International Centre for Birds of Prey, Bird conservation center in Forest of Dean, England
The International Centre for Birds of Prey is a raptor rehabilitation and conservation facility in the Forest of Dean, England. It has medical areas, aviaries of different sizes, and open outdoor sections where injured or sick birds are treated and gradually prepared for release back into the wild.
The centre opened in 1967 at a time when there were very few places able to care for injured raptors in Britain. Over the following decades it developed approaches to treatment and breeding that have since been taken up by conservation programmes in other countries.
During flying demonstrations, visitors can watch trained raptors up close and see how they hunt and move through the air. These sessions give a clear sense of how these birds behave in the wild, which most people rarely get to see.
Most of the site is outdoors, so bringing layers and sturdy shoes is a good idea, especially since some paths can be uneven or muddy depending on recent weather. Leaving enough time to walk through all the areas and catch at least one flying demonstration will make the visit more worthwhile.
The red kite, which had nearly vanished from Britain, was brought back partly through breeding and release efforts that this centre contributed to over several decades. Many of the red kites now seen soaring over British countryside are linked to that recovery work.
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