Owls causing a hoot at beamish wild

Four little owls are the newest tour guides for children at leading birds of prey conservation centre, Beamish Wild as part of a programme to offer fun and educational ways to learn about Britain’s wildlife.

Open to the public for the first time; local children, today (6th August 2009) teamed up with their own personal owl and participated in a 30 minute walk in the enchanted woodland setting at Beamish Hall, County Durham.

After a short safety briefing the sights were reminiscent of a Harry Potter film, seeing the four baby owls – all bred in captivity at Beamish Wild Birds of Prey Centre – become stars themselves of the educational walks taking place around the centre.

The new ‘Owl Walk’ has been created to help children gain knowledge of birds of prey in an interactive way. Having the chance to be face to face with the owls brings the information alive for the children, helping to increase the volume understood and making learning both fun and interactive.

Amy Craggs, managing director of Beamish Wild Birds of Prey Centre said: “The ‘Owl Walks’ have been very popular and beneficial to school parties. We have received excellent feedback from the teachers about how the children remembered their visit because they were able to get hands on experience with the birds of prey.”

During the walk children found out such things as how owls would live in the wild, what they would eat and how they would adapt to living in their natural habitat. One of the young owls participating, Tiago, a little owl, is a veteran of centre residing in Beamish Hall since the opening back in 2007.

Beamish Wild opened in 2007 and supports the preservation of bird of prey by using education as a primary route for raising public awareness. They have an impressive wild birds of prey family including Bald Eagles, Vultures and Snowy Owls as well as many fascinating others, with daily flight presentations and displays.

Amy Craggs adds; “The introduction of the ‘Owl Walks’ is a significant development for us and part of the Centre’s programme of events, which we are looking to extend as we continue to grow the business.”

www.beamishwild.co.uk