The team have moved on apace again with the deconstruction of the 'other' area beyond the current centre walls. Most of the old aviaries have been collapsed and we're starting to get a real feel of how we are going to use this area to its full potential. It's amazing how much having a blank canvass can change your perception of a space. It's so much more open now and there is so much space for us to use.

Lila took a bit of a fall yesterday - after jumping up to catch a stick she fell on her right shoulder and gave a loud yelp and started limping. She's the nuttiest dog so she usually shakes off a scrape here or there. This time however she's not come off so well as, when I went to check on her later in the day, she could bare no weight at all on her right leg. Straight to the vets we went who seemed to think there were no breaks but that it was unsure if she could have a fracture.  After some anti-inflammatory and some pain medication she seems much brighter this morning and is baring at least some of her weight on the leg. The trials our animals put us through!


We're all organised for Christmas now and its good to know that we're all going to get a chance to have a break - including the birds. From 23rd December until mid-March we will not be flying so it means we can get a lot of the work we need doing before we open again next year. That said, it's been easier to get a few of those things done even this month as we have not seen very many visitors at the flying displays but we are ever grateful to those who do attend. Visitors who have seen the flying displays have had extra special treatment and have been flying some of the birds with us. The news coverage of the floods across Cumbria has been 'bad for business' to say the least even though we have been barely seen any flooding in our area. And it's still raining as I look outside the office!









I've also been working with Andy and Denise to create a new leaflet for the new year. It's looking very colourful and gives us our first chance to market the Hawk and Owl Centre alongside the Castle. We couldn't do this last year as we started our season in May - too late to tell the world too much before we had to be flying birds.

Thank you very much to all of you who follow this blog and have supported the Hawk and Owl Centre in our first year. We all wish you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2016 (which hopefully will include a trip to see us at the centre!).

You've got to love TripAdvisor. It's a brilliant way to gather as many peoples opinions on a place or activity and can be a real help to businesses to adapt. Trouble is it opens you up to all sorts. Muncaster is just next door to Ravenglass where there is a ruin of a Roman Bathhouse - there's a TripAdvisor page for this and despite the incredible fact that it's still standing (with many Walls intact) after nearly 2000 years people still write on the website that it's "just a few walls". I imagine they'd say the same about the Coliseum or after a visit to Pompeii! Mostly visitors have been very kind about the change this year at Muncaster and the displays have been especially well received. We've had countless messages and accolades on social media raving about them. Some don't agree but I have firmly believed throughout the season that the displays and the birds in them have very rightly made us very proud at Muncaster. I certainly wouldn't do them if I thought they weren't to the highest possible standard. What we have produced this year is going to be better next year and better again the year after that. To anyone who hasn't been very pleased with our displays this year I apologise but I think they've been excellent. After all this was our first season and Rome wasn't built in a day. Then again, Rome was 'just a few walls'. 

We have been busy making alterations to the covered area for the tethered birds in the centre. The ground was getting very waterlogged under there and so we've put a membrane and 6 tonnes of gravel down which should do the trick! The birds can now sit out in all weathers (practically) without getting wet heads, feathers or feet. The rest of the team here at Muncaster have also been an absolute godsend over the last week or so as they have been helping us deconstruct some of the old aviaries 'next door'.  This year we've only been using what was called the Owl Garden but we hope to expand into the other large area of the centre when we re-open in the spring. Lots of exciting times ahead as we build up to that opening but a heck of a lot of work to do to it first. 

The Wildlife Pond has also moved on a pace and is now recognisably a public area. Until a couple of weeks ago it was very overgrown and very 'wild'. Emma has been working with the garden staff to create new habitats for wildlife and a renewed area for visitors to enjoy come next spring. This was one of the projects we discussed on the Friends of Muncaster evening in September so it's good to see us being true to our word. 

The hardy birds are still flying and doing a Stirling job in some harsh conditions. As I type this I'm not sure that I won't get blown away today let alone the birds! They'll be flying at 1:30pm everyday until 23rd December, weather permitting.  We had out first cancelled show this week due to high winds. Trees were coming down in the woods so I think we made the right call. A couple staying in Ravenglass had come specifically to see us fly so they still got a close up look at some of the birds and a 'VIP tour'. 

