Go wild in the great outdoors with the wonderful birds of prey of Kent! You’ll meet this family of feathered friends at the really rather lovely Eastwell Manor right in the heart of the Kentish Downs near Ashford. We’ve got a really good range of birds of prey experiences on offer for you at Eastwell and all give you the chance to get close to these magnificent birds.
This centre is owned and run by Leigh and Jo Holmes who are passionate about their work with birds of prey. All experiences here in Kent are hands-on so you’ll meet and fly a variety of species during your visit.
The classic half and full day sessions and the ‘Big Four’ experience all start with a VIP tour of the birds as well as meeting your falconer host and enjoying a welcome coffee. Then it’s time to get your glove on head out across the estate and start working with the birds. And believe us the first time one of these incredible creatures swoops in to land on your gloved hand it’s an amazing moment. From then on in you’ll fly lots of different birds from the teeny owls and the fast falcons to the graceful hawks admiring them up close and in full flight.
If you’re on the ‘Big Four’ session you’ll be flying the biggest birds concentrating on the larger species of birds of prey. This Kent centre has an impressive collection of vultures including Maggie the Hooded Vulture and Ethel the White Headed Vulture. Then there are those regal eagles. You might meet the Chilean Eagle or the Stellers Sea Eagle – both are ferocious hunters in the wild and pretty big birds of prey!
Half-day full-day or big birds these are all great birds of prey experiences in Kent. We think you’ll love meeting the birds and love the setting too. You might even end up making some rather unusual birds including an Augur Buzzard which the team at Eastwell believes is the only one in Europe!
