HawkTalk Issue 92 Winter 2022

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HAWKTALK WINTER 2022 ISSUE 92

Meet our WINTER STARS The return of our winter timetable heralds a really lovely change across the Trust grounds. Our three winter flying displays return, the light is almost gone by 4:30pm – and we fly a completely different team of birds. After time spent resting in aviaries, our winter birds have

around a month before taking part in demonstrations once again. Meet some of our winter stars returning to wow our guests this winter …

SIRIUS Striated Caracara

Arguably the loudest bird on the winter team, Sirius the Striated Caracara is a highly intelligent bird with bags of character! He stars in our World of Birds of Prey display, where the Bird Team set him a number of problem-solving challenges to find his food. These challenges have been created based on the behaviours displayed by this species in the wild, such as turning over plant pots to discover a tasty treat! Sirius has been at the Trust his entire life, and you may already have met his parents without knowing it! He hatched nearly 20 years ago in 2003 to Darwin and Lafonia, two of the oldest birds at the Trust who are enjoying a happy retirement near our National Bird of Prey Hospital™. Sirius’ huge personality and cheeky character have made him a firm favourite with our Bird Team and guests alike.

With the naturally smaller winter audiences during the week, we often have days that are so quiet you will have the most personal experience as a visitor at our displays. We really do recommend taking the time during this quieter period to visit us and get to know these incredible birds better.