Well the weather has certainly turned and it is most definitely getting towards the winter now. I always love the change over between seasons - especially when autumn really takes hold and in a place like this it's spectacular to watch the greens turn to orange. One of the trees on Canon Bank looked as if it were on fire just a week ago. It's practically bare now - I just wish the weather were not so wet! The damp is causing us some issues. One of them being that people aren't visiting us which was expected after Halloween. I'm told by other staff that it's entirely normal for us to have only seen a handful of people by lunchtime but it seems so alien after, just 2 weeks ago, struggling to seat everyone at the 2:30pm show. Another issue the rain is causing is the ground. The massive amount of rainfall we've had has meant that the 'wet-weather shelter' is no good and birds would very quickly become very muddy if we were to tether them there. We've been in conversations this week to fix this as it has meant a few of the birds being indoors for a while. We've decided that, after going around the houses a little bit, the best solution is to put down a membrane and a good layer of gravel underneath the current shelter. This always was the plan but the shelter was erected so quickly at the start of a very busy season when we were new so it got missed.

 The weather was however kind to us over the Halloween period. Our Twilight Owls flying displays were very well received by all accounts. The displays were modeled on the Hawk Conservancy Trust's 'Owls by Moonlight' evenings (which are fabulous and should you ever have the opportunity to attend an evening with them then seize the opportunity!) and Gary helped us to choreograph and light the arena and it had a stunning impact. The meadow looked great and all the owls did very well. Ash was a little slow on one of the nights towards the end of the week but he's only young! In fact the only night we had rain was on Halloween itself and it was still lovely - our audience that night were especially brilliant as they still sat with us and really bought into the spirit of the event. They were all wet but nearly all smiling and that's good enough for me. Hopefully we'll run similar events for Halloween next year so if you missed it this time then make sure you get a ticket next time around. 




We've now dropped down to one flying demo each day at the earlier time of 1:30pm for over the winter. We found that 2:30pm was just too late and lots of people wanted to get back on the road if the weather was poor. We've also moved our Wild Heron feed to 3pm until we're back in the main season - partly as it's really starting to get dark by 4pm. This seems to be working well and gives us as bird staff a little more time in the afternoon as well as the morning. If you are planning to visit please remember that the castle is closed at this time of year, as is the main cafe but that our tea room is still serving the best cakes in Cumbria and hot soup and sandwiches - what better on a cool autumnal afternoon? We're flying until 23rd December so do take the opportunity to come along! 













We had a radio interview with Metro radio a couple of days ago too. It's always nice to be able to discuss the work we are doing and promote ourselves to the world. Not so great perhaps when my interview went put at somewhere between 1am and 2am on Friday morning - not sure that's where our target audience will be found but a plug's a plug!


The three yellow billed kites have made the trip back to HCT for the winter as the big aviary they were in this season is not sheltered a enough for what can be a very delicate species. They are back with the bigger kite team in Andover and will return in the Spring next year ready to do it all again! 





We've been in discussions together this week about the best way forward for the centre too. We're all very passionate about the centre and all thoroughly believe that it will grow into one of the best of it's kind in the country especially with the help of HCT. I'm putting together these plans at the moment so if you're a regular visitor or a Friend of Muncaster then you can rest assured that we'll be working hard to make the experience of the Hawk and Owl Centre even better for next year. I'll keep you posted. 

It's taken me so long to get around to writing my blog this time - I thought that things would slow down a little after the main summer period and, in some respects, it has. On the other hand so much is happening with plans for the centre making it an exciting but busy time. We had the visit from Penny and Gary from HCT at the end of September to iron out a few issues we were having with the Halloween 'Twilight Owls Show' which is now looking like it's going to be a beautiful experience for all those who attend. To anyone who's ever visited the Hawk Conservancy Trust you may know that they run 'Owls by Moonlight' evenings and our displays is modeled on these evenings. But the backdrop of the lit castle and the atmosphere of the lighting we have created on the meadow is just such a visual feast that I'm certain that attendants to the show will have never seen anything quite like it before - I'm just praying for good weather again. (I seem to be doing that a lot since my move to Cumbria!). More information about timings and prices over the Halloween period can be found here http://www.muncaster.co.uk/special-events/halloween-week.

Ria with Nutmeg

We have also been busy discussing plans for next year's developments and how we are going to go about achieving them. The bulk of the manual work will need to be done after Halloween and over the winter period when we are closed. Given that we will be flying right up to December 23rd this year at 2:30pm every day (and feeding Herons at 4pm) this doesn't give us a large amount of time to be closed completely to visitors. On the plus side if you fancy wrapping up warm on a lovely winter's afternoon you will be treated to some wonderful flying from the hardiest members of our flying team everyday on the Wildflower Meadow. The plans will make our work here so much more efficient and will definitely make anyone's visit to the centre even more special - can you tell I'm keeping most of our plans a secret for now? Gary and Penny's input with all these plans has, of course, been invaluable and we are so very lucky to be working with an organisation that has so much expertise in working with birds of prey and building a centre of excellence. Keep watching this blog and the facebook page for more updates.



