HawkTalk Issue 92 Winter 2022

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HAWKTALK WINTER 2022 ISSUE 92

SWEENEY TODD Snowy Owl

CHIPS & PIKE Black Vultures

It wouldn’t be winter at the Hawk Conservancy Trust without the return of one the most iconic winter birds around – Sweeney Todd the Snowy Owl. Her beautiful white and grey plumage is a welcome sight in our World of Birds of Prey display every day. Sweeney Todd is quite the character. Her swooping low flights are beautiful to watch, and watching her walk beside our Bird Team is simply adorable! She has, however, earned a reputation as a bit of a diva – choosing to perch on one of the aviaries around the Savannah Arena and surveying the grounds for as long as she likes! She will patiently wait until one of her favourite members of the Bird Team appears before returning home for the rest of her dinner. She is certainly a crowd favourite, and a special bird to watch take to the skies in the colder months of the year. SAXON Golden Eagle During our Meadow Encounter you might get the special opportunity to meet Saxon, our Golden Eagle. Saxon was welcomed to the Hawk Conservancy Trust when she was over 20 years old and is now one of the oldest members of the team at over 30. She enjoys the quieter periods of flying over the winter, and as a British bird of prey is well accustomed to the cooler weather. She can be very particular about who she works with, and certainly has favourites amongst the Bird Team who she has formed a strong bond with. Saxon spends her summer resting and going through a feather moult. As she normally flies towards the end of the day in the winter, the sun catches her new set of feathers beautifully, and she looks absolutely magnificent soaring over Reg’s Wildflower Meadow. Her powerful flights are certainly worth sticking around until the end of the day for!

Summer displays at the Hawk Conservancy Trust are synonymous with vultures flying overhead, but did you know you can still come and see vultures fly here in the winter? This season is when our New World vultures come back onto the flying team, with Black Vultures Chips and Squadron Leader Pike making a return in the World of Birds of Prey display. Chips and Pike are an almost inseparable pair. Their appearances in this winter display are always an adventure as they often get very close to the audience, even walking amongst our guest’s legs! Chips is the older of the two, having been born at the Trust in 1997. Pike is younger, and far more mischievous; one of his favourite things to do when a Bird Team member is cleaning his aviary is to give them a swift peck on the back of the legs before scurrying away! After a restful summer break, the pair have had a chance to moult through a brand-new set of feathers and are ready for a wonderful winter saying hello to all our visitors.