Our Birds
We have a large variety of birds that can be flown or seen in our displays at The Secret Owl Garden and The British Bird of Prey Centre. Just ask and we can tell you where to find them.
Atlantis
White Tailed Sea Eagle
Atlantis turned 28 years old in 2018 so she’s the veteran of the British Bird of Prey Centre team. She joined us from the International Centre for Birds of Prey in Newent at the end of 2017 after Angus, our juvenile WTSE, was sadly electrocuted. She has settled in nicely and is already flying well. It will take time for her to get fit as she is a older, but in the right conditions looks already spectacular soaring over the gardens.
For more information on our conservation project with Western Power to make our power lines safer or on the WTSE reintroduction projects please check out our Conservation page
Photo: Drew Davies
Bruce
Blue Winged Kookaburra
Bruce is a Blue Winged Kookaburra. He was born at Folly Farm and was raised by us from 14 days old. He is fast becoming a favourite in the team as he not only looks amazing but he makes some great noises and he flies very differently to the other birds we have and how you’d expect him to fly.
He’s not technically a raptor but he is a bird of prey, happily eating mice, frogs and grasshoppers (which he is catching regularly on our experience days).
Busby
Common Buzzard
As Flint has now retired we thought it was about time we brought in a baby version to fly in our team. Buzzards are iconic in Wales and this little guy is going to be a star. He’s very sweet natured and makes the cutest of noises. With big broad wings he is learning to get higher and higher each day.
Busby is at The British Bird of Prey Centre later where he’s currently courting a new girlfriend called Bella. Hopefully we might have the pitter patter of tiny talons soon!
Doris
Hobby Falcon
This beautiful little lady came all the way from Holland in 2016 to complete our team of native falcons. The Hobby is the second smallest falcon in the UK. She has settled in well and is showing off her flying skills in our demonstrations in The British Bird of Prey Centre.
Dot
Little Owl
Dot is our Little Owl. She loves children more than adults, probably because we are much more intimidating being so big. She has half a toe missing where she pulled it off in her aviary one day, but it doesn’t seem to bother her at all and she loves to visit schools and prefers to fly inside.
Dot is currently living at The Secret Owl Garden while the weather is too cold for her, she’d love you to visit!
Enzo
Peregrine Falcon
Enzo is the fastest member of our team, hence the name. He is a Peregrine Tiercel (this is the falconry term for a boy falcon) He’s a very affectionate falcon and is in love with Emma and cheeps at her all of the time.
Photo: Drew Davies Photography
Flint
Common Buzzard
Flint is the oldest of our birds, at 29 years old, she’s very old for a common buzzard. She has retired, so we don’t ask her to fly in displays or on our experience days any more as she has a cataract on one of her eyes so struggles to judge distances.
Frodo
White Faced Owl
At the moment Frodo is living at The Secret Owl Garden, he’d love to see you there to show off his new home in the woods!
Frodo is a little character and has been known to fall asleep at shows on people’s gloves! He is a white faced owl and sounds a little like a cat. He will happily fly to anyone, anywhere. The only thing he doesn’t like are seagulls and will adopt his natural defence and change shape.
Bracket
Long-Eared Owl
Bracket is such an adorable character and one of the more rare owls to spot in the wild in the UK. Bracket gets very excited when it is his time to come out and fly and can be seen ‘dancing’! The ‘tufts’ on his head are not really ears but more like eyebrows and they show us what mood Bracket is in. Most of the time he is very relaxed, so his tufts are relaxed too – that is until he sees a mouse!
Jack
Merlin Falcon
Jack is our Merlin Falcon. His full title is Captain ‘Jack’ Sparrow, but this is a lot to say when you are talking to him, so we just call him Jack for short. In the wild he would be fast enough to catch dragon flies, and this makes him amazing to watch in displays flying to a lure. Alex has been known to let him catch the lure after a few minutes because he feels sick because Jack has had him spinning around so much!
Maleki
Harris Hawk
Maleki (or Mally for short) is the Harris Hawk that started it all. He is 10 this year and is still regularly the star of the show, showing off as he hovers for food. He is Alex’s baby and will not listen to any one else if he is around.
Orchid
Barn Owl
This beautiful lady has gone to live at The Secret Owl Garden.
Orchid is Emma’s Barn Owl. She grew up watching Emma get ready in a morning, sat on top of the mirror and now really has to be in the right mood to want to fly for Alex. When she flies she is lovely and gentle and will circle around and around until called in for food. She has a naughty habit of jumping on your feet when you open her aviary door!
Saffron
Red Kite
Saffron is our new Red Kite. She has learnt the ropes quickly and is already wowing guests on experience days. She is still in training to join our display team next year ready to impress with her amazing flying skills which include catching and eating food in flight.
Popeye
European Eagle Owl
Popeye has just celebrated his 19th birthday! He’s gone to stay at The Secret Owl Garden!
Popeye our gentle giant. He is a European Eagle owl and the largest and heaviest owl in our team by a long way. When he’s happy and full, he makes a deep ‘hoo-ooo’ hooting sound all night long.
Bandit
Black Kite
Bandit is our beautiful Black Kite. She has a very sweet nature and loves nothing more than having a nice long bath out on the lawn.
Bombay and Sapphire
European Kestrels
Bombay and Sapphire are brother and sister and both live and fly together. Most mornings they can be found cuddled up together on the same perch. They are currently learning how to hover and are very lovely to have flying to your glove on our experience days as they are so tiny.
Scarlet
Red Kite
Scarlet is a Red Kite and is learning to fly in the open countryside and getting quite good at it. Before she came to us she spent a lot of time in a garden and didn’t really know how to fly like a kite. Every day she is learning to get higher and higher. She regularly gets joined by the wild kites that live nearby, hopefully she’ll get as good as them one day.
Troy
Tawny Owl
Troy now lives at The Secret Owl Garden, he can still be flown on experience days and will happily show you around the woodland gardens!
Troy is a Tawny Owl that joined us in 2015 from Folly Farm. He is very calm and relaxed but hasn’t flown outside much before. His training is going really well and we are excited to say he is now coming to our experience days!
Vogue
Steppe Eagle
Vogue, our female Steppe Eagle, came to us in 2013 and hadn’t flown for 2 years. She now gets to fly all of the time and seems to be enjoying herself. Sometimes a little too much and she goes off to visit the neighbours (a mile away!) She does make some funny noises when she sees Alex and we think she’s in love!
Wicket
Asian Brown Wood Owl
Wicket prefers to meet new friends on experience days and now lives at The Secret Owl Garden where he can do what he enjoys the most!
Wicket our Asian Brown Wood Owl he has a distinctive call that can be heard right the way across the gardens. He has also recently learnt how to fish!
Photo: Geoff Harris