Aside all of the hard work each of us have actually managed to take a week off over the past 3 weeks. The wonderful Ria has been here for almost a month now and covered for Emma, Stuart and I to take some leave. She's also been such a breath of fresh air to the centre and her enthusiasm hasn't wavered for three weeks. Actually I am very tempted to let Penny know that she won't be returning to HCT at all and that we will be keeping her now!

Heat lamps and solid roofs on all of the aviaries are all now in place and fully operational. It's very comforting to see the warm red glow coming from the bird's housing when the temperature dips just a little low. So far it's not been too cold but we have had a couple of ground frosts. With the wind chill I'm expecting it to get very cold very quickly after Halloween - which is just as well because many of the birds will be rested after this point. They will be fattened up for the winter and be given a well deserved rest from demonstrations until spring time next year.
 





One final note is one on Herriot. Last week he decided to soar and glide a little further than we usually like him to into the valley. We're all very proud of the progress he has made since our arrival here in May and being able to watch an eagle like this soar over the castle is incredible.

He did however take the biscuit a little by flying just a little too far over the valley and making his part of the 2:30pm demonstration last a little over 3 hours. Stuart and I managed to find him in the woodland just this side of the estuary by tracking his radio transmitter. He was very pleased to see us as I think he had gotten himself well and truly lost! Stuart was a little stressed that day....

It's noticeably cooler as we head closer to October now. The birds are all eating a little more food to hold their weight and the heating is coming on sometimes in my house which is a first! Although I do have to admit to having the fire on a fair few times - Delilah seems to like it and always sits as close as she dares. We're now also starting to rest birds who have worked particularly hard over the summer - Nutmeg the Lanner Falcon being one of those so he's enjoying not having to do a great deal to earn his keep. ASBO has stepped up to the mark after starring in our Friend's of Muncaster evening a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't been to see him fly yet and you get the chance then you really should as he regularly gives us bird staff Goosebumps to watch him fly - "Tinglyyy!" as Stuart would put it.

Ash now fully grown and flying well

Now it's quieter we're also all going to get a chance to take some time away from the centre. After starting in May the work we've done has been pretty intensive and none of us have had much chance to take stock (although I'm sure Emma and Stuart would happily tell you that I'm never here!). Because we're a three person team and we always need two staff here to operate we've been joined by Ria, who has traveled up from the Hawk Conservancy Trust to cover for us all. We're all so far enjoying having someone else on the team and I for one can say its so enjoyable to listen to a commentary from someone new at the shows. I am hoping that Ria's time here will be useful to her too as its a very different dynamic to working at the Trust. A smaller bird handling team, a broader attraction and different shows all mean that it should be an experience so I hope that she feels welcome and that she enjoys her time here.

We had a visit from John Hoosen from the National Trust who has been working with species specific to Cumbria and looking particularly at the Netted Carpet Moth which we have a small stronghold of here at Muncaster - a rarity in this part of the Lakes I'm told. With Emma planning the conservation projects in the coming months this is a species well worth thinking about. I'm hoping we can all get a chance to see the moth at dusk before it gets too cold!

Walrus and Stuart have been working together to get ready for winter. All of the aviaries now have power which means that Stuart has started putting heat lamps in with the smaller, more vulnerable birds first. To see the warm red glow of those lamps inside the houses of these susceptible birds is very comforting. The weighing room is also being re-roofed soon as it was practically flooded earlier this week after heavy rain. It looks as if it's needed a new one for a while so Martin and Murray have temporarily fixed it before the real thing goes on next week (I think!).
 We've got a visit from Penny and Gary from HCT next week as well which will be very useful. There's always so much to discuss and I think next year's plans are going to play a part in these talks - We're all very excited about what's to come after a very successful season this year.

The schools have now well and truly gone back now as we're seeing less families visiting the centre and more couples and groups visiting who have cleverly avoided the rush of the summer holidays. This is a chance for myself and the team at the Hawk and Owl Centre to come up for air as we have such a whirlwind of a summer - really thrown in at the deep end. I'm pleased to say we've managed to do what I think is a pretty good job so far. As I always have said - the birds really have done us proud (most of them at least!).

