Leigh Valley Hawk and Owl Sanctuary

12/05/2026

Thanks to Sascha Yeomans for these cool pictures of Asterix the Peregrine falcon in this mornings exercise session.

08/05/2026

What a milestone! Congratulations and happy birthday to one of our greatest heroes

06/05/2026

A very short film made on my phone. It features 4 of our birds.

17/04/2026

Great to see another one back in the wild. Well done Hamilton Wildlife Shelter -Victoria Australia

31/03/2026

Martin with our new bird of prey. She is a very rare and unusual specimen indeed: a Wedge-tailed Kestrel. This bird is the result of an uncommon natural hybridisation between a male Nankeen Kestrel and a female Wedge-tailed Eagle. Hybridisation between raptors does not commonly occur in nature but happens from time to time. The Wedge-tailed Kestrel is small (though a bit bigger than a standard Kestrel) and known for being brave hunters, often instinctively chasing prey that seems too large for them, such as rabbits, hares, young kangaroos and even domestic dogs!! It will be fascinating to see how she trains up. She seems very ferocious.
EDIT- April fools!! A male Kestrel weighs approximately 130-150g. A female Wedge-tailed Eagle? Around 4kg! So hybridisation is almost impossible to say the least. In captivity with some science, well perhaps, but I wouldn't like to do the experiment!!! The photo actually shows Nellie our Kestrel when she was about 3/4 of the way through her moult. Thus the wedge shaped tail!

28/03/2026

Nellie the Kestrel and myself (Martin) are now returning from South Australia where we have again collaborated in a fascinating Flinders University Research project studying the endangered pigmy bluetongue skink. As suitable grassland habitats for this endangered lizard decline due to agriculture and infrastructure development, it is crucial to identify where these lizards live and how their natural behaviours might have been altered, in order to guide effective conservation strategies. This skink is a grassland burrow-dwelling species and Nellie is helping to determine if their instinctive predator response remains unaltered in the presence of development related altered lighting states. Sound complex? It is!!! However I'm thrilled to be using falconry techniques, and a trained bird of prey, to assist in the understanding and conservation of an endangered species. The project ticks many boxes for me in this regard. Falconry methods have drawn criticism in the past (perhaps because of a perceived link with blood sports) even from government officials, but Nellie's role here is crucial and so very valuable for this amazing little reptile. Hopefully a win for both conservation and the ancient art of training birds of prey.

13/03/2026

Some useful info following some good news regarding rodenticide sales...

The federal chemical regulator has ruled that some of Australia's most popular over-the-counter rat baits will be taken off supermarket shelves, but experts say domestic and industry pest control is still viable.

20/02/2026

Martin's original artwork available for sale. Another variety of 'bird of prey' depending on how strict your definition is!

29/01/2026

Today's beautiful feathers. Care to suggest what species they are from? Raptor handler friends please do not play, unless by subtle hints!! EDIT: Well done Rhonda and Adrienne. These are all from our male Brown Goshawk 'George'

21/01/2026

Todays beautiful feathers. Left: Australian Hobby tail feather (Pickle). Right: Australian Boobook secondary wing feather (Mokey)