Bird of Prey in Detail

Birds of Prey in Detail

Falcons:

Lanner Falcon

Our Lanner falcon is called ''Horus'' and is an eight year old female. The Lanner falcon is found all over Africa and is a very popular bird with falconers who want to learn how to fly a falcon, which is very different to training and flying a hawk. Lanner falcons can fly at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour in one of their famous power dives called a stoop.

Horus came to us from an old falconer who had stopped training her seven years ago and the bird had not flown during that time.

Geoff offered to take the bird here at the park so that he could train her up and she now enjoys flying in the public displays.

Luggar Falcon

The Luggar falcon is found in India and is a smaller version of the peregrine falcon. They are renowned for their bad tempers and habit of screaming at the falconer. However they can fly well and with a certain amount of aggression. They can make good display birds if the falconer is prepared to overlook some of their other shortcomings.

Our Luggar falcon is called ''Pern'' He is 3 years old and was bred in captivity. Last year he flew in displays for about three months but did develop the habit of sitting down on the roof of the parks caravan amenities centre for about five minutes before being chased off by the local wild Buzzards. This usually makes an exciting aerial combat display for the audience.

I should add here that he never gets caught, as he is a lot faster and more agile than the Buzzards.

'Above: 'Kim'' Ketsrel Falcon 2 years old - 7 oz.

Kestrel Falcon

The Kestrel is the most common species of Falcon found in the British Isles. This is the bird that you see hovering beside the motorways and in the country lanes looking for field voles or shrews which form most of the daily prey of these beautiful birds.Falcons are designed for speed and these little birds have been known to reach speeds of up to 60 and 70 miles per hour in a power dive.

This particular bird is called Kirn and poses a bit of a question for Geoff the falconer as she is the colour of a female but is definitely the size of a male. Only time will tell. She...? is just starting to moult. This is an annual process where all the birds change their feathers for new ones and once she has grown all her new feathers we will have a better idea of her sex.

Hawks:

Ferruginous Hawk

The Ferruginous Hawk is only found in America and is closely related to Eagles. A firm favourite with the American falconers. A very spectacular bird with beautiful colours ranging from white and brown to multi brown and grey. We have a breeding pair and are hopeful of breeding success this year as the male has been spotted carrying twigs around and looking for a nest site. The first six months were wasted as we only discovered their true sex after blood samples were taken for DNA sexing and this proved that our first two birds were both males. These birds are known for their aggression and can be quite a handful for the falconer to handle. The bird on the right is called Zoe.

Ellenora is the name of this beautiful female Red Tail Hawk.

Again this is a bird found only in America. At the moment Elle as we call her for short is being trained to fly in displays and demonstrate her skills at catching bunnies. In the display Geoff the falconer uses a remote controlled electric rabbit for Elle to chase and catch, She has a superb red tail, which gives the bird its name. A large bird flying at three pounds and capable of lots of aggression towards the falconer who has to be continually on his guard, but once the falconer has made friends with this bird they are friends for life.

The Mexican Harris Hawk

These birds are found, as the name suggests in Mexico, parts of South America and the southern states of North America. They are found in large groups of anything up to 30 strong.

They mostly occupy the desert areas of dry scrubland and are occasionally seen along the desert highways sitting on the telephone poles looking for road kills.

Within their groups they have a hierarchy system with the oldest female at the top, other females occupying the next step on the ladder.

This system is so strong that the females when out hunting will sit on the top of a large cactus plant letting the males run around on the ground looking for rabbits, rats and snakes under rocks and bushes.

Once something has been flushed and caught, then the dominant females fly down and take over the kill to eat their fill, leaving the rest of the pack to fight over the remains. They are so skilled at catching Rattlesnakes they have developed a routine. When a rattlesnake is found out in the open it is harassed by a large group of the youngsters who form a circle around the snake making the snake so angry that it strikes out at one of the birds. That’s the moment that the large females wait for, they flash out one foot with lightening speed, to grab the snake behind the head, rendering the snake harmless. Then the rest of the group rush in for the kill.

Owls:

Barn Owl

There are eight Barn Owls kept at the centre, some of which are breeding pairs. The others are used for flying displays daily at the centre. The one that you see here is called ''Wisp'' a four-year-old male who is a firm favourite with all the children. Wisp was lost last season for four days after a scare during a display. Fortunately he was found safe and sound and was quickly got back into the routine of flying each day.

Barn owls are found all over the world but are an endangered species and are greatly reduced in numbers. In this country their numbers have been reduced from approximately 96,000 forty years ago to less then 5,000 today.

'Above: 'Wisp'' barn owl 4 Years Old - male - 10 1/2 oz.

Bengal Eagle Owl

There are three Bengal Eagle Owls at the centre but the star is ''Samantha'' who you can see here (on the left) sitting on the ground during a display. We call her Sam for short and she is 2 years old. Sam flys very well and comes out of her aviary by flying out of her back door when Geoff the falconer opens it by remote control Bengals are a small version of the larger European Eagle Owls that are found all across Europe.

'Above: Samantha'' Bengal Eagle Owl 3lb - 2 years old - Flys in Displays

Sam weighs in at about 3lb with a wing span of around four feet. These birds are found all over India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Little Owl

Geoff the falconer has a favourite bird and this is ''Pepper'' the Little Owl that you can see here. Many people ask if he is fully grown because he looks so small at just 4 inches tall. This is as big as they get Geoff does not fly Pepper in displays as little owls only fly a short distance in the wild. Little owls are an introduced species to this country but are now to be found all over England. No one sees them very much in the wild as they are so small and experts at hiding.

They may be small but have a huge personality and are one of the most popular of all the owls. You feel that you just want to pick them up and cuddle them as they are so cute.

Above: ''Pepper'' Little Owl 1 year old - 7 oz. - Geoff's pet bird