Emma with Ash on our Friends of Muncaster Event

Thank you to those of you who are Friends of Muncaster who attended our special evening event last week. I have to say that it was far more a success than we could have hoped with double the numbers we had expected for the evening actually attending. The birds all flew well in the demonstration with Ash the Great Grey Owl making his debut appearance in front of a crowd flying completely free! I think he's going to be an absolute super star if he's not already. The highlight for me was Peter and Iona's appearance as falconers for the evening. They were both great sports and did a sterling job - so much so that Emma, Stuart and I had better watch our jobs - Peter had really done his research on Burrowing Owls and even knew the incubation time for their eggs and their conservation status in the wild. The talks were all also well received. Hopefully now we will have a core of our membership that truly understand the work we are trying to champion both here at the castle and with the Hawk Conservancy Trust. Peter also announced that we had managed to raise roughly £10k in donations for that conservation work over the time we have been here which is very pleasing indeed. 

Two delicate Burrowing Owls - Michael Edwards

We're now busy making preparations for the colder months and Walrus has begun his work rigging heat lamps into all the aviaries. We work with quite a few delicate individuals (birds not people!) and its important that they are kept warm and comfortable during what could be a very harsh winter. None of us bird staff have experienced a winter here so we're keen to over rather than under prepare. The team is also in talks about how we can make improvements for next year. Due to the situation back in May this year, we were unable to design and build the centre to a standard we were entirely happy with so the winter will give us an opportunity to take stock and discuss what needs doing before we open again in the spring. This is one of the main attractions for working alongside the Hawk Conservancy - the standards are set very high and that guidance towards those standards is going to be invaluable to the centre reaching its full potential as one of excellence. 

Mulberry, Jason Braithwaite

Whilst the weather has been mostly kind to us over the last few days it's odd how quickly the mornings and evenings can start to feel very autumnal - as if one can smell the approaching cooler weather on the breeze.
We've just finished the Living History week which saw large numbers of various 'ancestors' meeting and greeting visitors to the castle. The birds coped very well with musket fire on the lawn and even, at one stage I think, a cannon. I think next year it might be nice for us to tie into the history side of things a bit more and get involved with some historical falconry and educate visitors a little more about falconers' roots in history. Peter is desperate to get us dressed up in medieval gear for the shows - I'm not sure that'll go down too well with Stuart, or the birds!

Ash, our baby Great Grey Owl, has started work in the displays this past week. At the end of the World of Owls demonstration he has made an appearance as a training session. We've only been flying him on a creance line (a length of line for training birds before flying them free) so far but I think he'll not be long before he's ready to go free. We'll be fitting a radio transmitter first mind you! I think the plan is to try and get him involved in our Friends of Muncaster event (http://www.muncaster.co.uk/special-events/friends-mhoc) thats happening on Sunday.

Herriot, Michael Edwards

Speaking of the event, the team have been hard at work preparing for the evening and it looks to be a wonderful event. We're going to have a few surprises at the flying demonstration so if you are a 'Friend' and you're thinking you've seen our shows before - think again. The finale (which we've rehearsed twice now with one of the falcons) is just awesome. We've also hired a couple of high profile newbie falconers who are going to be a part of the display. Emma and Stuart have also been working to get their talks ready about the conservation work we're all here to support - both here at the castle and at the Hawk Conservancy Trust. It looks at the moment as if the weather is going to be fine too so it's all set to be a really great evening. I shall look forward to seeing you there.

To the Muncaster Hawk and Owl Centre page - http://bit.ly/1II332v

ASBO

There are times of the year that I really look forward to flying birds for large numbers of visitors - the days when it's 'standing room only' at the shows really adds something to the atmosphere of a demonstration and it's often when we get the best reaction from audiences. Monday was one such day and, it has to be said, it is absolutely exhausting trying to organise so many people to stay still and seated throughout and make sure that everyone (and every bird!) is safe. We managed it - I'm not sure how many we had at the demonstrations but it was rather a lot. Coupled with the police dog training unit down on the lawn and the Frozen sisters from the actual Disney film excitement levels were high from the start of the CFM 'Cash for Kids' day. The birds flew outstandingly well and they never cease to amaze me. With all that was going on elsewhere in the gardens they all did a fantastic job for us and we're very proud of them all. Nutmeg the Lanner got some nice height, which he has been regularly doing this last week, and the Herriot was awesome as always.

Rebecca with Herriot

We've got a little more help now too - Dawn managed to get talking to Rebecca, who has recently moved to
West Cumbria from a much warmer part of the world in the States, and gave her the nudge to come along and volunteer. Rebecca has been with us for a week or so now and it's fair to say that she's really been thrown in at the deep end with stewarding shows for us. It's never easy to man the show as some people don't like playing by the rules of 'sit still', 'don't just stand up randomly when an eagle is flying' or 'keep children under control!', so all our volunteers and staff that do this job are doing a great job. We also have a veterinary student here on work experience this week which offers us a little more help and every little really does help! I think he's painting the owl tea room as i type this - perhaps not the best experience for his vocation but it's all part of the job!

