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.