Archive for May, 2014

‘Pippa’ flying at Blenheim Palace May 2014.

A great picture of ‘Pippa’our new lanner falcon flying at Blenheim Palace. This was the first time in the jousting arena and she did splendidly!

Picture by Ben Micklem.lanner 1

May 2014 update – falconry and birds of prey displays.

Bo- duck!Well it has been sometime since I last blogged but 2014 is progressing well.

Our new Owl ‘Lulu’ is now moulting which means she will be in an aviary for the summer while this important first moult takes place. She was flown daily to the end of April. She has made good progress through the winter with her training.

Owls are difficult and I often describe them as a tamed rather than a trained bird. They do not like change and therefore new venues for flying are treated with great suspicion  – it is survival being wary of the unfamiliar.  ‘Bo’our other eagle owl is now 26 years old and still I have to be careful with her – read her body language . However when things click they are fanatastic – really educational as well as been good fun.

‘Bo’ is at her best at Blenheim Palace flying up the arena over the heads of spectators sitting either side of the jousting rail.

Our new falcon ‘Brian’ a male lanner falcon known as a lanneret is in a similiar situation as ‘Lulu’ in that he is now moulting. It is doubly important for a falcon or hawk as they moult directly into their adult plumage. So Brian will look quite different by the autumn. Next year will be his big year for events.

This year is the start of Pippa’s career – picture in above blog. She is a Lanner falcon and this is her first full season flying at all events alongside the other birds. So far she is going really well and developing her own style. I leave you with a picture of ‘Bo’ at Blenheim Palace from the early May 2014 Jousting and birds of prey displays.

Thanks to Ben Micklem for the picture.