Last Updated on June 5, 2023 by Suzy McCullough
I have been wanting to visit the Hawk Conservancy Trust for some time now as it has an excellent reputation for both its conservation work and its excellent bird of prey displays. PLUS there is the added bonus that they offer a Meet the Burrowing Owls VIP Experience. The Hawk Conservancy Trust is located near Andover in Hampshire and is set amongst some stunning countryside.
If you’ve never come across any Burrowing Owls before you won’t know just how adorable these owls are. They have such unique personalities and they seem quite trusting of humans, especially if food is involved. My son fell in love with them a couple of years ago so I have had visiting here on my radar ever since I heard about their experience. As far as I know, they are the only place in the UK that offers experiences just with burrowing owls.
They run the experience usually each day of the week at 4:30 pm and sessions last for 30 minutes. It is recommended that you pre-book on their website but you can add the experience on the day of your visit if there is availability. I’d book in advance though to avoid disappointment.
Meet the Burrowing Owls VIP Experience
Each session is for a maximum of 8 people and a session lasts for 30 minutes. It is worth knowing that participants must be aged 6 and over. All children aged 6-12 must be accompanied in the ‘burrow’ by a full-paying adult (at least one adult per child).
It costs £19.50 per person and this is in addition to your park entry which you will also need to purchase. For more information on the Hawk Conservancy Trust and entrance prices please visit this post.
Please note this experience is only available when there are no bird flu restrictions. We disinfected our shoes when we entered their room and if you have birds at home you must visit in clothes you’ve not worn around your birds. The experience takes place in a purpose-built caged room which to the burrowing owls feels like their home. There is sand on some of the floor with tubes for them to hide in should they wish.
Once seated we were given a quick briefing by the two friendly keepers who gave us a rundown of what to expect and what to do, plus what not to do to make sure the birds are happy and calm. They then allowed three of their birds to enter the room.
Within seconds the burrowing owls were flying around the room and landing on our hands. We had been told that they may land on our heads, but none did during our session. They all happily landed on our hands, arms and our knees…even our phones! I got a hilarious video of one sitting on my phone.
It was great having two keepers on hand as they helped to make sure that the birds were fed from our hands and if anyone was uncomfortable with how a bird was sat they’d help move them for us. We were amazed at how gentle they are and how friendly they are. They are not at all afraid of landing on you and their claws aren’t sharp at all which is so unusual for birds of prey which usually have to be handled with thick gloves. We have two macaws at home and their claws are a lot sharper!
We got some super cute selfies with the burrowing owls and I’m sure you can tell my son loved every minute of it – even being pooped on! He was the only one and they were soon on hand to help him clean up. It was quite fun getting the birds to transfer to different places. Usually, if you placed one hand higher they would happily hop on.
One of the male burrowing owls also loved sitting on my knee, even when it wasn’t the highest place. I don’t know if it was the colour, if it was me, the softness of my dress or one of the keepers being near but he loved my knee. The birds are also very vocal and the room was constantly filled with their chirping noises which isn’t quiet in the slightest.
We both absolutely loved our Burrowing Owls Experience and we have fallen in love even more with these adorable birds. If you are a bird fan of any kind you will love this experience. You don’t get to feed them yourselves but when you see what they eat you will be more than fine about that.
? Admission Information
- Meet the Burrowers experience costs £19.50 pp
- You must also purchase an admission ticket to the trust which costs £18.50 for an adult and £14.25 for ages 4-15
- The experience is for ages 6-adult
- Experiences take place at 4:30 pm most days
- Booking in advance is highly recommended
- Sessions last for 30 minutes
- Birds will land on your hands, legs, arms and possibly your heads
- Address: Hawk Conservancy Trust, Sarson Ln, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 8DY
