FIRST please visit the raptor center website:http://www.raptorcentre.co.uk/
THANK YOU
The other day I went to visit Groombridge Place. The reason I went is to go and visit ‘The Raptor Centre’. Normally I don’t like falconry centres, BUT this isn’t. It is, as Eddie Hare proud owner of the Raptor Centre and employer of these bird’s states, a sanctuary. This is different; he takes injured or abandoned birds in and then employs them in his shows. Whereas falconry centers use birds to hunt for sport, Eddies ‘Raptor Centre’ is a place where the birds have free will and a freedom which falconry do not.
Now I do have to
say that the way Eddie talks and acts is second to none, he is confident that
his ‘employees’ will do as he asks and his payments and incentives are enough
to keep them with him. They are free to leave if they feel like it; they don’t
because Eddie pays well. They are indeed free as he talks about in his flying
displays. 
Eddie is a very
good presenter of not only himself but of what he stands for. It made the 30
minuets fly, if you will excuse the pun, by. His presentation of the birds is,
I think, unique. I think that the entire operation of the Raptor Centre is
fantastic. Publicly funded, no support from any big contributors, it is all
funded though the visitors of Groombridge Place who put their donation into
some wooden boxes.
Which to me sums
up the whole meaning of the Raptor Centre, not to be the biggest. As the
demonstration are all done by the single staff member, Eddie and his bird
employees, they are conducted in a well thought out way not only theatrically
but also to show that the birds are not dangerous. They hunt because they have
to. Eddie explains this comprehensively and in a way so the audience
understands, as most of the audience is under the age of 12.
After the
demonstration Eddie opened up the weathering ground. This is where a few of the
other birds are. It is also a chance to see their beauty - normally you only
see birds along way off and it is hard to see them. Having the weathering
grounds offers a close up experience with out touching them. It is also a
chance for the audience to talk to Eddie about the birds and get to ask burning
questions they have about birds of prey.
At the end of
this little complex there is a building where Eddie has put up pictures and a
little history about himself and the Raptor Centre. Along with this there are
facts about birds of prey, common misconceptions of them and some sheets about
telling birds apart.
Personally I
thoroughly enjoyed watching the birds, being a bird watcher anyway makes it all
the more exciting. Words and photographs really cannot beat actually seeing
thee birds in flight and hearing Eddie’s explanations and convocation. I have
such a passion for birds; it makes me really happy to see someone who loves
them as much as me put in their life and soul to see them become healthy and
well cared for birds.
Eddie does such
a fantastic job and deserves a lot of credit. I hope if Eddie reads this that
he will thank the birds, which flew on Friday for us. Because they understand
him a bit better than me (he also has their bonus).
To follow up there are a few other shots of the birds and some flowers from the beautiful gardens surrounding Groombridge.
