The Falconry Centre, Hagley

Thank you to Donna Lane Photography for tagging us in this stunning photo of Feathers, our female Himalayan Griffon Vulture. We love it Donna, excellent photography from you as always!

Just a reminder that we are CLOSED tomorrow (Easter Sunday) but we will be OPEN on Bank Holiday Monday from 10am until 5pm with birds flying from 1pm!

Please note that we will be CLOSED on Easter Sunday, 21st April. We will be open as normal every other day, including Bank Holiday Monday, from 10am until 5pm with birds flying daily from 1pm, which makes for a great afternoon out! Don't just take our word for it... kind reviewer "Jen F" recently left us this lovely feedback on TripAdvisor:
"My boyfriend and I visited on our way back to Manchester after visiting family. It was a fantastic little find! The reviews do these guys justice! We learnt a lot and it was fantastic to see such a variety of birds of prey up close. The staff could answer any question the crowd had and were lovely and friendly. Safe to say we have recommended to family in the local area and would advise everyone to pay a visit."
Thank you, Jen!

We are delighted to unveil our new-look gift vouchers for our Bird Handling Experiences! The new designs will be issued to everyone buying a voucher from today onwards. Vouchers are emailed to the purchaser directly, but can also be issued as a printed hard copy on high-quality paper, for only £2.00, to cover printing, postage and packing costs. For more information and to purchase a gift voucher, please telephone us on 01562700014 or visit our website at www.thefalconrycentre.co.uk to see the wide range of experiences we offer - thank you!

Today has been so wet we decided to try flying a different type of bird 🦆🌧️😉

It's a lovely sunny day today! If you're looking to get out and enjoy it, we are open every day from 10am until 5pm with birds flying from 1pm. Here's a picture of Nugget, our female Bateleur Eagle, enjoying a spot of sunbathing during one of last year's photography experiences!

**Mother's Day: Sunday 31st March** Do something different this Mother's Day - book an Exclusive Bird Handling and Flying Experience just for your Mum... or Gran, or someone special!
Our 20-minute sessions allow Participants to experience the thrill of flying and handling at least two birds of prey from a selection of owls, kestrels and hawks. At just £30 for two participants (and the option to book up to 6 people per session) it's something for the whole family to enjoy. And..., at the end of your session, Mum can pose while holding one of our birds for a special souvenir photograph!
Spaces are limited, so to book your preferred time slot please visit our website at https://www.thefalconrycentre.co.uk/…/m others-day-exclusiv…/
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This photograph of Cash, our stunning male Turkmenian Eagle Owl, was taken on one of last year’s Photography Experiences, and shows just how close you can get to some of our birds in our private photography area. Our first dates for photography experiences in 2019 are coming up in May and are available to book online at https://www.thefalconrycentre.co.uk/bird- experience-book…/…/

We were very pleased to receive all these thank you cards from Year 2 at Mesty Croft Academy today. We bring our birds of prey to schools and it's so lovely to hear the children have enjoyed their session. There were lots of lovely messages about our owls and how much they enjoyed having them fly over their heads, as well as some very well remembered facts about owls.
If you would like to book us to come to your school please give us a ring or check out our website for more information.

It’s Half Term this week, so we will be open from 10am until 4pm with birds flying from 1pm until 2:30pm every day!

Red Kites are red This Chilean Eagle’s called “Blue” We know a lot about birds And nothing about poetry.
... Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Valentine's Day is a week today, and we only have 2 spaces left on our Exclusive Valentine's Experience for two people! 2pm and 3pm on Thursday 14th are still available to book at only £50 per couple. You will start with tea and coffee, before holding and flying a selection of our birds and then finish by posing together, each holding one of our birds, for a souvenir photograph!
Don't worry if you've missed your chance to book a slot though, our range of amazing experiences make great gifts and our vouchers are valid for 12 months, so the recipient can book a date that suits them.
For more information, and to book your slot, please visit our website at https://www.thefalconrycentre.co.uk/…/v alentines-experienc…/

Just been sorting through some photos and came across this lovely shot of Dory, one of our female Common Kestrels, taken last year. It shows just how effective their plumage/feather markings can be as camouflage!