Bob with a hooded Nutmeg

My good friend Bob Brind-Surch, who runs a wildlife photography business, Natures Photos, came up to visit me from Northamptonshire last week too. Bob is an excellent naturalist and has a real passion for wildlife from all around the globe. Having spent a chunk of his life following some of the country's great falconers and flying birds himself in the past he has a great knowledge of how to photograph birds of prey in natural settings and understands the needs of the birds which many photographers often don't. I worked with Bob on raptor  workshops at Holdenby in Northants before the move to Muncaster so it was good to see someone from home. This was especially true as it was with the view to running some exciting new sessions here based around the stunning locations we have at Muncaster around the gardens and surrounding estate and the birds we work with in the centre.

Ash is growing fast and training well

Numbers are looking good for our special event for Friends of Muncaster. We haven't asked for everyone to tell us if they're coming but it will help us to know how many packets of chocolate biscuits etc we need to buy! Let's hope all goes well and that the event is a success - I'm praying for good weather.

Is it really August already? It's amazing to think that we are now in our fourth month of working here at the Castle and yet we've done so much. The centre has a completely different atmosphere and look to when we first arrived here in May, something that several visitors have commented on which is nice. The flowerbeds in front of the covered weathering are coming to life a little more now and everything seems to be settling in well. We too are more comfortable in our surroundings and now have a good routine to the day so we are much more efficient when getting ready for opening and demonstrations which means that we're all, mostly, getting a coffee break before we open at 10:30am.

Visitor wise we have been very busy and most days our 'Taster Sessions' are being filled. These are hour long experiences on which visitors can get that little bit closer to our birds and have an almost one-to-one session with our the bird staff as we limit spaces to a maximum of 4 guests. The sessions have been well received with everyone so far really enjoying them (or as far as I can tell!) and most telling me that the session is well worth the £30.00 that we charge. This is really good as every little helps at the moment whilst we're still setting up the centre. If you're reading this and fancy a go, sessions can be pre-booked online or spaces are sometimes available on the day - if you're quick! Details can be found here http://www.muncaster.co.uk/gifts-experiences/hawk-handling-taster.



We did decide to rest Diego in the end. Her feathers really were in need of a good moult so she's getting a nice rest and being fed up for a few weeks. We're in the second week and she's not done that much moulting just yet but patience is important with these things.She is much missed in the shows though as she's a great character and just so different from any of the other birds we fly - perhaps we'll have to find her an understudy for when she needs to moult... now there's an idea! As a result of not having her we decided to make more of Nutmeg, our Lanner Falcon, in the shows. On the warm days when there are thermals he makes some nice height and even when working to a lure he looks absolutely spectacular so we fly him to music - the experience is epic. It occurred to me just how important the sections of no commentary are in our displays as we do get a large number of overseas guests staying here, many of whom would not be able to connect with our displays so well if we didn't have these breaks so it's good for everyone.

The morning 'World of Owls' show feels slicker now and all the owls are performing well. Whilst I was away last week though, Stuart said he had had issues with Sage our Tawny Owl. So Gucci the Brown Wood Owl has filled her role in the morning show and Sage now mostly working on experiences which she much prefers. Sage was a bird that I brought along with me from Icarus Falconry in Northamptonshire where she mostly worked on these hands-on sessions so she's very used to being handled by lots of different people and so this sits best with her. Plus everyone thinks she's adorable!

Ash, the young Great Grey owl, is also coming on well and has grown at quite a pace as expected. He's still not on display just yet but training has begun with the staff here and he's taking it all in his stride - jumping to the fist now for his mice which will hopefully bode well for his future work in demonstrations.

We are planning a special event for the 6th September exclusively for Friends of Muncaster to launch the conservation projects the Hawk and Owl centre plan to work on in the very near future. The evening will include a never-before-seen flying display including several favourite birds from the Hawk and Owl Centre (with a few surprises) coupled with light-hearted commentary from the falconers. After the display, Friends are invited to light refreshments in the Old Laundry Room whilst listening to the evening’s talks on the important work the Hawk and Owl Centre plan to do and the work already happening around the gardens and surrounding estate at Muncaster in the name of conservation. This is an exclusive event for Friends membership holders only so if you'd like to attend you need to be one! You can sign up for this online.

