Birds of Prey on display 8th July 2010
Hour of the eagle and the majesty of the hawk will be on display on July 10 and 11 at the 2010 Abbey Medieval Festival.
GLIDING elegantly and stealthily through the gentle updrafts of a cool breeze, the majestic eagle soars intrepidly above Earth's impressive topography to stalk and capture its prey.
The magnificent sight of the eagle and other svelte birds of prey such as the falcon and owl captures the hearts of onlookers.
The splendour of these noble creatures will be on display on July 10 and 11 at the 2010 Abbey Medieval Festival.
For the first time, visitors will observe the “medieval falconry” display performed by the Full Flight Conservation Centre – Birds of Prey team.
Folk from far and wide will have the opportunity to ask questions, see these tame feathered friends up close, and be given the chance to gently stroke some of these amazing and intelligent birds.
Among the many beautiful specimens on show will be wedge-tailed eagles, peregrine falcons, kites, a masked owl and brown goshawk.
This year's festival promises to be spectacular as these fine feathered performers ostentatiously display their wings while hovering gracefully above the masses and piercing the crisp air with their high-pitched and intimidating squeals.
Every hour, the Full Flight team will answer questions about these flying carnivores including what they eat, how the team trains them and how far and fast they fly.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to watch how these winged creatures fly from one handler to the other, as well as being entertained by the grande finale: a medieval-based story starring the unusual entertainers.
Sabrina the Wedge Tailed Eagle, Zorro the Wedge Tailed Eagle, Tom the Kestrel, Goss the hawk, Zoe the Peregrine Falcon, Spitfire the Peregrine, Yoko the Peregrine, Pepper the Masked Owl and Tin Tin the Barn Owl will all be on display at the festival.
All the birds are licensed to Full Flight and are protected under the wildlife act.
Known as “Sir Justyn” by his medieval friends, Full Flight performer Justin Webb said one of the main reasons the team would be appearing at this year's Medieval Festival was to teach the public about the importance of protecting these birds.
“Many birds of prey are considered as endangered species, so it's important for us to be able to educate the public by getting them to understand and appreciate why they need to be conserved,” he said.
“These birds are very independent and are simply the type of animals that are designed to breed, to kill and to eat.''
Sir Justyn said that only a couple years ago a peregrine falcon was seen chasing a big red kangaroo across the terrain at Broken Hill. The falcon continued to toy with this big red until the roo became too exhausted to jump any further and collapsed.
Sir Justyn said that if a bird of prey was desperate enough for food, especially during periods of drought, it would be persistent in wearing out its victim.
“People sometimes mistake these creatures for pets, but in actual fact, they're not very affectionate with humans,'' he said.
“Their talons are very sharp and can actually break a human's wrist. That's how very powerful these animals are.”
During the medieval period, these proud birds of prey were considered as important and noble as the horse and the hound.
Eagles and falcons were protected by law and if anyone was caught harming or killing these birds, the punishment was harsh.
Prison, steep fines and the removal of eyes were inflicted on those who dared to either steal another man's trained raptors, destroyed the eggs of these noble creatures or poached falcons that flew the forests in medieval times.
Sir Justyn said these birds were prized and respected by all – common people to the aristocracy.
“The common people like a farmer, huntsmen or woodsmen, who could afford to hunt on the lord's domain, would hunt lesser birds of prey using their trained falcons or raptors,” he said.
“The people from medieval times were conserving these birds of prey to use them to hunt and kill other animals.
“They were trained to bring them back to the castle and were then rewarded with food.
“These birds of prey were the ultimate killing machines in the bird world and that is why the medieval knights held them in high regard.”
Sir Justyn has taken a keen interest in birds of prey since he was young. He first became curious about them while living in Dubbo, New South Wales, and watched intently as they ascended the endless skies, making lazy circles above the sweltering conditions tormenting the land.
He admired their hunting skills and their ability to snatch their prey in one enormous swoop.
Combining his experience of working at Sydney's Taronga Zoo and his admiration of medieval knights, Sir Justyn became a Birds of Prey performer.
Gos the Hawk in full flight
