The Cotswold Falconry Centre / Birds of Prey
This Weekend we had a Trip to the Costswolds, The Cotswold Falconry Centre has over 70 Birds of Prey, and most of them have big long claws, so i was glad to make it home alive. There are a mixture of Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, Owls, Vultures and some Caracara. It was quite windy on the day that we was there so we was very happy to see some of the bigger birds up in the air. Every time i see a Bald Eagle, i am amazed at the size of there wings and the sheer mass of the full grown Birds
The Vultures did smell quite – strong, but i guess that should be expected. They did have some old rotting Rabbits in the bottom of there house/cage.
It was a bit strange taking photos of these amazing birds though. I think getting these photos of wild birds is a lot harder than one that is chained down and payed to smile at the camera. Its a bit like fishing in a fish tank really. But never mind! it was a fun day ! The bird center also offer Day and weekend type courses for you to get even closer to the birds, Click HERE for the link to book a course!
Just west of Moreton-in-Marsh (Gloucestershire – UK), Batsford Arboretum is tucked away right next to the The Cotswold Falconry Centre
We got there a bit late in the day to have a look around, but will be back soon! If you want to save some money you can buy a pass for both centres and save a couple of pounds, but get there early to have enough time. It also might be an idea to contact the The Cotswold Falconry Centre to get the show times and which birds are out that day.
This photo is High Res, So you may download it and enjoy!
The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a bird of prey found in North America that is most recognizable as the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting.
National bird of the United States
The Bald Eagle is the national bird of the United States of America. It is one of the country’s most recognizable symbols, and appears on most of its official seals, including the Seal of the President of the United States.
The Continental Congress adopted the current design for the Great Seal of the United States including a Bald Eagle grasping thirteen arrows and a thirteen-leaf olive branch with its talons on June 20, 1782.
After the end of the Revolutionary War, Benjamin Franklin wrote a famous letter from Paris in 1784, to his daughter, criticizing the choice and suggesting the Wild Turkey as a better representative of American qualities. He described the Bald Eagle as “a Bird of bad moral character,” who, “too lazy to fish for himself” survived by robbing the Osprey. He called the Bald Eagle “a rank Coward” easily driven from a perch by the much smaller kingbird. In the letter, Franklin wrote the Turkey is, “a much more respectable Bird,” which he described as “a little vain & silly [but] a Bird of Courage.”
The Bald Eagle remained the emblem of the United States. It can be found on both national seals and on the back of several coins (including the quarter dollar coin until 1999), with its head oriented towards the olive branch. Between 1916 and 1945, the Presidential Flag showed an eagle facing to its left (the viewer’s right), which gave rise to the urban legend that the seal is changed to have the eagle face towards the olive branch in peace, and towards the arrows in wartime.
Body length ranges from 71 to 96 cm (28–38 in). Adult females have a wingspan of up to 2.44 m (88 in), while adult males may be as small as 1.68 m (66 in).Adult females weigh approximately 5.8 kg (12.8 lb), males weigh 4.1 kg (9 lb). The size of the bird varies by location; the smallest specimens are those from Florida, where an adult male may barely exceed 2.3 kg (5 lb) and a wingspan of 1.8 m (6 ft). The largest are Alaskan birds, where large females may exceed 7.5 kg (16.5 lb) and have a wingspan of over 2.4 m (8 ft)
Some of the info was taken from wikipedia
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