The school summer holidays have well and truly kicked off now and we're noticing more visitors to the 11:30 am show which is good... mostly. I'm not sure what it is about some visitors (albeit very few as most of our audiences have been wonderful) but they do like to try my patience. Just this week one parent decided it was a good idea to have children running across benches and shouting out questions at the top of their lungs whilst Cavalli was flying. This is of course after the health and safety briefing at the start of the demonstration stating that everyone needs to sit still else they may well get a bird collide with them - not good! In any case I did have to stop the show until the children were under control which they (eventually) were by the end. It makes me so grateful for the birds we are working with. They are pretty much bombproof meaning that no matter what happens the vast majority of them don't bat and eyelid and continue with the display. 

We moved the benches on the flying grounds back a little last week too which does give a better view and helps keep the meadow as preserved as possible but it does mean that the birds have had to adjust to new perches or audience in a different place. I think Mulberry the Barn Owl has found this change the hardest as her routine is pre-set targets but she's getting there. She has also frequently 'found' Stuart, Emma or I inside the speaker this week - so much so that we've had to turn the PA off a couple of times to get her attention back. That's what happens when you work with some of nature's best set of ears I suppose.

The new mews has become our default weathering for the falcons and just needs painting up now. Dawn, Eve, Carol-Anne and Terry have been getting to grips with this for us -where would we be without volunteers? Coincidentally, if you are interested in volunteering with us we now have a form we send out for people who want to join us - you even get a free cuppa out of it and I'm sure I or one of the other bird staff will buy you a slice of cake for good behavior! We're building a really nice, friendly team here which has taken the pressure away from bird staff just a little.

Flying displays have been going very well and we're improving them everyday when we can - just yesterday we trialed flying Nutmeg to music and I think it was successful even if he did spend half of his flight soaring above the trees behind the audience where nobody could see him. We are thinking of giving Diego a few weeks off, which is a shame as she's such a star and we're entering the busiest period of the year more or less but her tail is a bit of a mess. 

She had one or two broken ones when she arrived here at Muncaster after a long trip from HCT. She has since broken a couple more and we are going to rethink her perching and box style for when she has moulted. It might give us time to find an understudy for 'Frank' the rubber snake whom Diego kills every day during her display. 

My trip down to Hampshire was successful and I came away with the newest member of our team here at Muncaster - Ash, the Great Grey Owl. He's a little over five weeks old now and is not yet on display, of course, but will be as soon as we can let him. He's going to be such a fantastic bird to fly in our winter demonstrations later this year - I'm hoping we can get him going well for the Halloween celebrations which gives us three months to get him bang on. At the moment he's still coming home with us - a role which we're sharing and Stu and Emma have agreed to take on when I am away from the centre next week. 

It may sound like a fantastic thing to do, babysitting for a baby owl, and it is. 

Except from all the things they want to destroy - or poo on! He's a lovely little character and I have high hopes for his success here in displays. 

Emma has assumed the role of our lead in the conservation field from the Hawk and Owl centre. She went ringing songbirds this weekend and hopes to do more, specifically with raptors if possible, in the very near future. This type of experience  is invaluable to the work we want to be doing. We are making plans to launch the projects we want to work on on site at Muncaster (in addition to supporting the work done by the Hawk Conservancy Trust) in September and hope to hold a special event for 'Friends of Muncaster'. This will be an exclusive event for 'Friends' only and is likely to include a never-before-seen demonstration on the meadow and a talk in the Old Laundry Room outlining the conservation work the Hawk and Owl Centre is working towards. Refreshments will be included too, of course! Details of this event will be sent out very soon but if you're not a friend then sign up now. Not only does it give you access to events like this, which we hope to make regular, but it also allows you entrance to Muncaster as many times as you like for a year - bargain, especially if you are local.

Iris, American Kestrel, on the lure.

We've had some truly lovely weather here over the last few weeks and that has meant that we have had some very nice flying from some of the birds. Herriot the Steppe Eagle is the one the stands out for me, mostly because of the superb effort he puts in every day regardless of which way the wind is blowing - something I've not encountered with eagles before. Today he made a little height during the 2:30pm demo which was superb. I keep hoping that someone gets a good video of him when he does this but so far I've not been sent one!

A lovely card from a Primary School who visited last week.

