Successful Summer

Just a reminder that this is the last full week that we are open to the general public. After this we continue to be open for weekends, bank holidays and school half terms only while looking after of private school visits, photographers and film crews during the week.

This Summer has been extremely successful seeing many new faces visit the Centre for the first time, as well as many members too. Bank holiday Monday yesterday was a really good day, blessed by the weather, which saw us reach a record number of visitors for this time of year.

Of course our walk-through red squirrel enclosure has been a huge achievement, as mentioned in the last blog post, but equally as successful has been our new flying teams of birds and owls.

A scheduled owl display at 4.00pm (which will continue on weekend openings) has seen many visitors crowd in around the dell to get a close up view of these awesome, silent flyers. Our team of owls have been rotated around to provide different displays most days, and with new owls joining the team in a few weeks and earlier next year this ensures the displays will only get more varied and better.

The raptors are also proving to put on a good show. Many of you have seen me fly "Fin", one of our buzzards, over the deer park in recent weeks, and Jack the Peregrine is back in training after his moult and will make his first official public appearance this coming Saturday, the 4th of September.

Hoping to add another kestrel to the team this year as well as a sparrowhawk and a bit of a surprise bird (stay tuned) for next year, again this promises to only get better and I hope to have an official bird of prey display up and running for next year in the mornings to compliment the owls in the afternoon.

Lots of plans for over the Winter months. New enclosures, moving animals around even more photographic opportunities!!! Keep in touch with all this here on the Keepers Blog. On the quiet weeks I will update you all with videos and photos of some of the individual animals as well as animal profiles to tie us over until the new arrivals start to appear again.