I have always been fascinated by birds of prey. They look so beautiful but are…
Discovering Birds of Prey in North East England
DLS Falconry is a falconry centre for birds of prey in North East England. Why not visit and get hands on with these majestic birds?
There is something fascinating about birds of prey. They are beautiful birds. Sadly in the wild many of them are dying out. They have been targets of egg collectors and hunters over the years. Fortunately conservation programs exist to help and many of these have been a success. Ospreys can now be found nesting in Kielder Water.
Read more: Ospreys at Kielder Water and Forest Park
Last year I got the chance to hold a kestrel when we went to Blyth beach for Bylth goes to war. It was an interesting day. We got to see a battle being fought on the beach and also saw inside Blyth battery. The highlight of the day was getting close to some birds of prey. I recently learnt that DLS Falconry is near me so had to go along for a visit.
Read more: Meeting birds of prey
DLS Falconry: Discovering birds of prey in North East England
DLS Falconry is found on the Rising Sun Farm in the Rising Sun Country Park. The park has a vast amount of land with a nature reserve, woodlands and grasslands as well as the farm and a countryside centre. It is a wildlife haven and a great place to go for a long walk. You never know what wildlife you might encounter, we have found hedgehogs and lapwings.
The Rising Sun Farm is a working farm and you will find plenty of animals on site. There is a livery yard which is always busy. They also sell fresh fruit and vegetables which is grown organically. In the top corner of the farm you will find DLS Falconry. This gem of a place provides a chance to get to know more about birds of prey. Their aim is to give a hands on approach to their birds of prey giving people the chance to learn more about these amazing birds.
DLS Falconry is free to enter and open every day. There is a donation box at the front if you want to show your appreciation.
Meeting the birds of prey
There are so many birds to see it is hard to know which ones to look at first. We took our time and had a good wander looking at each of the different birds. There are all sizes of bird, from large owls to small and dainty kestrels.
If you want to get hands on with the birds you can choose to hold them for a small fee of £2. There is also the option to have a flying experience where they fly to your hand. For this visit I was content just to wander and look at the birds. The staff were on hand if you had any questions, they were more than happy to tell you all about the different birds.
It was a really interesting visit and I am sure we will be going back soon to hold some of the birds.
DLS Falconry offerings
As well as a chance to meet the birds DLS Falconry also offers the following:
- Static Bird displays
- Birthday parties
- Bird Control
- Birthday flying experience
- Corporate events
- Educational Visits
- Raptor Rescue

Magnificent birds, and fab photos, Alison! Love the winking owl, and the owl who seems to be giving a speech. 🙂
He does seem to be giving a speech, totally on his soap box!
Wow, that’s a fabulous free day out – great price if you want to hold them too. Love the action photos – brilliant capture 🙂
We shall be going back soon, it was a fab place
It seems remarkably good value. It also looks a great place to photograph birds of prey.
Its a brilliant place to go, I could easily spend ages just taking photos