It's been a bit of a mixed couple of weeks for us as we've had our fair share of tough days. Rowan, the young Barbary Falcon had his first flight free last week. He came to the lure well but then spooked upon almost landing in the grass and from then on was on the wing with Stuart and I close on his tail with the tracking equipment. Over two days we covered over 250 miles in Stuart's Jimny (without which I wouldn't have been able to track him at all) and eventually we lost his signal on Friday afternoon. Try as we might we could not get a beep and from then on I have been really hoping to hear the phone ring with news that someone had picked him up - no such luck! It's a real shame as he was really showing signs of being a lovely bird to handle and, if any of his older brothers were anything to go by, he would have been an awesome bird to see fly. After a few days of being up at first light and being out until dark we were all exhausted. Stuart and Emma have been wonderfully patient with me and have both been constantly on hand to help me find him - as have Peter and Iona. Knowing that you have good, trustworthy backup when these things happen is invaluable. We're still keeping our ears open and eyes peeled for any news.

Emma with Elder
after he'd been collected from the top of the tree

On Tuesday I decided that Elder, one of the young Barn Owls (the one that ended up at the top of the tree) would be safe to fly again after a little manning time in the aviary - wrong! After a few nice flights to the fist he spooked and flew up into a tree. Emma and I exchanged looks at this moment thinking - "not again!" Luckily he hadn't flown far and, with the help of Dawn, our fantastic new volunteer (especially so as she brought us the best millionaires shortbread last week), I managed to climb up and retrieve him. After losing the Barbary the previous week I was not looking forward to spending days on end looking for a young Barn Owl.It's likely the local Tawny Owl population would have had something to say about it too. He's now back safe and sound with his brother. We're going to have a rethink on how we train them as the current methods aren't good!

MightyMite helping with the gardening

The new undercover weathering has come on apace and its looking really very nice now. Annie, the head gardener at Muncaster, has been planting up some herbaceous beds infront of the birds which will look stunning when they flower as well as being a great help in attracting bees and butterflies. The birds are really settled and happy in there and it gives us somewhere to weather the birds on hot and wet days. It just needs painting up - a thankless task that will take rather a long time alongside the pruning of the ever growing foliage across the centre that's been growing incredibly fast recently.I had a go at pruning and I don't think its my life calling - hacking would best describe what I did but it wont need doing for a while now.







I'm making the trip down to HCT later next week to collect another new addition to the Muncaster team. This one will come into his/her own during the long winter months here at the castle - any guesses what it might be? Check back here in a week or so to find out.

Nutmeg, Lanner Falcon. Windyridge Wildlife Photography

We're having a bit of a heat wave at the moment (something I had never anticipated having only seen Muncaster in the cold and wet before taking the centre on) which has made for a lovely change. The weather is good for visitor numbers but offers up new challenges for the team working within the centre. We have our weathering lawn now complete which means all the tethered birds can sit safely on the lawn during the day. This doesn't however provide us with provision for very hot days (such as today!) or the very wet weather. The team at Muncaster have been working furiously to complete our mews which is looking great I think - thank you, guys for the speed and quality of the job being done. It both completes the centre nicely and offers the practical use of being able to safely tether birds under shelter.

New mews going up 

As a team we decided on a theme for naming young birds that come into the centre this year as we have had a couple of new arrivals at the centre over the past few weeks. We decided to go with species tree found in Britain. So we have Rowan, a young tiercel Barbary Falcon whom I picked up from Mike at Icarus Falconry in Northamptonshire and he's a really lovely bird - fantastic temperament and a little stunner. His training is going well and he should fly loose for the first time by the end of the week. Spindle and Elder are our two young Barn Owls from HCT and they are quite a handful at the moment. We had an incident with one of them last week meaning that the whole team ended up looking for them until late in the evening (thank goodness for the light nights). Elder has managed to get himself to the top of the tallest tree and was refusing to budge, Martin from the forestry department did a Stirling job of climbing to the top of the tree to retrieve him! Thank you Martin! We have since had a bit of a rethink on how we are going to fly them both and hope they will be show-stoppers in the new show later in the summer.

Rowan, Barbary Falcon

The new morning show, A World of Owls is at 11:30am daily now up on the Wildflower Meadow. Its a lovely demo and has been up and running for previews all this week and has had its first official day of the season today. As the name suggests its a completely owl orientated show and we've tried to really show of the natural attributes of each species in the way we fly them. If you like Barn Owls then this is the show for you as Mulberry's section of the show is wonderful. We've been very pleased with her. I'll say no more about it so if you want to know more then you'll just have to come and visit!

Mulberry

We are now about to enter into the really busy period with the school holidays about to start and so the birds and staff will have their work cut out but for just a couple of months in I think the displays are fantastic and we've had heaps of positive feedback from visitors which spurs us on. We have also just welcomed Dawn onto our voluntary team so she's going to be helping us two days a week which will be fantastic. I'm hoping we might get a few more people who can help us out over the summer too.

