Birds of prey experience

Enjoy a fantastic birds of prey experience with a Harris Hawk flying display and the chance to meet the largest and smallest owls in Europe

This two hour small group experience takes place at Mauldsheugh Wood in Selkirk and includes a Harris Hawk flying display and the opportunity to meet and handle a tiny pygmy owl and the giant European Eagle Owl.

There’s also the chance to enjoy a nature walk around the 1km of flat wheelchair-accessible paths that wind through the community woodland.

This hands-on birds of prey experience lets you get to see these beautiful birds up close and enjoy a flying display.

Our experienced falconry parters will put a Harris Hawk through its paces. Harris Hawks are native to the Americas but are a popular demonstration bird, with powerful talons and a large hooked beak.

The Eurasian pygmy owl is the small owl in Europe – barely bigger than a house sparrow! These birds deter predators with a feather pattern on the back of their necks that resembles a face.

In contrast the Eurasian Eagle Owl is the largest owl in Europe, with a wingspan that can be more than 6ft. Females are larger than males and stand at up to 75cm. They have distinctive orange eyes and prominent ear tufts. Although not native to the UK there are now believed to be a number of breeding pairs.

Mauldsheugh Wood is home to a wide range of wildlife including a resident roe deer herd, which can often be glimpsed moving through the trees, along with badger, fox, stoat and bird, insect and amphibian life.

Tickets cost £25 for an adult and £20 for under-18s.

We run our nature adventures to give more people a chance to enjoy the wildlife of southern Scotland and to help cover the cost of our community nature and wildlife projects. All profits go back into the community interest company to enable us to continue to operate Mauldsheugh Wood, along with nature clubs, school visits and collaborations with other community groups.