York Bird of Prey Centre — Attraction in Easingwold

We booked the owl experience as a birthday treat for my mother and what an experience it was!

Be advised the post code doesn’t take you to the centre, use it to get close then look out for signs. We missed the actual Bird of Prey sign but there is a massive sign for a cattery, that’s the road you want! Also the site of the local hotel.

Once on site the Bird of Prey Centre is located at the very end of a narrow single track road, as my mother is disabled we did drive down; I advise you to park on the left at the top of this lane though and walk down.

As you enter the centre you’re straight into the cafe where you can grab a coffee and a slice of cake. Later in the day they also do hotdogs and paninis, there is also a selection of cold drinks and seating.

The staff were amazing right from the off, plenty of banter and laughter, they are all volunteers who love showing you the birds so make the most of their passion and experience.

There is a wide variety of bird of prey to look at complete with information boards, live shows which include feeding and flying happen throughout the day in the flying arena. This is an interactive experience so be prepared to get involved and have a go at flying some of the birds yourself.

We had a electric mobility scooter for my mother who is disabled, at times the scooter struggled with the outdoor terrain but this was easily resolved with a little manual push when it did get stuck. As a result I would say this centre is easily accessible for the disabled, they have ramps at the entrance/exit and there are no steps to negotiate.

I would advise you take warm clothing and waterproofs depending on the weather as the majority of the centre is outside, the flying arena can be breezy adding to the cold. There are some trampolines for children to have fun on if they get bored.

This is a real chance to see birds of prey in action and flying extremely close, and for you to feed the birds and have them land on you; it is truly spectacular. We had an awesome experience and loved every minute of it!

On your way out you can put a donation into an owls beak (donation bucket) or there are opportunities to sponsor a bird where you get a certificate and priority on handling when you visit.

This is a charity organisation so they rely on bookings, sponsorship and donations to survive and educate us all on these fantastic and beautiful animals. You can also be a volunteer if you’re interested, be prepared to muck in and clean out the aviaries and sweep to start with though…..you can’t go straight into being a master of flying the birds.

Based on our experience today I would totally recommend a visit, we...

The Eagle Experience at the York Bird of Prey Centre is an absolute must. The ultimate treat for every bird of prey lover. We had an absolutely amazing day here on Sunday 6th March 2022. A fabulous experience, the whole day, from start to finish. Family owned and totally volunteer run, the welcome we received was so warm and the friendliness of absolutely everyone "working" there was evident from the moment we arrived. The sense of fun was infectious and the promise of the jam packed itinerary we were going to have throughout the day gave us a great sense of excitement. We were included in absolutely everything, the whole day. We have been to several similar centres over the years but none have come close in comparison when it comes to the obvious passion for every single bird here, the in depth knowledge about each species and every bird's individual character. We handled and flew Harris Hawks, Barn Owls, Eagle Owls, Kestrels, Ferruginous Hawk and the stunning Chilean Blue Eagle named Silver. During the flying displays, every single person there was actively encouraged to become involved; from tiny tots to seniors, each person was included and guided by one of the volunteers, handed a gauntlet if they wished to have one of the birds land on their proffered arm. The jewel in the crown of the day was, of course, having the honour and privilege to meet and handle the majestic Golden Eagle, Shadow. A truly awesome and humbling experience; one we did not want to end. Thank you so much to everyone at the centre for a brilliant, brilliant day that we will never forget. And, a totally extra, extra, extra special thank you of course, goes to Neil our tireless guide and oracle on all things "raptor" who had us entertained and spellbound with his knowledge, insight and connection to each bird he introduced us to. We lost count of all the new, unusual and fascinating facts we learned. Fantastic stuff! As if this was not enough, at the end of our day, Neil very kindly granted me my "extra wish" of meeting the gorgeous Gonzo. Once again, thank you so much Neil, Vultures are an absolute favourite of mine. We will definitely be...

Visited on a whim while on holiday with a friend intending to kill an hour or so before continuing on elsewhere in the afternoon. 5 hours later we finally left after having had an absolutely brilliant day. The birds of course were beautiful and each with their own little personalities but what really made our day were the fantastic volunteers.

Andy and Billy were just great and I don't think anything I write will really do either of them justice but their love and passion for the animals was so apparent and the affection the birds have for them was just so lovely to see. Both are complete fonts of knowledge and really went the extra mile to make sure everyone visiting got the best possible experience, and what an experience it was!

When we first arrived we thought we must have accidentally gate crashed on a premium edition bird handling day as we joined a display midway through and within 20 minutes were both donning the glove for a hold of the gorgeous Shadow. Sheepishly we spent some time admiring the birds, resolved to coming clean on exit. As we headed off to confess we were asked if we'd like to hold the owl chicks (the answer of course was a resounding yes!) and before we knew it we were in the midst of a second display and struggling to keep track of how many stunning birds we'd had the privilege of seeing, holding and feeding.

We bumped into the owner as we headed to the cafe who was a lovely guy and made sure we were having a great time (we were!). As it turned out, the first class experience is just par for the course at York Bird of Prey. We agreed on the spot we needed to sponsor one of the birds if only to assuage the guilt of having had such a fantastic day out for our £11 (Shout out to the beautiful Storm - keep up the good work with your flying lessons!).

All the while Andy and Billy shared their wealth of knowledge, experience and insight into each of the birds, endlessly enthusiastic despite the heat and ultimately just made the day one we will both always remember and appreciate.

If you have the opportunity, please pay the centre a visit. You will not be...