This morning we e-mailed our annual Sponsor's Newsletter to all of those people who have kindly sponsored one of our birds.
Sponsorship is a great way to support our work with treating and rehabilitating sick and injured wild birds of prey and we are currently refurbishing our hospital with the funds we have been raising over the last year.
Not only do our amazing sponsors get our annual newsletter, we also say thank you with free entry tickets to our visitor centre, a lami...nated A4 photograph of your sponsored bird, a certificate of sponsorship, a fact card about your bird and money off bird handling experiences.
For more details about sponsorship, please visit https://www.thefalconrycentre.co.uk/spons oring-bird/
The photograph is of our stunning male African Fish Eagle, "Guinness" (also known as "Biscuit" or even just "Fish"!) who has yet to find a sponsor of his own!
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Can you believe it's less than a month until Valentine's Day? We've got the perfect opportunity for you to wow your loved one this Valentine's with a date like no other - an Exclusive Birds of Prey Experience for Two!
Each time slot is exclusive to one couple, so it's just the two of you. You will start with complimentary tea/coffee and the chance to look around our Visitor Centre before your chosen time slot, and then, at your allotted time, the two of you will fly and hand...le at least three birds from our selection of kestrels, owls and hawks.
Finally, you will be invited to hold a bird each (your choice of two owls or two birds of prey) for a souvenir photograph as a lasting reminder of your special experience! Spaces and times are strictly limited, for more information and to book your slot please visit our website: https://www.thefalconrycentre.co.uk/…/v alentines-experienc…/
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We are pleased to announce the dates for our Photography Experiences for 2019 - for full details of dates and prices, and how to book, please visit our website at https://www.thefalconrycentre.co.uk/bird- experience-book…/…/

Spike the Raven says “hello”... well, actually, he says “y’alright Spike”, but it’s close enough!

Merry Christmas to all of our friends, family, supporters, volunteers and staff! Have a fabulous day!

We visited on Wednesday for the half day experience and it was fab, even as a spectator it was a lot of fun! It was nice to see how much the staff cared for the birds, making sure that all those used for the experience were happy too.

Took part in a half day bird handling experience today and was absolutely fantastic. Our falconer Abby was great talking about the birds so passionately. We were all given equally opportunities to handle the birds from the tiny kestrel to the bigger owl. Thank you, I would highly recommend this experience to anyone with an interest in these beautiful birds. Thanks again

Thank you so much to Abbi and the staff today. Had my bird handling experience and it was the best day of my life. Your knowledge and passion for your birds is wonderful. I will be back for the full day I enjoyed it so much. It was brilliant. Thank you again xx

So much fun here! :D Highly recommended!!! <3 I had a wonderful time watching the flying displays here this afternoon and was really impressed by this place. The £4.5 adult entrance fee was a real bargain! Staff here -- Abby and Gem (sorry if I misspelled your names) this afternoon -- were skillful and knowledgeable, looked after the birds very well and made the flying display extremely entertaining and informative! The accommodations for the birds looked clean and tidy. Inevitably there were a bit of "bird smells", but I definitely would NOT say the place was "smelly". Outside each accommodation, there were not only signs providing basic information about the species (e.g. habitat, diet, weight, status, etc.), but also signs introducing each bird as an individual (e.g. name, age, etc.). The tables in the outdoor visitor centre had a good layout so that it was easy for everyone to see the birds on flying displays. Gem and Abby had a great sense of humour and gave a wealth of information during the bird flying displays, which, to my delight, lasted for far more than an hour and involved a number of birds from different species. Before leaving my husband bought me a purple necklace with an owl pendant from the shop, and I was very pleased to hear from Abby that it was handmade by Gem -- amazing!! <3 ^_^ A big thank you again to Abby and Gem! <3 I will definitely visit again! :)

Our first visit today and we loved it,the flying displays are incredible.! You can clearly see the bond between the birds and their handlers and know how very well looked after they are.thank you for a lovely afternoon.will definitely be returning..!

My fiancé and I attended a full day Bird Handling Experience today. We had a fabulous day handling and flying several, beautiful and captivating birds of all sizes. The birds are obviously very well loved and cared for. Our Falconer, Abby, was excellent, extremely passionate and knowledgable. I would highly recommend this place, we will be back.

