Evening at the Hawk Conservancy - with Chris Packham

Rain Didn't Stop Owl Play

Up to 40 people braved the autumnal Hampshire downpours and joined Wildlife Worldwide at the Hawk Conservancy in Andover on Tuesday 20th November for a presentation by local naturalist, wildlife photographer and television presenter Chris Packham. Participants at the event enjoyed drinks and warm canapes on arrival at the Study Centre in the Conservancy, prior to Chris's talk.

Chris then entertained the audience with his wit and refreshingly unfussy style, whilst displaying the results of his extremely artistic photography skills. Chris has been taking wildlife pictures since at school and has won top wildlife photography awards on numerous occasions. During his talk, Chris explained the lengths he had gone to in order to achieve some of these impressive shots, delighting the wildlife enthusiasts with his frank admissions to these unusual staging procedures.

Having been warm and cosy in the comfort of the study centre we then encouraged our audience to wrap up in rainwear for a walk up to the floodlit woodland area for a flight display from the Conservancy owls. We were then blessed with a perfectly timed break in the clouds as we sat expectantly - no rain! - for the owls to swoop by.

Ashley, owner and director of the Hawk Conservancy, gave an extremely informative and entertaining narrative whilst handlers Gary and Mike calmly and quietly encouraged the owls to fly across different areas of the woodland arena.

'Gucci' was the first to appear; a young Malaysian Wood Owl, brown in colouring with large dark brown eyes. She is still under tuition but behaved impeccably as she dutifully headed from tree to perch! Tolkien then took centre stage; a large Milky-eyed African Eagle Owl who stealthily swept from tree to tree under Mike's supervision. Gary then led 'Cinnamon', a large Siberian Eagle Owl (brown with huge yellow eyes) through his paces - literally as he flew out and then marched along the ground in front of us before swooping more elegantly above our heads and gracefully out into the dark back to his home. The last to appear was Molly (or in Ashley's words 'The flying duvet' due to her mass of downy grey feathers) - a Great Grey Owl, who was perfectly at home perched on the front rail to sit and survey the crowd and then silently skimming over our heads and back to bed.

We had plenty of time to stroll, torches in hand, back to the Study Centre before the heavens opened once more. Ashley and Mike treated us to close up views of 'Gucci' and a little Barn Owl, with all participants having the rare opportunity of holding one of these magnificent birds.

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