Silverband Falconry

Our Owls will be at Old Hall Vets tomorrow supporting the World Owl Trust come on down and say hello.

This is the best photo I have ever seen of Thor. Or those of you who haven’t met him, he is an Alaskan Malamute who was at Greengate Juniors in Barrow today for Science week looking at Mammals. Thanks to Steve Hillman for sharing this😍

Some morning silliness.

Oh to be 16 again 😘

We had a great day at Austin Friars in Carlisle yesterday. Talking Owls and Nocturnal Animals and who doesn’t love a School Dinner 😋

Debbie from A Corner Of Eden captured this brilliant video of Doughnut the Eagle Owl at the weekend. He is rapidly becoming one of my favourite Owls. 😍

We’ve had a lovely afternoon with Richard and Debs from A Corner Of Eden. Time to sample their Blackcurrant Vodka. Cheers

For those of you who may struggle to sleep. Richard was on BBC Cumbria on Thursday evening talking to Helen Millican and Mark Richards about the Countryside, Falconry and the World Owl Trust.

We’ve been really busy in schools this half term. It’s one of the furthest schools we visit but always a great day visiting Reception at the Grammar School at Leeds.

We had a great day at Kirkbride School yesterday with loads of brilliant questions. I can’t believe it is nearly 20 years that we have been working with some of the staff here. Spot the deliberate “Falconry” mistake in the Flying Display. I hang my head in shame. 😱🤦🏻‍♂️

We had a fab day at Cockermouth yesterday. Fantastic Students and some very talented Artists.

35*C and Ospreys last week. -5*C Snowy Owls and Mad Photographers today. #winteriscomimg #snowyowl #raven #spottheowl

That awkward moment when your lying on the beach and an Osprey drops in, at which point you shout “OSPREY” at the top of your voice only to realise that not everyone knows what an Osprey is and now thinks you have Tourette’s #alwaysworking #OMGOsprey #birdofprey #EgypthasbetterOspreyopporunitiesthanCumb ria #howclose #closeencounters #noospreyswereharmedinthemakingofthispost #redsea #Hurghada

All serene and Swan like ready for the The Rural Business Awards #notnervous #goodluck 😱😱😱

Good luck to everyone from across Cumbria in the The Rural Business Awards finals this evening at Lastdrop Hotel. Excited to be in the running. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Its been a while since we made this video and first shared it. I can't believe it has had over ½ Million views. Still makes me smile. I wonder how long it will take to hit 1 million😉

Medieval Falconry today for @furnessabbeyfaf #perfectlocation #flying #falconry #medieval #life #tolazyforaproperjob #goshawk

Not Birds of Prey but gorgeous all the same. I’ve dived with seals a few times and this shows their personality to a T 😍

What a great day we had with Silverband on a photo workshop organised by Ann & Steve Toon. All aspects of the day were professionally organised and catered for all our needs and then some! The birds were put in great poses for photographers as great photographers were putting them there. The birds were treated with the utmost respect and rested when they'd had enough. A morning up on the fells left us a tad cold but back to base at lunch for some warming soup, lovely fresh bread and a choice of afters brought us all back to readiness to crack on! Once rested and warmed we stayed in the meadow close by to get some more skilfully set up pictures with some more beautiful and well behaved birds. The weather did begin to deteriorate in the late afternoon but I suspect we were all flagging a little but we pushed on until we called it a day and finished with tea and cake before departing home to process our newly acquired images.

Great people, great birds, great experience. I learned a lot and enjoyed every minute.

Highly recommended.

We met Richard and his flock on Jan 11th at Centre Parcs. It was our first experience of birds of prey, and what an experience it was, absolutely fantastic! Richard is a brilliant speaker and holds the attention of his audience, young and old alike, as he shares his wealth of information with passion and humour. The experience is interactive and 'hands on' if you wish. The excitement of holding Gladstone the eagle owl was amazing (and slightly heavy! ) but Richard is very close by to assist should you need it I'll never forget looking into those amber eyes and stroking his beautiful soft feathers as he looked down at me. The opportunity to fly some of the birds yourself is such a thrill and the flying demonstrations which followed took my breath away, particularly when Richard flew a bird between the spectators legs! This is the most exciting event I've taken part in and I will definitely be booking to go to Silverband to learn more soon. �. Happy customer x

We go to see Silver Falconery's display every year at Center Parcs. Despite going for 10 years, everyone of us from 16 year olds (6 when we first went) to 70 year olds, we thoroughly enjoy it and there's something new every year. Richard's stories are hilarious and pitched at the right level for all ages. Love the fact that we can stroke and fly the Owls. Very special for my disabled son - it makes his holiday!!

