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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.