to plant these trees in a space which will hopefully inspire and be used by thousands of pupils and students to learn about the importance of birds of prey and their habitats.  Trees and hedgerows are key to some species as a foraging habitat and for roosting.  We were so delighted that Elliot, Lewis, Harry and Emily each planted a tree and wrote their name on the tree guard.  We hope each of them visit the Trust many times in the future to watch them grow.”

The tree planting is the start of an ongoing partnership between the Hawk Conservancy Trust and the Hampshire Forest Partnership, working together to educate about the important relationship between trees, birds of prey and the wider ecosystem; providing learning resources to educate both in the classroom and around the site at the Trust.

Councillor Russell Oppenheimer, the County Council’s Executive Member for Countryside and Regulatory Services said “the Hampshire Forest Partnership is all about bringing people, organisations and communities together to learn about and enjoy their environment and help us to deliver our target of planting one million trees across the county by 2050. We are delighted to be working with the Hawk Conservancy Trust to help in their efforts to conserve our beautiful birds of prey and plant more trees to support this excellent endeavour”.

The John Ellicock Outdoor Classroom, named in memory of our former Director and long-standing, close supporter of the Trust who sadly passed away in 2022, was also part-funded by the Loddon and Test LEADER Programme and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. The outdoor classroom will provide a dedicated venue for schools that come to the Trust for educational visits and workshops. It offers a sheltered hub for students to use as a base for their visit. The engaging space can be used for presentations, workshops, talks, activities and storage. Facilities include AV equipment for presentations, sinks for hand washing, and there is also include a garden area where students can engage with wildlife and interpretation to highlight what can be seen. Equipment such as microscopes will really bring students close to nature.

We are so thrilled to be working with the Hampshire Forest Partnership to plant more trees over the coming decades and help conserve birds of prey. The Hampshire Forest Partnership – coordinated by Hampshire County Council – aims to support residents and organisations to plant more trees to ensure a legacy for future generations to enjoy in line with the County Council’s Tree Strategy which was published in 2020. Find out more about the initiative here.

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 33^rd birthday, we are devastated to have lost her, although blessed that she lived such a long life with us at the Trust.

To honour Delores’ legacy, we have set up a memorial fund. Donations will go towards the care of our birds, helping them to live a long and healthy life, alongside our work towards conserving their wild counterparts. Click here to donate.

Delores was a special bird at the Trust; a real character that brightened the day of many passing her aviary, giving a quirky head tilt and keeping an eye on the goings on.  She had her firm favourites among the Bird Team and volunteers and would happily bring twigs to her favourites when they came to feed her and say hello.  Many will hold fond memories of her cheeky, playful antics too; stealing their brushes when they came in to clean her aviary and pecking at their boot laces.  She would delight in emptying buckets of collected loose twigs, leaves and weeds and you may have noticed some patches of un-mown grass in her aviary – this was usually where we’ve worked around her when she didn’t want to budge.  If a lawn mower was unmanned, Delores would demolish the wheel trims too.  All of this was part of her endearing charm, and easily forgiven with a raise of the shoulder feathers and a signature head tilt.

With the beautiful plumage around her neck, likened to a feather boa, her beautiful big eyes, gorgeous coloured feathers, she’s been known as quite the glamour puss at the Trust, and we love that she has been a champion in our plight to show how beautiful vultures are.  She single-handedly converted many of our visitors to being vulture fans.

It will feel very strange to walk past her aviary and not be welcomed by Delores with a turn of her head or raising of her chest feathers as her greeting.  We’ll miss her collecting sticks and placing them in a pile at the front of the aviary, proudly standing over her nest attempt each year. She touched the hearts of everyone at the Trust, all of whom would stop and chat as they walked by, from the Trust’s cleaner walking to work at 6am, to Feathers Restaurant staff on their way to corporate events at the Griffon Rooms. She won the hearts of so many and will be so sorely missed by staff, volunteers and visitors.

Ashley Smith (Life President and Founder) and John Chitty (The Trust’s Vet) look back on how Delores came into their lives.

 “A pair of Cinereous Vultures had recently been imported to the UK from a zoological collection in Russia. I had never seen a Cinereous Vulture before and so I asked the chap who imported them if I could visit and see them. When I got there I discovered that one of them (Delores) had recently become very sick. I said to the owner that I thought she needed immediate specialist veterinary care and he agreed. I said that I knew just the vet who could help and that if he were to let me take her home I would go straight to the vet for treatment and that I would care for her, also pay for all her vet bills and that if she survived, she would then have a permanent home with us.  He readily agreed.

