The Sussex Falconry Centre offered the perfect location for a day out for all of the family. You could spend a day with some of the most impressive and powerful animals on the planet. Their free flying falconry and hawking demonstrations by experienced falconers would both thrill and educate you.
Our first experience there was not a good one, but no fault of the centre! My car was in for service so my nephew drove us there; what he didn't tell us was that his car insurance had expired and he was waiting until his pay arrived at the end of the month before renewing it! just after leaving the centre in his Alfa Romeo 1900 (how he affords it is beyong me) in the afternoon we were flagged down by an officer in a police car, he was charged with driving without insurance and the car was towed away an hour later, to be stuck in a police pound. The rest of our journey home was by taxi. Fortunately he was able to get impounded car insurance from this site; he rescued the car from the pound and although it wasn't cheap it was better than seeing it crushed. However I have wondered off subject ......
Their birds of prey displays featured hawks, owls and falcons from all over the world but their primary aim was always be be educating the public about their own British species. What better place to learn all about these fascinating and exciting creatures. Their mission statement was 'Education through Experience' and Sussex Falconry was the perfect place for that 'hands on' encounter.
They were currently building a small education centre to focus on indigenous birds of prey and it was their intention over the next few years to become the only Falconry Centre of it's kind in the UK. They intended, eventually, to have on show all 23 indigenous birds of prey!
At the Sussex Falconry Centre they had run courses for over 15 years to suit all ages and abilities from beginners to those with many years of experience, from the age of 8 to 88 and beyond! A day course gave the opportunity to interact with some of the most magnificent animals on the planet, a rare chance to witness close up a genuine predator doing in captivity exactly what it does in the wild state. Birds are not trained to do tricks; they simply mimic what comes naturally and every bird on show would display its wild instincts to swoop, soar, quarter, pounce, and mantle. You could witness it all during your visit to the centre.
You were advised to wear warm comfortable country clothing (dark colours if possible). During inclement weather they took students indoors so you never beeded to worry about your day being ruined or cancelled.
Their courses were very 'hands-on' and practical. They rarely booked more than three students per falconer per day, (unless they were booking a private group ) so there was ample opportunity to become very close up and personal with any given bird. You would have the opportunity to fly at least three birds and sometimes more. A typical course started at 10am with a general welcome to the centre and a few safety instructions (mainly to protect the birds not necessarily the students) then swiftly on to manning, (getting a bird used to man/woman), giving the customers the chance to settle in with a bird and become comfortable handling a bird of prey. They would then be introduced to the first set of flying birds. There were three main sets of flying per day, with training flights in between. Remember this was a working Falconry and all their birds were flown daily so you would see them all in their aviaries, or in flight.
They flew a wide range of birds from small Owls, to Eagle Owls, Hawks, Eagles, Vultures and a good range of Falcons, from Kestrels to Caracara's, nearly all of which you would have been able to interact with. After a break for lunch there would be plenty of opportunities to have personal contact with various birds on your glove so it was best to bring a camera to capture the moment. They also tried to include some of the practical elements of falconry - basic medical care, nutrition, weight management, husbandry, making equipment, training techniques and some of the legislation governing the keeping and flying of birds of prey.
If time allowed they would demonstrate imping and coping techniques, to show the amount of time and commitment necessary to own and fly a bird of prey. With the correct help and training it was possible for almost anyone to own and care for one of these beautiful creatures.
© Class Projects Europe. This site is an experimental project for intermediate students.