Hawk Conservancy Trust / Andover

The Hawk Conservancy Trust - front page We had a great Afternoon there, also on Flyiing Display were Bald Eagle, Fish Eagle, Red Kites, Vultures and Perigrin Falcon.:)

Some more Shots frm Andover, ( Hopes i got them the Right Size this Time! )

Just Testing What Size Pictures i can upload frm Picasa. (more Shots frm Andover)

Repeating Earlier Posts with shots at Maximum Size (i Hope)

Nice shots Vastra, like the last two in the fourth post, looks like the Owl and little girl are sharing a private conversation, then both turn to smile at the camera.:)

That's a lovely set of shots, some nice catches... and Rolf is right about the last shots in post #4 :-) Raptors are such stunning creatures, and have quite a variety of shapes and sizes... although all have pretty formidable beaks :eek:

Thanx for Comments Guys, The 'Blue Eagle?' 1st in the 2nd set was a very interesting Shot because the Bird was in a Large Aivery with 1/8" thick wire (with 2" square, mesh) Cage.
You cannot see the Mesh because it is out of Focus!

Oh yes - often it's disappointing that the camera doesn't see what the eye sees, but on just one or two occasions it works to our advantage.... and this is obviously one of those!

Wonderful shots, Vastra!:thumbsup:

I love watching Falconry displays - and seeing those wonderful birds 'at work' and at close range.

What is the mainly-grey bird with the fantastic feathers (third in the second last set)?:conf40:

Thanx Catherine ..It is The Secatary Bird, (frm India i think) and in this second Shot, and the first Picture u commented on, it is Chasing what it Believes to be a Snake! it uses thoes long legs to pin the Snake down and keep out of reach until it can Kill and Eat!

That's amazing, didn't realise there were any in the Hawk conservancy, beautiful bird and so unusual.

Oh, now you say what it is I can see that it's a Secretary Bird. Wonderful-looking creatures.

What an outstanding bird! It's so different!

I doubt if I'd have known what a Secretary Bird looked like! I found this when Googling;
Secretary Bird

I'm sure I've seen ones in zoos when I was young, but there birds just stood - or paced around. Seeing it 'do its own thing' must have been a wonderful experience.:)

It's one of those things that when you see as a kid it sticks in your mind. But I never knew what the latin name was (hell. I didn't know what latin was when I was a kid!) - it's "Sagittarius serpentarius" which is a cross between a centaur and a snake... or I suppose a heavy-footed creature who stamps on snakes :)

Well, what an amazing coincidence!

Before she left for home today, my sister-in-law asked me if I could transfer her holiday pics on to a CD. She had been in Tanzania (this place - Ndutu Lodge > Serengeti and Surrounding Areas > Tanzania) and had taken many wildlife pics.

Amongst them were these - of a pair of Secretary Birds on their nest in an Acacia tree!

I quickly got her permission to post them here... :)

Wow, that really IS a big coincidence! I am always amazed at how often things like this happen, and it makes the world that much more interesting. Mind you, in those shots they don't look so grand - they look more like large, ugly chickens ;)

I guess that's because they've had to rough it in the wild - and that's what they must look like in their natural habitat without being pampered.:(