 I drove straight to our vet John Chitty’s house with Delores sat on the back seat of the car. It was late evening by the time that I arrived and when John opened the door I was stood there with Delores in my arms. I explained the situation and asked if he could take a look her as she was very sick. He agreed immediately though he was in the middle of hosting a dinner party. This did not deter John and between us all (including the dinner party guests) we cleared the dining room table to examine Delores on. One of the dinner party guests was so excited she said this was the best dinner party she had ever been too. John and his wife Kate carefully examined her, giving her a cocktail of drugs and then suggesting I take her home and keep her warm and hydrated. Slowly, but surely and with further care from John and Kate she improved and made a full recovery.  I named her Delores after the character played by Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act” Ashley Smith Life President and Founder.

“It was a sad day saying goodbye to Delores. I first met her in my living room in 1993 when Ashley crashed an evening dinner bearing a Cinereous vulture he’d just picked up after import from a zoological collection in Russia. Delores was clearly disabled and had leg and foot changes due to bumblefoot infections. The key question was ‘could we do anything to help her?’  Well, we could – and she lived well at the Trust for nearly 30 years! It always seems particularly sad to lose a bird after such a long time but we do have to remember just how old she was (she was an adult when she arrived) and it isn’t surprising that, in the end, her arthritis and heart disease caught up with her. Delores had a long and good life and gave a lot of pleasure to a lot of visitors- she was a spectacular bird, but to me will always be the ‘vulture who came to tea’” John Chitty (Vet)

As Delores meant so much to so many, we will have an area at the Trust where visitors, volunteers and staff can go to pay their respects.  Please bear with us for the next few weeks or so while we arrange this.

A huge thank you to everyone who has loved and cared for Delores over the years, supporting the Hawk Conservancy Trust with visits, donations and memberships, so that we could care for her and her roommates.

On Saturday June 25, we held our biggest fundraising event of the year. More than 500 guests enjoyed a spectacular evening of birds flying to iconic movie soundtracks, performed live by the English Wild Orchestra and singer Ayesha Pike.

Guided by the evening’s commentators, Bird Team members Tom Morath and Ben Cox, our guests were transported into scenes from iconic movies. The evening kicked off on a high, with our Barn Owls quartering Reg’s Wildflower Meadow to the magical Harry Potter theme tune. Enthusiastic as ever, Ben may have gotten a little bit too into character here!

The audience were then pulled right into the centre of the action, as our Lanner Falcon –  Chaucer sped through the crowd at speeds of up to 60MPH to the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, and a few lucky guests were selected at random to fly Fagan the Hooded Vulture to ‘You’ve got a friend in me’

The sound of fearsome roars filled the air as the audience were then taken into the Trust’s very own Jurrasic Park, complete with ‘raptor wrangler’ Ben! Instead of dinosaurs however, our White-backed Vultures soared across the meadow, showing off their impressive wingspan in some breath-taking circuits.

The first half of the evening concluded with a special treat. Newcomer to the Trust, Sam the Bald Eagle flew over the guests, accompanied by a soundtrack as impressive as his flight: Star Wars! After a short interval, the second act started with the Bird Team presenting Sirius the Striated Caracara with his very own Mission Impossbile – to uncover tasty treats hidden within movie style props (silver flower pots!).

Our birds then took to the skies one final time in a awe-inspiring recreation of the opening scenes from the Lion King. Our Storks (all five of them for the first time ever!), Black Kites and Hooded Vultures filled the sunset sky and circled our beautiful elephant puppet, all to the stunning rendition of the Circle of Life. A really touching end to a beautiful evening of bird flight and song.

Finally, our grand finale arrived. The audience turned their attention to the skies directly above them as the one and only Red Devils circled overhead, climbing higher and higher into the sky. Once they reached 5000ft, the moment came for the parachuters to jump from the plane, twisting and turning in flight before safely landing to a rapturous round of applause.

A huge well done to all involved in this fantastic event, and to our wonderful audience. All money raised from this event goes directly towards our mission – the conservation of birds of prey.

Find out more about our upcoming events here.