Birds of prey trip

AdrianW1963

AdrianW1963

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Hello everyone.

I’m looking into traveling around the UK in 2025 after a few years away from visiting captive collections I am now planning to see as many birds of prey as possible around the UK.
This will include captive and wild birds, what I am looking for is help as to which collections hold the best possible species of birds of prey.
Which collections have the rarest species and ones that hold the most species.

Any help will be gratefully received.
 
Highly recommend a trip to north yorkshire, lots of bird of prey centres within a small radius, Thirsk, NCBP, York, Thorp Perrow, and im sure theres another:)
 
Hello,

I too have thought about travelling to various bird of prey centres we have around the UK. I personally found these two collections of particular interest when I was looking:

  • Cotswold Falconry Centre with highlights such as African goshawk, Greater kestrel, Chimango caracara & Long-legged buzzard
  • National Centre for Birds of Prey with highlights such as African hawk-eagle, Crowned hawk-eagle, Wahlberg's eagle & White-bellied sea eagle
In regards to wild birds what species are you looking for in particular as species like hen harriers are Schedule 1 so informing you of locations would be unlawful. However, on the other hand vists to RSPB Minsmere, Burton Mere, Cors Ddyga would get you marsh harrier which aren't kept in any UK public collection (nor are hen harrier). Other easy wild species would be buzzard, kestrel, sparrowhawk & red kite. Goshawk are also Sched 1 but at sites they are known at birds may still be displaying although it may be too late now. Pegs and merlin shouldn't be too hard but does help to know where you a re looking, some pegs nest on buildings in some major towns and cities. Hobby nor Honey buzzard won't be back from Africa yet. For white-tailed and golden eagles the Isle of Skye is probably your best bet for them. Finally, osprey. There are many nests around the country such as at RSPB Loch Garten but views are distant especially if you want photos.
 
WWT Slimbridge would also get you Marsh Harrier (two last weekend, pretty). Also peregrine.

If you want to catch Red Kites and a zoo then Hamerton is a great place to see them as they have many wild pairs living around the zoo. The new bear platform is a great place for them and you can get great views up close (they go into the bear enclosures for nesting materials and the open top areas for the dead chicks animal food. Whipsnade also has great viewing for wild red kites.

In addition to the two centres above I’d recommend taking a look at Millets Wildside

Millets Falconry

I’ve done a photography day there and they have some lovely flying birds including peregrine, buzzard, black kite as well as owls, kookaburra and vultures. They have a good number of interesting birds.

I’ve also had fen falconry recently recommended to me (40 birds) a private facility with tours and photo days only I’ve not been since I was a kid but might be worth a look

https://www.fensfalconry.co.uk/visit

For Ospreys there are some places you can go to photograph from hides as well as seeing them at long distance - I did visit one over Rutland way last year (on the one day they had no Ospreys in the whole season, chortle) at Horn Mill trout farm.
 
Eagle Heights in Eynsford has several birds of prey. I saw one of their falconry displays outside the collection:
Species listed on Zootierliste are:
African fish eagle
African white-faced vulture
Bald, martial, steppe, tawny and golden eagles
Barbary falcon
Common barn owl
European and spotted eagle owls
Gyrfalcon
Harris's and red-tailed hawks
Lanner and peregrine falcons
Little and snowy owls
Red-naped shaheen falcon
Steller's and white-tailed sea eagles
Striated caracara
Western Eurasian griffon vulture
Western tawny owl
 
I know of Osprey, Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, Kestrel, Goshawk, Peregrine falcon, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Hen Harrier, Golden Eagle, White Tailed Sea-Eagle, Hobby & Merlin locations (which I won't put on here as we don't know who reads these threads).
I visit the following collections at least once a year,
Hagley Falconry Centre, Cotswold Birds of Prey, Hawk Conservancy Trust, Chester Zoo & London Zoo.
Unfortunately I don't trust ZLT as I know sometimes they are not up to date with the current species.
Many thanks to all who have replied with ideas.
 
