Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre — Attraction in Scotland

I cannot fault the staff. They obviously care a great deal for these magnificent birds. However, and I state this clearly as my personal experience based on my own feelings that have arisen following this visit. I feel it only considerate to inform any other sensitive souls of the dilemma they may also face upon visiting. Following my visit, I came away feeling extremely conflicted - the staff were very informative despite my hesitations to ask certain questions - eg: why many of the birds were pecking away (some more vigorous than others) at their anklet tethers - whilst I appreciate their expertise on explaining this / being told that this is the birds cleaning either the anklet or beak/talons it was unsettling to see perhaps from a human perspective, we are not inclined to see an animal, gifted with wings - caged or tied & pecking at anklets or restraints. I am not suggesting they were distressed, but it is an unnatural experience to witness. The boards are very informative in terms of situations in which some of the birds have been taken to the centre, but I also found it disturbing when I asked why they do not fly away when performing in the shows - I was told it is down to the close relationship & loyalty to the handler/trainer - however from what I’ve seen I would say the loyalty is more driven by the sustenance for food/reward system for these animals & not an affectionate one. I also asked why the owls, whom by nature are naturally nocturnal were in caged enclosures with luminescent light, I was told that most of these owls were rescued so were used to being awake during the day. I understand that the keepers and owners will be extremely defensive of the centre and I am not deterring people from visiting. I am just offering an insight into how it may make one feel. I also found it quite disheartening to be told that birds only spend approximately 5% of their life flying or in the air, as if this was a justification for keeping them cagedor restricted. I know this to be untrue as most percentages per breed can vary such as buzzards common swifts bald eagles no two birds are ever the same, but it is not justified to state if it is only 5% of their life humans have the right to deny them of their biological and ethereal flight. My conclusion upon visiting is that just because a bird is caged it does not make their...

My visit to the Bird of Prey Centre was absolutely shocking. I was initially disturbed by the short tethers many of the birds were restrained by, permitting very little movement and clearly causing some distress in a few birds. I noticed a buzzard that was particularly agitated, chewing it's leg to try and remove the tether and flapping around in what appeared to be, a distressed way. As I was almost about to leave, a young woman (an employee) entered one of the cages. I brought to her attention what I had seen on my visit. She replied the birds are motionless for 95% of their day in the wild and the tethers don't bother them. I responded that I found that hard to believe. Her reply was that she had a degree in zoology and implied I was impertinent to challenge her! A few minutes later, another older gentleman approached me (who I assume was the owner) and said he didn't like the way I had spoken to a member of his staff. I informed him of the conversation that had actually taken place. He asked for evidence that some of the birds were distressed ... I showed him the birds in question, and he dismissed my concerns, saying the buzzard was just excited "because it was almost time for his fly around!" The rest of our conversation was cordial enough, but he did inform me that he expected the centre to be closed within 5 years because of lack of funding and complaints about the birds being tethered! I left the centre feeling my complaints had been vindicated ... and vowed never to go back. Post Script ... on the way back to my car, I was accosted by the young lady "zoologist"'s boyfriend, who also didn't like the way I had spoken to his girlfriend. I informed the young man what had actually been said ... and he stormed off. Apart from my grievances about the cruel and inhumane way these beautiful birds are being kept in, I have never in my life been so aggressively treated for raising a fully justifiable complaint. This kind of behaviour is clearly unacceptable ... and the sooner this disgraceful establishment is closed down, the...

The Birds of Prey Centre in Loch Lomond makes a fantastic morning or afternoon’s adventure. Myself and my Girlfriend were in the area for a long weekend and wanted to try it out. They are located at the Loch Lomond Sea Shore visitor centre in prime spot for everyone coming to visit, there is free on site parking available and various eateries, shops and activities available.

As we entered the Bird of Prey centre we were met at a hut where you can buy tickets: luckily for us with it being slightly out of season we got a discounted couple pass which was £10 for the both of us. Birds of Prey have so many different types of birds but I have to say the owls were definitely the cutest. We ran into a girl who was doing the daily weighing of all the birds and she was so helpful and friendly telling us all about the centre, explaining all about the different birds and how they interact with humans and become jealous when other birds get more attention than they do. Only thing they weren’t running was the live flying shows which don’t start until April when the summer season starts, so will definitely be back to enjoy that later in the year.

It was a great morning wandering around the centre brushing up our knowledge and actually being able to see them at arms length. The staff, especially the girl we spoke to were fantastic really keen in the work they do and made us all feel welcome. To finish it off they have a small gift shop with little soft toys, souvenirs and other merchandise, all the profits made go back into the centre which really made it worthwhile when I bought a small toy owl to take...