Birds Of Prey Interactions In Yorkshire
Our History
Owl Adventures was started in 2011 by Head Falconer Ryan Stocks. Ryan first started work in a bird of prey centre and instantly fell in love working with these majestic creatures. Naturally, Ryan soon decided to create his own company specialising in falconry and birds of prey shows in Yorkshire. It has always been a privilege for Ryan to do something that he loves, and there is nothing more satisfying to him than combining his two great interests, birds of prey and entertaining people.
At the core of the business is the welfare of the birds. Owl Adventures exists as a business by always putting the bird at the forefront of the business. Great steps are made to ensure that every bird is cared for and maintained in the best possible way. It is always the bird first, then business second. This is reflected in the passion and enthusiasm that many of the employees and volunteers have when working with and on behalf of Owl Adventures. It is with this enthusiasm and passion that Owl Adventures hopes to entertain as well as inspire future generations through its birds of prey shows and displays in Yorkshire.
Our Conservation Work
Dedicated to Looking after Birds
Owl Adventures passion for birds of prey is reflected in its conservational efforts. In addition to delivering our birds of prey shows in Yorkshire, we actively rescue birds of prey form the wild when they are involved in accidents, this is normally when they are hit by cars. This work is all the more important when the birds we rescue are endangered, such as the barn owl. We treat the bird by building special aviaries in which to house the owl or bird of prey so that it can recuperate whilst we feed it with essential foods and give it medical treatment.
After the treatment is completed, we assess whether the bird has fully recovered then release it back into the wild. If it is found that the bird cannot be safely released back into the wild then we will look to rehome the bird with a police certificate.
In the past we treated a Tawny Owl, that had been injured in a traffic accident. Stunned and bleeding, we fed her with mice and after two weeks she was successfully released back into the wild. We also rescued a distressed and underweight Sparrowhawk in York Minster and managed to release it back into its natural habitat. As long as Owl Adventures exists creating birds of prey shows in Yorkshire, we will strive to help protect as many birds of prey as possible.
Below is a list of common questions that we are asked by people when they see the birds on display at a public event or birds of prey show in Yorkshire:
Are your birds bred in captivity?
Yes, all our birds are bred in captivity by professional breeds in the UK. It is illegal to take a wild bird of prey and use it for commercial use and likewise it is illegal to release a captive bird into the wild as both acts are seen as cruel due to the bird's unfamiliarity to the difference in life and survival.
How do you know the birds are content when tethered to their perches on a static display?
Firstly, birds of prey rest as much as possible as this is the best way to survive; reserving energy whilst avoiding unnecessary danger. Secondly, our birds are hand reared and very tame and therefore they are more than comfortable around people and noise. Taking the birds to different places such as our birds of prey shows in Yorkshire to perch and fly adds to their visual stimulation and overall enrichment.
Do the birds fly free?
Yes, most of our birds fly free on a regular basis, both at the farm where we house them and at other locations. A small number of the owls we keep don't always fly in public shows but they still get plenty of exercise and have plenty of room in their aviaries.
Why don't the birds fly away when you release them?
In the wild, birds of prey fly only when necessary, like when hunting, searching for a mate or escaping from an enemy. We mimic this by flying our birds at their ideal 'flying weight', using food as a lure to bring them back to the glove or perch. Our birds are trained to a high standard to fly free in a natural way whilst still returning to us as you can see at our birds of prey shows in Yorkshire. When the birds fly, they wear a small GPS transmitter which track the bird's location whilst also recording data and statistics. For example, one of our falcons was recorded flying at a height of 3,661ft.
How do you train the birds?
Most of our birds come to us as youngsters, which we hand rear by giving them lots of attention, taking them to schools and other venues to become accustomed to different human environments. Sometimes we 'man' birds if they are a little nervous of new people, simply with plenty of time sitting on the glove. Training the birds to fly can vary in time between different birds so we always take a steady approach with lots of patience.
What do you feed the birds?
We feed all the birds on a varied diet, including cockerel chicks with added vitamins, mice, rats, quail, pheasant, rabbit, Ox heart and various other food sources. We have a weekly menu to help keeps it varied and healthy.
Do you require a licence?
Though there is no licence required to own a bird of prey in the UK, we do have a performing animal's licence (soon to become an AAL) which allows us to use the birds in a commercial capacity at our birds of prey shows in Yorkshire. All our senior falconers are trained both internally, (with our own three-part training programme) and externally with Raptor Awards. All our birds that require an A10 have a valid Article 10 document.
Is it difficult to take care of birds of prey?
It isn't difficult to take care of birds of prey if you have the knowledge and experience required and enough time. We have never and would never take on the responsibility of caring for any animal if we feel we don't have enough time or the right resources to care for it. We carefully manage the tasks involved with the husbandry of the birds of prey and other animals with planning and delegation. Like most things, there is far more to falconry than meets the eye.
Do you rescue injured birds of prey?
We rescue injured wild birds of prey and give them the treatment and food they need to recover before releasing them back into the wild. If a bird has sustained injuries that would affect its ability to survive in the wild, we find a suitable home. As well as our birds of prey displays in Yorkshire, we undertake conservation work. We occasionally recover captive birds of prey that have been lost or rescued due to ill health in captivity and re-unite or re-home as necessary.
Do you take on volunteers?
Yes, we accept volunteers without prejudice and invite them to a trial day on one of our static displays. During a trial day we teach the falconer's knot, how to handle the birds of prey correctly, health and safety and we discuss what is involved and invite many questions (from both the volunteer and the falconer doing the training). If the volunteer is successful after the trial day, we invite them to continue volunteering, with the aim to complete Part A of the training programme as an essential part of the role, with the aim to learn everything involved with Part B and C within time.
What requirements are there for running a business like yours?
We have public liability and employer's liability insurance (which covers both members of the public and all the team members including volunteers) so our bird of prey shows in Yorkshire are always safe for us and the public. We have risk assessments for all the various activities we undertake. We have suitable accommodation for all the animals and professional procedures for all the work undertaken and husbandry involved with the care of the livestock.
If you have any more questions, feel free to send an email or call or give us a call.