The Falconry course that we offer may be taken as a run of four days, or each day taken individually at any time of the year.  At the end of the four days you will be able to take responsibility for your own bird, or be in a position to take our hawks on a hawk walk as a volunteer with or without a falconer.

With a little more experience and/or training this course forms the basis for employment at any falconry centre around the country.

At the end of the four day course you will be issued with a certificate of competence from our Centre and a pack full of useful information.

FALCONRY EXPERIENCE DAY - Day 1

Your day will begin at 9.30 and you will be welcomed by Antony, our falconry manager.  Here you will be introduced to some of the equipment, before taking a few birds from their night time mews to the day time weatherings.  After a brief tour of the birds, you will fly a variety of our special birds to your gloved hand in the fields.  This will include 'Anuk', our Great Grey Owl, 'Tundra', our Snowy Owl, 'Scirrocco', our Peregrine Falcon, and 'Shamah' the Peregrine x Saker Falcon, along with a few others.  This session forms the basis of the Owl Hour or the Falcon Hour.  After a break for coffee, you will be taken on a River Trail Hawk Walk with a Harris Hawk, where the bird will fly free, and follow you through the trees, and along the river, showing off its prowess at aerial manoeverability.

After lunch you will be given the opportunity of exploring the farm, so that you can meet many of our other animals, and enjoy the gardens. Then you will be taken to the flying grounds where you will participate in an Interactive Flying Display, with four or five more owls, hawks and falcons.  Our larger classic birds will then be brought out especially for you, and you will enjoy the antics of 'Mwala', our Palm Nut Vulture, 'Catori', our Red Tailed Hawk around the fields, and 'Keela', the Tawny Eagle, who will fly to your gloved hand, and be sure to impress you with her size, speed and agility.

If you have already done this day with us in the past, your course will begin with Day 2.

Falconry Experience Day, Day 2

Day two will be dedicated to a more advanced stage of understanding and learning. You will learn how to tie the falconers' knot, have an introduction to falconry furniture, and make some yourself and have an extended flying and introduction session to British Birds of Prey, in the morning. The afternoon will be up on the moors with a one or two hawks, flying free in its natural environment, enjoying rising the thermals and plummeting to your fist for a morsel of food. Suitable as a return day for those who enjoyed our ever popular Falconry Experience Day.

Exmoor Hawk Walk

A walk with a hawk over private land, flying one or two Harris Hawks free in their own environment, over moor, field and wooded valleys, picking up thermals, seeking quarry, and all the while flying back to your fist for a morsel of food; fantastic fun, wonderful scenery and plenty of other wildlife around - usually a maximum of four, but we can also cater for larger groups for parties or corporate events.

Combine the first two days Falconry Experience with a further two days to complete your Exmoor Falconry Certificate in Falconry Course. This will reinforce your knowledge gained in the first two days, with plenty of hands on experience, leading to flying one of our Harris Hawks free for yourself up the River Trail under the watchful eye of our falconer.

During these two days you will learn how to pick up and put down your birds, manning, creance work, diet and weight control, and general husbandry and health of your bird.

This could then lead to enjoyable and responsible volunteer work at your local falconry centre or here at Exmoor Falconry & Animal Farm. Adults only. Highly recommended by our volunteers and repeat customers!

Intermediate Falconry Day - Day 3

You will reinforce your learnt knowledge of how to tie a falconers knot, pick up and tie the birds, the importance and skills of manning a bird, and flying a bird using the creance.  You will also have extensive hands on experience on this day with a wide variety of birds, and take control of the feeding and flying of individual birds with a falconry bag.  You will be taught the rudiments of flying falcons to the lure, and learn how to swing the lure (but not to a flying bird as this we consider to be too risky for the bird and yourself.)

Advanced Falconry Day - Day 4

The course will finish with a day talking about diet, food and weight control, the impact of weather and climate variations, and general husbandry and health of your bird.  You will begin to understand the pitfalls you should avoid when handling and flying different birds of prey to minimise the risk of loss and injury to the bird in your ownership.  You will then take one of our hawks up our River Trail and fly it free for yourself, under the watchful eye of one of our falconers.

PRICE

When taken seperately each day is £120

When the course is taken two days at a time, each day is £110

When the course is taken in a four day block, each day is £100.

Bed and breakfast accommodation is available in the farmhouse.