This experience was a present for my 40th from my husband and I loved everything minute . Richard was so natural and friendly, he adores his animals. If you want a personal touch , and a genuine falconer, this is the best. Spent the whole day there and it was the bees knees.. Loved meeting the birds and getting to be so close to them was fantastic. Learnt a lot which I didn’t know about birds of prey. Would definitely want to go again . I even have a screen saver on my phone of the baby owl he had in his kitchen . Thank you for making it a top day Richard, !

Saw the Display today at the Fun day at Penrith rugby club. Very fun for the children and very educational. I don't know the gentleman who was handling the birds name. But he was very funny and entertaining for both children and adults. Clearly very passionate about his job and the birds he trains. Would recommend to anyone to go see a display.

Richard and his birds visited Reception children at Rose Court last week. It was an amazing experience for the children. They (and staff) were so excited to hold the barn owl and learn lots of new facts about the different birds. The flying display in the afternoon will be talked about for weeks to come. Thanks for a magical experience and see you next year!

Me and my husband spent a fantastic half day at Silverband this week. It was wonderful. Richard, thank you for such an amazing experience. I will be back.

Me and my daughter went to do the falconry at center parcs yesterday and we both loved every second of it the guy was so good well worth doing if you ever get the chance loved it thanks again

Lovely baby owl show today at Center Parcs Whinfell- lots of great info and got to pat an owl so it doesn't get any better than that

I was bought a photographic day by my wife for Christmas, and I am ashamed to admit it took me until September to sort it out. On arrival Richard asked what I wanted to do and made some suggestions which I went along with as he has done a lot more photography days than I have. We spent the first half of the day on the Pennines with Snowy Owl, Buzzard, Eagle Owl and Raven. The setting was perfect, rugged and fairly bleak with opportunities for posing the birds and flying them, the snowy owl enjoyed it a little too much and we had a short walk until found him again. After a nice lunch we spent some time in the garden again posing birds and flying a couple. I came away with around 3000 photos, among these are some of the best images I have ever taken. The day was amazing, Richard was a great host and nice guy to spend time with, more than happy to have a natter, answer questions about the birds and offer advice if he saw a slightly better angle to shoot at. I would recommend this experience to anyone who either loved birds of prey or wants to photograph them. Thanks to both Silverband and my wife for treating me.

I bought a full day experience for my wife's 40th Birthday and what a brilliant day Richard was brilliant and he has a huge number of birds of prey and Owls. Would highly recommend this day to anyone and thanks again Richard. Andy and Haidee

Had a terrific day yesterday photographing the hawks and owls with Ann and Steve Toon. Richard has a great variety of birds and is extremely knowledgable about them all. Becks was great too. After a chilly, windy morning on the fells we were treated to a warm, welcome, delicious lunch before heading out again to photograph more birds. Eventually the rain came but it didn't dampen our enthusiasm or enjoyment. A great day was had by all the group, I can thoroughly recommend it.

Had a brilliant morning here for a 1 to 1 falconry session, Richard was very friendly and made the whole morning very enjoyable. Would definitely recommend and hope to go back!

Great talk at Center Parcs Whinfell Forest. My daughter loves owls and we really enjoyed the talk. Richard made it fun and had a variety of owls with him, very knowledgeable about them. Thanks for making my daughter happy she has now stroked an owl.

Fabulous talk/display by Richard and his beautiful birds at Center Parcs. Fun and informative for all ages. I was particularly impressed that when my 6 year old asked a question he couldn't answer, he didn't just fob her off but contacted another expert and emailed me an answer for her! Above and beyond the call of duty there!

In case you're wondering, she asked whether owls have ear wax....and apparently they do!

Caught Richard's falconry experience at centre parks. Very informative and delivered in a friendly and humorous way that suits all ages. Would definitely go another talk or display, loved it

Caught Richard and some of his flock at Walby Farm Park on Easter Monday. With a ten year-old owl fanatic in tow (and paid-up member of RSPB, WWT, etc.), we've seen many shows like this, and thought this was one of the best explained, humourous and engaging that we've watched. Lots of great facts, nicely delivered; lots of chances for the audience to get close to the birds. Thoroughly recommended and we'll be watching out for Silverband shows in the future. Thank you!

Bought a photographic day for my husband last Christmas and finally managed to organise it for yesterday. He had a wonderful day and I was allowed to tag along. Richard was brilliant and answered all our questions. If you've got a photographer in your life, I cannot recommend this enough (and judging from the amount of times I've had a laptop swung round at me with a 'look at that photo' the hubby is also well chuffed). Thank you for looking after us and giving us a memorable day. We will be back!

