Well it’s the final month of our ‘open season’, with the park closing for the winter on Sunday 29th October at the end of half term. And it’s been quite hard to believe it is actually autumn, with the warm weather we’ve had. Since it has been so good, visitor numbers have remained quite respectable on most days, and our Bird of Prey, Harris Hawk, and Owl Experience Days have been fully booked.

I’m sorry to be a bore about it, but you really should see our flying displays, they just get better and better, especially the 2pm Valley of the Eagles display! Goose the Bataleur Eagle is now soaring in the meadow with much more confidence and has learned how to turn quite tight circles to gain height and steer his way back to which ever falconer is calling him in. Mrs Simpson the Andean Condor has to be seen to be believed - she has been likened to watching a barn door in flight, and she truly is a spectacular sight. She now launches herself off the mound behind the audience and flies out into the meadow, before turning to come in low over our heads, blocking out the sun to some degree before landing back on the mound once more. Drifter the Saker Falcon has been performing some stunning stoops to the lure, and our team of Black Kites is now joined every day by Woodfrey the Brahminy Kite, the two Turkey Vultures Burdock and Tebenwick, and often by Red Kites including Heydown, whom we bred and released three seasons ago, and are now wild birds. Cinnamon the Siberian Eagle Owl and the two Burrowing Owls, Clove and Paprika, are doing well in their training and will hopefully join in with our displays next season.

Big projects planned for the winter include major rebuilding of some aviaries and a few new ones, which had to be put on hold last year because of the bird 'flu threat. We are also designing a new flying arena! We will keep you up to date on the building progress over the winter.

As I write this in the middle of October, three members of park staff along with two volunteers are in South Africa for our annual project to help with tagging and monitoring the African White backed Vultures in the Kimberley area. They will also be building a hide for watching and monitoring the birds where they are fed, and hopefully tagging some African Fish Eagles too. We look forward to hearing all about their trip on their return.

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