Birds of Prey was a Hoot!

Posted byBabs GuthriePosted inGuest blogTags:, , , , , ,
Bertie is a large owl with orange eyes in a circular face. He's brown and white specked with tufts on top of his head.

By Jeremiah, age 12.

I first started liking birds around the age of 3 or 4 years old, when my parents took me to Deen City Farm, near Wimbledon and I discovered Edna, the Barn Owl. So when I saw the Hoot in the Park advertised on the noticeboard outside my local library I thought this sounded fantastic!

I really wanted to go because I was excited to see and hold birds of prey such as the Harris Hawks, owls and other raptors. (Raptors is just another name for birds of prey). But, I was really worried that I wasn’t going to be able to go because we had a family meal organised on the same day. Luckily, it was before the family meal…..

Man in shorts shows a group of people some hedgerow in Poulter Park orchard
Hearing about hedgerow with my sister, friend, and biodiversity expert David Warburton

Hoot in the Park was held in Poulter Park, Carshalton on Sunday 24 September from 2 to 4 PM. I went to the event with my mum and sister but I also met my friend from school.

Wolves of the sky

Friends of Poulter Park had organised a company called Berkshire Birds of Prey to bring the birds for people to see up close and hold. I was most excited to see the Harris Hawk, more commonly known as the “wolves of the sky”. Because they are fierce hunters with long talons that are very big for their size.

Brown Harris Hawk with yellow beak and talons sits on the wrist of a volunteer who wears a yellow high vis hawk
Park friend Isobel Harris and a Harris Hawk, or wolf of the sky

When we arrived at Hoot in the Park, there were long queues and some of the people in the park didn’t know that the birds were going to be there. They had let their dog off the leash and it tried to lunge towards the birds. This was quite scary for the people and the birds.

Learning new things

It was exciting to see some birds that I have only ever seen in books or online and it was really fun to talk about a common passion with the people at the event.

One of the bird holders, was telling me all about the difference in the eye colour of the owl is linked to the time of day that they like to hunt. This was very interesting as I didn’t know that. I also learnt about some of the best places to go locally to see different types of birds. Such Morden Hall Park, Hackbridge and Beddington Park.

I am looking forward to checking some of the local places where you can see Parakeets and Kestrels.

I will write about this when I go in the half term.

See ya!
Jeremiah

A kestrel with brown speckled body, grey head, yellow beak and feet sits on an astro turf perch
Kestrel visitor. Lots of kestrels live in Poulter Park and hunt in the meadow.

3 thoughts on “Birds of Prey was a Hoot!”

  1. Pingback: 🦉Hoot in the Park – Friends of Poulter Park and Revesby Wood

Leave a comment