The November outdoor meeting consisted of a visit to the Liberty’s Raptor and Reptile Centre near Ringwood.

 

The centre is located in the aptly named Crow Lane and there certainly were a lot of crows flying overhead when we were there.

We went through the reception area to the Reptile rooms, having paid our entrance fee of £5 (reduced for group rates) and had a look at the snakes and lizards.

 

They were all quiet and slow moving as are most people on a Sunday morning. The snakes had obviously had a wild party the night before.

 

The glass fronted tanks which held the reptiles were all clean, well lit and in a warm room so they must have been well content with their lives.

 

We saw Bearded Dragons, Green Iguanas, Green Water Dragons and Leopard Geckos. The snakes were of the constricting variety which somehow seemed safer than if they were poisonous but fortunately they remained behind the glass.

The birds consisting of Owls and Hawks were located outside in cages roughly three metres square and two or three birds of each species to each cage.

 

The whole area appeared clean and well cared for and there was no smell as is usual when large numbers of birds congregate together.

 

There was a row of smaller open fronted compartments to one side of the larger cages and these were occupied by tethered birds so did not require cages.

 

In one of these was an American Bald Eagle called Liberty after whom the centre was named.

The centre has a varied collection of Owls and Raptors from all over the world. Siberian Eagle Owls from Siberia, African Hooded Vulture, Crested Caracara from the Falklands  and Western Screech Owl from Alaska to South America were just a few of the species.

 

There were also some of the European and British species including the European Eagle Owl, Buzzards and Barn Owls.

We went for a display in the lecture theatre at midday which was a bit like a cinema without heating or refreshments.

 

The first display was of a Barn Owl, one of the more attractive of our British birds, which is rarely seen in the wild.

 

The bird was enticed by means of treats to fly over the audience and gave an impressive display of silent menace.

 

The bird had black eyes which we learned meant that it hunted by night. The second bird was a Pygmy Owl and the last was a Harris Hawk.

 

Apparently the Raptors are divided into types according to whether they have short wings or broad wings or long tails but the Harris Hawk has all three to confuse the textbooks.

 

These attributes allow the bird to manoeuvre in flight which is handy for catching bits of dead chicks that get thrown into the air.

The visit proved an interesting experience and enabled us to see birds up close that we would rarely do in the wild. 

 

On the face of things it seems cruel to lock up birds in cages and particularly raptors which normally spend their lives in flight hunting for their food.

 

This is justified in Liberty’s case by the rescue and care of injured wild birds before they are eventually released back in to the wild.

Our next outdoor meeting will be to Titchfield Haven. Entrance fee will be required. Meet at Oak Road car park Dibden Purlieu at 10am on Sunday 14th December.

Our next indoor meeting will be at St. Andrews centre, Dibden Purlieu at 7.30pm on 24th November. Our speaker will be John Poland and the topic will be on Lizards and Newts.

 

All visitors are welcome to indoor and outdoor meetings. Contact the Secretary on 023 8089 3803.

Any comments to mharrison67@btinternet.com