Beautiful Tassle the owl delivered our wedding rings. She was amazing. It was total surprise to our guests and you could hear them all gasp in surprise. Richard was brilliant when talking to the children about her. Highly recommended it is something that both our wedding guests and ourselves will remember for years to come. Thank you

What a great day we had with Silverband on a photo workshop organised by Ann & Steve Toon. All aspects of the day were professionally organised and catered for all our needs and then some! The birds were put in great poses for photographers as great photographers were putting them there. The birds were treated with the utmost respect and rested when they'd had enough. A morning up on the fells left us a tad cold but back to base at lunch for some warming soup, lovely fresh bread and a choice of afters brought us all back to readiness to crack on! Once rested and warmed we stayed in the meadow close by to get some more skilfully set up pictures with some more beautiful and well behaved birds. The weather did begin to deteriorate in the late afternoon but I suspect we were all flagging a little but we pushed on until we called it a day and finished with tea and cake before departing home to process our newly acquired images.

Great people, great birds, great experience. I learned a lot and enjoyed every minute.

Highly recommended.

We met Richard and his flock on Jan 11th at Centre Parcs. It was our first experience of birds of prey, and what an experience it was, absolutely fantastic! Richard is a brilliant speaker and holds the attention of his audience, young and old alike, as he shares his wealth of information with passion and humour. The experience is interactive and 'hands on' if you wish. The excitement of holding Gladstone the eagle owl was amazing (and slightly heavy! ) but Richard is very close by to assist should you need it I'll never forget looking into those amber eyes and stroking his beautiful soft feathers as he looked down at me. The opportunity to fly some of the birds yourself is such a thrill and the flying demonstrations which followed took my breath away, particularly when Richard flew a bird between the spectators legs! This is the most exciting event I've taken part in and I will definitely be booking to go to Silverband to learn more soon. �. Happy customer x

We go to see Silver Falconery's display every year at Center Parcs. Despite going for 10 years, everyone of us from 16 year olds (6 when we first went) to 70 year olds, we thoroughly enjoy it and there's something new every year. Richard's stories are hilarious and pitched at the right level for all ages. Love the fact that we can stroke and fly the Owls. Very special for my disabled son - it makes his holiday!!

This experience was a present for my 40th from my husband and I loved everything minute . Richard was so natural and friendly, he adores his animals. If you want a personal touch , and a genuine falconer, this is the best. Spent the whole day there and it was the bees knees.. Loved meeting the birds and getting to be so close to them was fantastic. Learnt a lot which I didn’t know about birds of prey. Would definitely want to go again . I even have a screen saver on my phone of the baby owl he had in his kitchen . Thank you for making it a top day Richard, !

Saw the Display today at the Fun day at Penrith rugby club. Very fun for the children and very educational. I don't know the gentleman who was handling the birds name. But he was very funny and entertaining for both children and adults. Clearly very passionate about his job and the birds he trains. Would recommend to anyone to go see a display.

Richard and his birds visited Reception children at Rose Court last week. It was an amazing experience for the children. They (and staff) were so excited to hold the barn owl and learn lots of new facts about the different birds. The flying display in the afternoon will be talked about for weeks to come. Thanks for a magical experience and see you next year!

Me and my husband spent a fantastic half day at Silverband this week. It was wonderful. Richard, thank you for such an amazing experience. I will be back.

Me and my daughter went to do the falconry at center parcs yesterday and we both loved every second of it the guy was so good well worth doing if you ever get the chance loved it thanks again

Lovely baby owl show today at Center Parcs Whinfell- lots of great info and got to pat an owl so it doesn't get any better than that

I was bought a photographic day by my wife for Christmas, and I am ashamed to admit it took me until September to sort it out. On arrival Richard asked what I wanted to do and made some suggestions which I went along with as he has done a lot more photography days than I have. We spent the first half of the day on the Pennines with Snowy Owl, Buzzard, Eagle Owl and Raven. The setting was perfect, rugged and fairly bleak with opportunities for posing the birds and flying them, the snowy owl enjoyed it a little too much and we had a short walk until found him again. After a nice lunch we spent some time in the garden again posing birds and flying a couple. I came away with around 3000 photos, among these are some of the best images I have ever taken. The day was amazing, Richard was a great host and nice guy to spend time with, more than happy to have a natter, answer questions about the birds and offer advice if he saw a slightly better angle to shoot at. I would recommend this experience to anyone who either loved birds of prey or wants to photograph them. Thanks to both Silverband and my wife for treating me.