Lovely family afternoon here yesterday watching the flying displays and meeting some beautiful birds. The staff were very knowledgeable and friendly, we will return.

Have visited before but always enjoy going there. We started with coffee in the garden centre then went to look at the birds in the aviaries. They have some lovely raptors and owls. We ate our lunch on the picnic tables before the flying display started at 1pm. Great to see the birds flying and up close while relaxing on a bench in the sunshine. We saw several birds flying and were given plenty of information about them. We left about 3pm when people came to have their booked experiences, although we could have stayed to watch. Would highly recommend a visit for kids and adults alike.

Had the full day on saturday and what a brilliant place the staff are so good and amy was really good and knew so much about all the birds. The birds are well looked after and so lovly keep up the good work guys hopfully we will be back to do it another day. ☺☺

Had an amazing day here doing the half day experience in the morning and the afternoon doing eagles and vultures. The birds are brilliant and stunning. Andy and Fiona were very knowledgeable and more than happy to answer any questions and done everything possible to make my experience enjoyable and memorable. Such an wide and varied selection of birds and interesting facts on the birds too. Perfect day out. Would highly recommend.

Had a fantastic half-day experience which was a treat for my husband's Birthday. We both totally enjoyed our morning there 15/7/17. My husband has wanted to handle birds of prey and was a dream come true!!! Thank you to all the dedicated staff and to all the gorgeous birds for a wonderful time. �

Had a brilliant time here today. The birds are so beautiful and well looked after. We stayed to watch the whole show in the afternoon and is was great to be so close to these magnificent birds. The staff are very informative and friendly. All this for a small charge is just fab for a great day out. Would highly recommend a visit �

Great day out. Bought my mum a half day experience and I observed. Saw lots of beautiful birds and learned quite a bit too. Even if you're not planning on handling any birds it's great to have a wander round as there's a lot of different species to look at. Thanks to Abby and all the staff for their knowledge and enthusiasm.

Fabulous half day session flying eight birds (little to large!) from arm to arm or from post to arm with just five other participants yesterday. Variety of birds used and on display, the knowledgeable staff, friendly and funny interaction and tea/coffee and biscuits as you arrive and during a break makes it a very enjoyable event. Loved the birds and learned a lot. Staff care and commitment for what they do easily seen. Tales of real life and issues is an eye opener and interesting. Smallish venue but well laid out with good views of birds on display or in aviaries. Toilet facilities in Webbs Garden Centre with a restaurant for good food should you wish to eat after your event. There was no rush for us to leave after our session as staff continue to show birds to general public. I felt the experience was well worth the money. Well done to all who do this fantastic work!

Best day ever. Loved everything about it except how quickly the time went. It was wonderful to fly all the birds but nothing prepares you for watching the falcon at the end of the display. It is so exhilarating that it makes you catch your breath.

Another fun morning at the centre. Having been bought a sponsorship of one of the birds for Christmas, following a bird handling experience last year, we thought we'd have another trip down. The staff were as friendly and informative as usual (useful for me as I'm looking to take up falconry in the not too distant future) and watching the experience day going on was (almost) as fun as participating. Sadly it was too windy for any of the other birds to be flown that afternoon, but it didn't dampen my enjoyment of the time spent there.

Amazing day at the Falconry Centre. Abbie and the others do such an amazing job. We had the half day experience. It was excellent. A really informative tour of the centre and it's many birds, followed by the amazing experience of flying about 8 of the gorgeous birds. Highly recommend this place, either for just time out with the family or one of the experiences they provide.

A huge thank you to Andy and the girls for a brilliant day. I had a fantastic time flying all the different birds and the walk through the woods with Titch was just amazing. I can't wait to bring my grandaughter, she is going to love it. Keep up the good work. X

A huge thank you from my mum who attended a falconry experience day yesterday. She was extremely impressed with how well looked after the birds were and how knowledgeable, dedicated and friendly the handlers were. There was such a strong bond between the birds and handlers, it was a very relaxed atmosphere and Abby's humour and professionalism shone through. She had an amazing time and can't recommend it enough....thank you!!