Bird Experience at Coda Falconry in Hobbledown Heath

[Ad- gifted experience] We have actually attended Coda Falconry‘s previous location, for an owl walk, during lockdown – but they have since moved to Hobledown Heath, a sort of outdoor adventure park that we also went to, before they moved there! Now that Coda Falconry is on the premises, they put on a bunch of free to view bird shows and have various, bookable experiences (including the owl walk), that also give you access to the rest of Hobbledown Heath too! We got the chance to do a 1-hour bird experience with Coda Falconry, which allowed our family of five to hang out with three different birds, casting them off and having them fly to us.

We arrived at Hobbledown Heath ahead of our timeslot and were welcomed in. With the cost of the Bird Experience, you can explore the rest of the park, though add-on experiences like the high ropes are an additional fee. Otherwise, you can explore all of the outdoor parks, indoor soft play, interact with the fairies walking around, and check out all of the animals. We started by getting our barring, as it had been a while since we visited, so we walked around the giant turtle area, saw the massive bunnies, saw the alpacas and hung out with the meerkats. Then, Robin wanted to go play on one of the massive play parks, so we headed there. There was plenty to do from the giant water pillows to the sheer number of slides. Once it became closer to our time to see the birds, we headed over to the Coda Falconry area, which was by the animals.

Our instructor Emily arrived a bit before our start time, welcoming us into the Coda Falconry, which has a sign that say staff only. We entered and went to a gazebo, which is sort of closed off and private feeling to the rest of the Coda Falconry. We were then given a bit of a briefing on what to expect, as well as our gloves and asked everyone’s comfort level when it comes to flying the birds.

Then, Squeak was brought out! Squeak is a small-sized, fully grown burrowing owl, that was full of energy and noise. Emily explained that Squeak was bonded to her, so is always asking her for food or attention, really. This bird was put on one of those bird stand pillar things, and then we each took turns holding out our gloves, having the bird come over to us. Squeak, full of character, sometimes sat down at the benches next to us after connecting with the glove and even went under Amelia’s feet at one point. This was Amelia and Robin’s favorite bird, as they though this own was just so funny. Emily also told us a ton about this type of owl, what they eat, how far they fly, and all sorts. It’s really an educational experience where you can get so close to the animals! We also got the chance to pet Squeak a bunch too.

We then got to meet Coda Falconry’s Harris Hawk called Rico. Rico was very majestic in their look – so long and present. This bird did big swoops and was much more professional then little Squeak. We met them in the gazebo, but then moved over to the big show area, where Rico did some casting off of us and into the sky, before doubling back to our glove. It was a windy day, so Rico did spend some time waiting for the wind to die down before they flew around – which was so silly. During this time, Emily told us more about this species of birds and about how they behave in nature, which was neat to learn about. Rico was also much heavier than the owl, due to their size. We got to watch them eat a big treat at the end too! Rico was Kai’s favorite bird, as they were so graceful and silly in the way that they didn’t want to move in the wind.

Lastly, we went back to the gazebo inside the Coda Falconry and saw Teo the Aplomado Falcon. Teo was smaller than Rico, and flew from the stand to our hands, much like Squeak did. This bird loved being stroked on their back fathers, which was quite interesting! We all had a few goes at casting them off and petting them, learning more about this specific bird as well. This was very similar to Squeak, but with a totally new creature full of wonder. Teo was very smart in the fact that they knew the faster they cast off and come back, the more treats they got, so they kept moving very quickly!

Once Teo was put back away, we were able to pick some discarded feathers as a memory keepsake, and then given some closing moments to ask anymore questions. Emily then wished us a great rest of our day, and we were free to explore more of the park. We went to the soft play, as per Robin’s request, for a bit before heading home. I really felt that the Coda Falconry Bird Experience was fantastic – it’s such a great way to get close to these birds and Emily herself was extremely knowledgeable, gentle and patient during the whole thing. Coda Falconry have a bunch of other bird experiences as well, for a variety of age ranges and if you are at Hobbledown Heath, you can also attend one of their free-to-view shows.

You can check out our other Days Out to see what else we’ve been up too!