What's happening?

What to expect...

• Large outdoor spaces to social distance safely
• Clearly marked queuing and ticketing 
• Antibacterial hand dispensers at key points
• One way systems in key areas including the Cafe
• 2m seating to watch displays
• LOTS OF FUN!

The British Bird of Prey Centre in based within 568 acres of the National Botanic Garden of Wales. So there is a lot of outdoor space, making it easy to enjoy your day and social distance at the same time. A limit of 500 people at one time will be in place to help maintain this.

Your entry ticket to The British Bird of Prey Centre is included in the Garden Plus Ticket which you can buy on arrival or if you like to be super organised, e-tickets are available here. This means you can enjoy a full day of activities for all of the family. 

Car parking and ticketing signage will make it easy for you to park and get into the Garden safely. Special screens are also in the Gatehouse as an additional precaution. 

Once you are in the Garden we can be spotted to the left of Gatehouse, nestled up on the hillside amongst the trees. Follow the wooden sign posts or your map to find us. Our aviaries are designed specifically to house our native species. You will be able to walk around and see the birds in their own homes as well as watch them show off their talents in our flying displays.  

As you approach the Centre, clear signage will show you where to go and how to queue and enter safely. There is a one way system in place so you can take your time enjoying meeting the birds. 

Our flying arena seating allows you to have a bench per family group and naturally stay 2m apart. So you can relax and enjoy the birds showing off their skills.

Hand dispensers have been positioned outside our toilets so you can sanitise your hands before touching the handles. Additional cleaning schedules are in also in place around the Centre. 

Your ticket means you can come and go all day, so you can find a nice picnic spot to have some lunch, enjoy the other exciting things happening in the Garden and come back to the centre as many times as you like during the day. 

Daily Timetable

The British Bird of Prey Centre

Visit the birds

Whilst you are at the centre you will be able to visit all of the birds in their houses (aviaries). You are welcome to do this as many time as you like during your visit.

All of our aviaries have been designed specifically for each individual species, so will all be slightly different. Most of our birds are captive bred and are therefore used to people. They would not survive if they had to go into the wild. We fly them all daily to give them a chance to be free, but they all like to come home and be warm and fed at the end of the day. 

As you walk around you will be able to see different things that will show you if the birds are happy with their new homes. See if you can spot any of the birds doing the following;

• Standing on 1 leg
• This is how birds sleep. So only very relaxed birds will sit like this during the day. They tuck their foot up into their chest feathers and it keeps it nice and warm. Once one leg gets tired, then they swap over. Could you imagine sleeping standing up on one leg? If they are really, really relaxed they might even lay down!
• Making noise
  • All of the birds here are used to people and they understand that people feed them. So if they start to make a noise whilst you are watching them, they are probably asking if you have a mouse in your pocket! Noise is a good sign, as a scared bird would hide and make no noise at all. 
• Having a bath
  • We all know that taking a bath in public would be a bit scary and its no different for the birds. They like their privacy when they bathe, so if they have decided to have a bath whilst you are there then they must be feeling very comfortable.
• Preening
  • This is how a bird 'brushes its hair'. They put special oils on each feather with their beak, pulling it from the top to the bottom. This keeps the feathers in good condition and gives them a water resistance, which is very important here in Wales.   
• Sleeping
  • It is very unlikely you will see a bird completely asleep during the day at the centre, but if you do see a bird without a head then there is no need to worry. Birds sleep with their heads tucked back under their wing. It gives the impression they have no head at all! 

Flying Displays at 11.30am & 2.30pm

We hold two displays daily at the centre. These contain a mixture of hawks, owls, eagles, falcons, buzzards and kites.

Combining education and fun you'll be amazed by our team's flying skills but also learn more about their personalities. 

Our aim is to try and get our birds to fly as they would in the wild. So we encourage them to use their natural skills to show you their very best techniques. So hopefully you'll see our kites eating on the wing, our kestrels hovering and our White-tailed eagle soaring above you. 

Working with animals means that every day is new, so you can come back time and time again and the show will always be different.

*Please note: Due to COVID-19 on busy days you may be given a show time on arrival as we are currently only able to allow 30 people per show  

Group Flying Experiences

Fly an Owl or a Red Kite yourself

£10 per person

During your time visiting the centre, if you would like to get even closer to the birds, then we offer flying taster sessions.

Bookable in our shop for £10, you can fly either an owl or a red kite for 30 minutes.

(Maximum 10 people per session)

Owl Flying 12.30pm

Kite Flying 1.30pm

No age restrictions apply so everyone can enjoy the fun

These sessions take place on our flying ground and you will be given a glove and take it in turns to have  the owl or kite fly to your gloved hand. Bring your camera, this is definitely a photo opportunity!

If you already know that you would love to fly birds of prey, you can book a private Half Day experience where you can fly 4 different species. This experience includes entrance into The National Botanic Garden and The British Bird of Prey Centre, so you can enjoy the rest of the day here after your flying experience

e-gift vouchers are available for all of our experiences

Our gift vouchers arrive instantly and can be printed off by you for that perfect gift. All vouchers are valid for a year and include entry into the National Botanic Garden of Wales and The British Bird of Prey Centre.

Conservation Talk at 3.30pm

Some of our British birds of prey have had a hard time recently. During these talks one of our team will take you through the projects that are taking place in the UK and what The British Bird of Prey Centre is doing to help.

Learn about how the longest running conservation programme in the UK has brought Wales' National Bird of Prey, the Red Kite, back from the brink of extinction. Marvel at the size of Britain's largest Eagle, the White-tailed Sea Eagle, and understand how we can live in harmony with these beautiful creatures, to make sure we never again lose them as part of our native population like we did in the past.

There are lots of opportunities to ask questions in these informal talks delivered daily.