Get your feathers in a flap with our York Bird of Prey experience days – hours of winged adventures in the peaceful countryside surrounding this historic city with opportunities for you to handle and fly the birds at this expert York falconry centre.
Both half-day and full-day courses giving you plenty of time to learn all about these magnificent birds of prey are available from Askham Bryan College a renowned land-based studies school that has a farm horticultural centre and lake all within four miles of York’s city centre – a fantastic setting for getting to know these birds of prey. York’s riverside location and tranquil country environment provide excellent hunting and training arenas for these marvellous raptors and you’ll be able to see them in all their glory as you handle and fly them to glove.
Looking after and breeding as well as training hawks falcons and owls is a full-time job and by spending time with the team you’ll get a really good insight into the life and role of a falconer as well as discovering the characteristics of these beautiful birds and how they behave in their natural habitat. The York falconry team is made up of experienced bird handlers and they know lots about the history and habits of their sharp-eyed flyers.
The half-day experience offers you the chance to learn about and handle some of the York centre’s main birds of prey such as their powerful eagle-eyed falcons or their adorably fluffy baby owls. Meet Stanley the Barn Owl Monty the Peregrine Falcon along with Rufus and Odin the Hawks all of whom are desperate to show you their fearsome flying skills. Fly a selection of birds to the glove call them and watch them dive sharply earthwards in search of food.
The York-based full-day falconry course gives you even more time with the birds as well as providing a more in-depth background to their breeds and the sport of hawking. Both options present unmissable chances to get up-close and personal with some of nature’s fastest and most cunning predators and are the perfect experience for anyone with an avian interest or a fascination with these formidable flying stars. So why not give someone you love the thrill of a lifetime with a voucher for one of our York Birds of Prey activities and let them discover the fun of falconry.