I am also very grateful to those visitors who have gone the extra mile to support us by adopting one of our birds (for just £25.00 for the entire year I think its a bargain). It really helps the work we do here so thank you. A role of honor of all the people who have adopted a bird can be found on the website http://www.muncaster.co.uk/hawk-owl-centre and we are working on getting adopters names onto the aviaries so everyone can see how generous and kind you all are!

Stuart working with Cavalli, Verreaux's Eagle Owl

Whippet.   Photo - David Fox

We are now fast approaching the end of the first month since the opening of the Muncaster Hawk and Owl Centre and what a first month it has been! I'm just about getting to grips with how wet it can be here during the Spring but also how stunningly beautiful a backdrop Muncaster is. Delilah, my chocolate Labrador, and I have settled in very well especially as she loves the water. In fact I have a sneaky suspicion she's part otter!

All in all it has been a fairly hectic first month what with transporting 20 birds from Hampshire to West Cumbria and preparing the centre for their arrival. We also had one of the biggest events of the Muncaster Castle calendar in that first month which we needed to fly for so the pressure was on right from the start. The team at Muncaster have been working so hard to assist and support the start of the new Hawk and Owl Centre. The core of staff at Muncaster is like one giant family into which all the birds, dogs, other bird staff and I have been welcomed with open arms. Thanks is due to all those who have so kindly helped us 'beyond the call of duty' to get us up and running. Much of the week prior to getting any birds here was spent making adjustments to the existing aviary structures, building safety barriers, removing the previous substrate of damp bark chippings in the aviaries and shifting (LOTS!) of gravel. We are already starting to see the change in the centre but there is a long way still to go and lots of work to be done.

We took the decision early on that the transition from the World Owl Centre to the Muncaster Hawk and Owl Centre should be built upon wanting to achieve the highest standards in, first and foremost, bird welfare but also in positive experienes for visitors. Those who have visited since we've been open and whom have visited before the change will have noticed that the collection of birds is much smaller than Muncaster has housed previously. We are however great believers in the idea that less can be more and, with the constant and vital advice of Ashley Smith, Penny Smout and many others at the Hawk Conservancy Trust, we are hoping to build a centre of excellence and quality here at Muncaster.
The standards the Hawk Conservancy Trust sets are high. Anyone who has visited the Trust will know that and the goals of the Muncaster Hawk and Owl Centre are aiming to mirror that high standard. We are all very proud to be working alongside the Trust.

Emma with Diego. Photo - David Fox

I was initially a little anxious about the staff I would be working alongside as I knew that the changes we would have to make to the centre to get it to a standard we would be happy with would be a long road. I also didn't know whether we would have similar goals and standards for the centre and this would make it very difficult to work together. My fears were unfounded as I am very lucky to have two brilliantly talented falconers working with me on this project in Stuart and Emma both of whom have worked incredibly hard to get us to the stage we are at now which is not a bad one considering we are still technically in our first month! Our daily flying display, named 'Sky Hunters', has been a great success with visitors. We initially set up our flying space in front of the castle but have since decided that our prefered space is to work up on the beautiful wildflower meadow. The views from here are lovely - especially of the castle - and the birds seem to really enjoy flying here, Already Herriot, our Steppe Eagle, has been soaring high above the castle and the falcons just love the lift they get above the trees below the meadow. We hope to be introducing our second flying display, which I suspect will be very owl-themed, by the end of the month - something we hadn't expected to be in a position to do. If you haven't been to visit to see the displays yet then make sure you do because the birds are flying amazingly at the moment.

Stuart doing what he loves best - cutting grass!

We also have a few young birds joining the team very soon so I shall do my best to keep you updated with their training and when they arrive. Iona is traveling down to HCT to pick up two young barn owls whom we hope will become fantastic ambassadors for their species and a stunning part of our morning display. I will be making the trip down to Northamptonshire to collect a young male Barbary Falcon from my good friend Mike Hewlett at the tail end of next week. It's been a while since I've trained one so I'm looking forward to flying a Barbary again!



There is still so much work to be done here before we can say the centre is the best it can be but we all have a common goal. Everyone here at Muncaster, including nearly every visitor I have spoken to (there's always one or two isn't there!), wants the Hawk and Owl Centre to succeed and that support is invaluable to Emma, Stuart and I. If you feel particularly generous and would like to donate your time and skills to help us shift gravel, paint fences or cut grass (although you'd probably have to fight Stuart off with a stick for that privilege) then send us an email as we'd love your help.