AdrianW1963 said:
Unfortunately I don't trust ZLT as I know sometimes they are not up to date with the current species.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately ztl has always been a bit iffy for the UK, but it got a whole lot worse when this site took off and not just for the small obscure places when places like Chester and Twycross start getting errors you know the situation isn't good, I know a few people in the UK that stopped editing ztl when errors kept being put back, but that is what happens when any Tom,Dick or Harry can edit a site with little or no knowledge beyond they didn't see a species so it must have gone from the collection.
 
If you're after Ospreys the Llyn Brenig and Pont Croesor pairs are fairly reliable and have good quality monitored viewing areas. There are other Osprey sites inthe top left hand corner of Wales; last year I had the great good fortune to be able to watch a (sadly unsuccessful) nesting pair from my front garden and no, I'm not saying where.
 
Honey Buzzard - I assume you are aware of the standard sites (in Nottinghamshire, North Yorkshire and Norfolk)
Montagu’s Harrier - essentially lost as a breeding species at present
 
Prochilodus246 said:
Hello,

I too have thought about travelling to various bird of prey centres we have around the UK. I personally found these two collections of particular interest when I was looking:

  • Cotswold Falconry Centre with highlights such as African goshawk, Greater kestrel, Chimango caracara & Long-legged buzzard
  • National Centre for Birds of Prey with highlights such as African hawk-eagle, Crowned hawk-eagle, Wahlberg's eagle & White-bellied sea eagle
In regards to wild birds what species are you looking for in particular as species like hen harriers are Schedule 1 so informing you of locations would be unlawful. However, on the other hand vists to RSPB Minsmere, Burton Mere, Cors Ddyga would get you marsh harrier which aren't kept in any UK public collection (nor are hen harrier). Other easy wild species would be buzzard, kestrel, sparrowhawk & red kite. Goshawk are also Sched 1 but at sites they are known at birds may still be displaying although it may be too late now. Pegs and merlin shouldn't be too hard but does help to know where you a re looking, some pegs nest on buildings in some major towns and cities. Hobby nor Honey buzzard won't be back from Africa yet. For white-tailed and golden eagles the Isle of Skye is probably your best bet for them. Finally, osprey. There are many nests around the country such as at RSPB Loch Garten but views are distant especially if you want photos.
Click to expand...

Are you sure its illegal to disclose the whereabouts of Hen Harrier?

Hen Harrier | Forest of Bowland National Landscape
 
Ned said:
Are you sure its illegal to disclose the whereabouts of Hen Harrier?

Hen Harrier | Forest of Bowland National Landscape
Click to expand...
oflory said:
Illegal to disclose nesting locations, I think, not individual birds.
Click to expand...
I don't think even that is illegal? I can't find any wording to that effect.

It is illegal to interfere with or disturb nesting / lekking Schedule 1 birds, and generally nest/lek/winter roost sites for Schedule 1 birds are not specifically located in public documents (because they are generally conservation documents), but I don't know that it is actually illegal to reveal locations? (Not that I think anyone should, obviously, I just can't see that written anywhere).
 
Chlidonias said:
I don't think even that is illegal? I can't find any wording to that effect.

It is illegal to interfere with or disturb nesting / lekking Schedule 1 birds, and generally nest/lek/winter roost sites for Schedule 1 birds are not specifically located in public documents (because they are generally conservation documents), but I don't know that it is actually illegal to reveal locations? (Not that I think anyone should, obviously, I just can't see that written anywhere).
Click to expand...
You are probably right!
 
In summer the minor road linking the A543 with Llansannan is an excellent vantage point for watching pretty well every species of upland British raptor plus Short-Eared Owls.
 
Is the National Centre for Birds of Prey in Yorkshire the only place in the UK to see an African crowned eagle?

I recall there were examples of this eagle at Eagle Heights and Warwick Castle previously. I would appreciate any information on them. Many thanks
 
No idea I am afraid, but having seen this bird in the wild in the last month, it is a species well worth tracking down!
 
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