Sally Buckland, a falconer, visited the Junior School on Thursday 8th October, bringing five different birds of prey, a tawny owl, a barn owl, an eagle owl, a peregrine falcon and a Harris hawk. She spoke to all the girls, from Nursery to Year 6, with great warmth, enthusiasm and deep knowledge of her birds; the girls responded with a never-ending stream of pertinent and thoughtful questions. As the girls observed the birds, they became aware of the different characteristics and personalities of each species.
Sally flew the barn owl and falcon on the tennis courts and it was a wonderful sight to see these beautiful birds flying in the autumn sunshine at such close proximity. During the afternoon flying session, the local crows were raucous and active in their disapproval of the falcon's presence, squawking and diving down to try to drive him off their patch! Many of the girls were able to stroke the birds and a lucky few were chosen to have the falcon fly to their (gloved) hand. It was an exciting and different experience for the girls – who knows, perhaps there is a future falconer among them.
Have a look at more of the photos from the day on the photogallery.