I bought a full day experience for my wife's 40th Birthday and what a brilliant day Richard was brilliant and he has a huge number of birds of prey and Owls. Would highly recommend this day to anyone and thanks again Richard. Andy and Haidee

Had a terrific day yesterday photographing the hawks and owls with Ann and Steve Toon. Richard has a great variety of birds and is extremely knowledgable about them all. Becks was great too. After a chilly, windy morning on the fells we were treated to a warm, welcome, delicious lunch before heading out again to photograph more birds. Eventually the rain came but it didn't dampen our enthusiasm or enjoyment. A great day was had by all the group, I can thoroughly recommend it.

Had a brilliant morning here for a 1 to 1 falconry session, Richard was very friendly and made the whole morning very enjoyable. Would definitely recommend and hope to go back!

Great talk at Center Parcs Whinfell Forest. My daughter loves owls and we really enjoyed the talk. Richard made it fun and had a variety of owls with him, very knowledgeable about them. Thanks for making my daughter happy she has now stroked an owl.

Fabulous talk/display by Richard and his beautiful birds at Center Parcs. Fun and informative for all ages. I was particularly impressed that when my 6 year old asked a question he couldn't answer, he didn't just fob her off but contacted another expert and emailed me an answer for her! Above and beyond the call of duty there!

In case you're wondering, she asked whether owls have ear wax....and apparently they do!

Caught Richard's falconry experience at centre parks. Very informative and delivered in a friendly and humorous way that suits all ages. Would definitely go another talk or display, loved it

Caught Richard and some of his flock at Walby Farm Park on Easter Monday. With a ten year-old owl fanatic in tow (and paid-up member of RSPB, WWT, etc.), we've seen many shows like this, and thought this was one of the best explained, humourous and engaging that we've watched. Lots of great facts, nicely delivered; lots of chances for the audience to get close to the birds. Thoroughly recommended and we'll be watching out for Silverband shows in the future. Thank you!

Bought a photographic day for my husband last Christmas and finally managed to organise it for yesterday. He had a wonderful day and I was allowed to tag along. Richard was brilliant and answered all our questions. If you've got a photographer in your life, I cannot recommend this enough (and judging from the amount of times I've had a laptop swung round at me with a 'look at that photo' the hubby is also well chuffed). Thank you for looking after us and giving us a memorable day. We will be back!

Beautiful Tassle the owl delivered our wedding rings. She was amazing. It was total surprise to our guests and you could hear them all gasp in surprise. Richard was brilliant when talking to the children about her. Highly recommended it is something that both our wedding guests and ourselves will remember for years to come. Thank you

What a great day we had with Silverband on a photo workshop organised by Ann & Steve Toon. All aspects of the day were professionally organised and catered for all our needs and then some! The birds were put in great poses for photographers as great photographers were putting them there. The birds were treated with the utmost respect and rested when they'd had enough. A morning up on the fells left us a tad cold but back to base at lunch for some warming soup, lovely fresh bread and a choice of afters brought us all back to readiness to crack on! Once rested and warmed we stayed in the meadow close by to get some more skilfully set up pictures with some more beautiful and well behaved birds. The weather did begin to deteriorate in the late afternoon but I suspect we were all flagging a little but we pushed on until we called it a day and finished with tea and cake before departing home to process our newly acquired images.

Great people, great birds, great experience. I learned a lot and enjoyed every minute.

Highly recommended.

We met Richard and his flock on Jan 11th at Centre Parcs. It was our first experience of birds of prey, and what an experience it was, absolutely fantastic! Richard is a brilliant speaker and holds the attention of his audience, young and old alike, as he shares his wealth of information with passion and humour. The experience is interactive and 'hands on' if you wish. The excitement of holding Gladstone the eagle owl was amazing (and slightly heavy! ) but Richard is very close by to assist should you need it I'll never forget looking into those amber eyes and stroking his beautiful soft feathers as he looked down at me. The opportunity to fly some of the birds yourself is such a thrill and the flying demonstrations which followed took my breath away, particularly when Richard flew a bird between the spectators legs! This is the most exciting event I've taken part in and I will definitely be booking to go to Silverband to learn more soon. �. Happy customer x

We go to see Silver Falconery's display every year at Center Parcs. Despite going for 10 years, everyone of us from 16 year olds (6 when we first went) to 70 year olds, we thoroughly enjoy it and there's something new every year. Richard's stories are hilarious and pitched at the right level for all ages. Love the fact that we can stroke and fly the Owls. Very special for my disabled son - it makes his holiday!!

This experience was a present for my 40th from my husband and I loved everything minute . Richard was so natural and friendly, he adores his animals. If you want a personal touch , and a genuine falconer, this is the best. Spent the whole day there and it was the bees knees.. Loved meeting the birds and getting to be so close to them was fantastic. Learnt a lot which I didn’t know about birds of prey. Would definitely want to go again . I even have a screen saver on my phone of the baby owl he had in his kitchen . Thank you for making it a top day Richard, !

