Birds of Prey at the Hawk Conservatory Trust, Hampshire
Without doubt, one of the best bird of prey centres in the UK.
Set in 22 acres of woodland and wildflower meadow, there are over 150 birds of prey on view, from the tiny Pygmy Owl to the impressive Steller's Sea Eagles! Many of these birds are involved in spectacular flying demonstrations, whilst others are part of important breeding or environmental enrichment projects.
The Savannah area is a large field with a seated area for spectators to witness the flight of some amazing predators, vultures, eagles, hawks to name a few are taken out and put on flying displays, even if you're not interested in photography, but have an interest in birds, you won't be disappointed by the acrobatics of these incredible birds.
As a keen wildlife photographer, I was more than impressed by the display of all of the birds. Vultures soared above us, skimmed over our heads, and sailed through the skies in a remarkable ariel acrobatics. A sight rarely seen and the opportunity to witness such amazing wildlife was truly breathtaking.
For most of the day I used my Tamron 150-600mm lens which was attached to my Nikon D500. This combination of camera and lens is just amazing for wildlife and fast moving subjects. Not so successful in smaller environments as later in the day at the Owl display we were seated in a small wooded area, plenty of trees obscured my vision through the viewfinder and although the camera had no problems keeping track of the fast moving birds, the focal distance was sometimes just too great to be able to capture the birds in frame without clipping their wings at the edges of the frame but I still managed to get a few shots to keep.
Set in 22 acres of woodland and wildflower meadow, there are over 150 birds of prey on view, from the tiny Pygmy Owl to the impressive Steller's Sea Eagles! Many of these birds are involved in spectacular flying demonstrations, whilst others are part of important breeding or environmental enrichment projects.
The Savannah area is a large field with a seated area for spectators to witness the flight of some amazing predators, vultures, eagles, hawks to name a few are taken out and put on flying displays, even if you're not interested in photography, but have an interest in birds, you won't be disappointed by the acrobatics of these incredible birds.
As a keen wildlife photographer, I was more than impressed by the display of all of the birds. Vultures soared above us, skimmed over our heads, and sailed through the skies in a remarkable ariel acrobatics. A sight rarely seen and the opportunity to witness such amazing wildlife was truly breathtaking.
For most of the day I used my Tamron 150-600mm lens which was attached to my Nikon D500. This combination of camera and lens is just amazing for wildlife and fast moving subjects. Not so successful in smaller environments as later in the day at the Owl display we were seated in a small wooded area, plenty of trees obscured my vision through the viewfinder and although the camera had no problems keeping track of the fast moving birds, the focal distance was sometimes just too great to be able to capture the birds in frame without clipping their wings at the edges of the frame but I still managed to get a few shots to keep.
There is also plenty of opportunity to capture the birds in their enclosures, some of which are behind fences so getting clear shots can be a struggle. Having said that, the bald eagles are kept in an area that is not fenced off and the birds have perches which they are tethered to so capturing some stunning portraits is easily achievable.
Overall, I would highly recommend paying a visit to Hawk Conservatory Trust. It's also a good idea to try to get there for the time it opens at 10am so you will have the best of the experience.
Comments
Post a Comment