Saw the Display today at the Fun day at Penrith rugby club. Very fun for the children and very educational. I don't know the gentleman who was handling the birds name. But he was very funny and entertaining for both children and adults. Clearly very passionate about his job and the birds he trains. Would recommend to anyone to go see a display.

Richard and his birds visited Reception children at Rose Court last week. It was an amazing experience for the children. They (and staff) were so excited to hold the barn owl and learn lots of new facts about the different birds. The flying display in the afternoon will be talked about for weeks to come. Thanks for a magical experience and see you next year!

Me and my husband spent a fantastic half day at Silverband this week. It was wonderful. Richard, thank you for such an amazing experience. I will be back.

Me and my daughter went to do the falconry at center parcs yesterday and we both loved every second of it the guy was so good well worth doing if you ever get the chance loved it thanks again

Lovely baby owl show today at Center Parcs Whinfell- lots of great info and got to pat an owl so it doesn't get any better than that

I was bought a photographic day by my wife for Christmas, and I am ashamed to admit it took me until September to sort it out. On arrival Richard asked what I wanted to do and made some suggestions which I went along with as he has done a lot more photography days than I have. We spent the first half of the day on the Pennines with Snowy Owl, Buzzard, Eagle Owl and Raven. The setting was perfect, rugged and fairly bleak with opportunities for posing the birds and flying them, the snowy owl enjoyed it a little too much and we had a short walk until found him again. After a nice lunch we spent some time in the garden again posing birds and flying a couple. I came away with around 3000 photos, among these are some of the best images I have ever taken. The day was amazing, Richard was a great host and nice guy to spend time with, more than happy to have a natter, answer questions about the birds and offer advice if he saw a slightly better angle to shoot at. I would recommend this experience to anyone who either loved birds of prey or wants to photograph them. Thanks to both Silverband and my wife for treating me.

I bought a full day experience for my wife's 40th Birthday and what a brilliant day Richard was brilliant and he has a huge number of birds of prey and Owls. Would highly recommend this day to anyone and thanks again Richard. Andy and Haidee

Had a terrific day yesterday photographing the hawks and owls with Ann and Steve Toon. Richard has a great variety of birds and is extremely knowledgable about them all. Becks was great too. After a chilly, windy morning on the fells we were treated to a warm, welcome, delicious lunch before heading out again to photograph more birds. Eventually the rain came but it didn't dampen our enthusiasm or enjoyment. A great day was had by all the group, I can thoroughly recommend it.

Had a brilliant morning here for a 1 to 1 falconry session, Richard was very friendly and made the whole morning very enjoyable. Would definitely recommend and hope to go back!

Great talk at Center Parcs Whinfell Forest. My daughter loves owls and we really enjoyed the talk. Richard made it fun and had a variety of owls with him, very knowledgeable about them. Thanks for making my daughter happy she has now stroked an owl.

Fabulous talk/display by Richard and his beautiful birds at Center Parcs. Fun and informative for all ages. I was particularly impressed that when my 6 year old asked a question he couldn't answer, he didn't just fob her off but contacted another expert and emailed me an answer for her! Above and beyond the call of duty there!

In case you're wondering, she asked whether owls have ear wax....and apparently they do!

Caught Richard's falconry experience at centre parks. Very informative and delivered in a friendly and humorous way that suits all ages. Would definitely go another talk or display, loved it

Caught Richard and some of his flock at Walby Farm Park on Easter Monday. With a ten year-old owl fanatic in tow (and paid-up member of RSPB, WWT, etc.), we've seen many shows like this, and thought this was one of the best explained, humourous and engaging that we've watched. Lots of great facts, nicely delivered; lots of chances for the audience to get close to the birds. Thoroughly recommended and we'll be watching out for Silverband shows in the future. Thank you!

Bought a photographic day for my husband last Christmas and finally managed to organise it for yesterday. He had a wonderful day and I was allowed to tag along. Richard was brilliant and answered all our questions. If you've got a photographer in your life, I cannot recommend this enough (and judging from the amount of times I've had a laptop swung round at me with a 'look at that photo' the hubby is also well chuffed). Thank you for looking after us and giving us a memorable day. We will be back!

Beautiful Tassle the owl delivered our wedding rings. She was amazing. It was total surprise to our guests and you could hear them all gasp in surprise. Richard was brilliant when talking to the children about her. Highly recommended it is something that both our wedding guests and ourselves will remember for years to come. Thank you