Eagles Flying

Bird shows are becoming more frequent at tourist sites, an excellent opportunity for city folk to familiarise themselves with the animals. The Irish Raptor Research Centre emphasizes education, allowing guests to learn about the unique behaviours, hunting techniques, and conservation challenges these majestic birds face. 

What is Eagles Flying

The Irish Raptor Research Centre is at Templehouse, near Ballymote, 40 minutes from Mount Edward Lodge. Located in the leafy hills of south Sligo, it is the country’s largest centre for birds of prey and a voluntary-run sanctuary for wildlife and other needy animals. It is home to over 100 eagles, hawks, owls, falcons, and vultures. Altogether, there are more than 450 birds and animals.

The centre is a 27-hectare scientifically managed sanctuary for birds of prey and owls. It is home to about 350 birds and about 75 species of animals. Lothar F. Muschketat and his wife Regina established it in 1999 as an institution for private research projects on birds of prey. They brought along a few birds of prey and quietly settled on the farm. In the summer of 2003, Eagles Flying introduced its birds to the first eager visitors. In 2007, the Irish Raptor Research Centre / Eagles Flying received accreditation as an EU-Zoo.

You have surely seen a bird of prey in a photo or at a zoo. If you want to experience an up-close encounter with free-flying falcons, eagles and owls and learn about their features, you could stop by the Eagles Flying. Eagles Flying, with many eagles, owls, hawks, and falcons, can make the dream of having a bird of prey landing on your bare hand come true. This is a fantastic attraction to add to your Ireland travel itinerary.

Birds facts

Over 560 different species of birds of prey, including eagles, hawks, owls, vultures, and falcons, can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Thanks to their exceptional senses and features, allowing them to dominate their prey and conquer rivals, birds of prey spend their lives at the top of the food chain. By removing old, sick, and weak animals from populations, they also play a crucial ecological role in maintaining the environmental health of their natural habitats. They select the weak, infected individuals and prevent the spreading of diseases.

Due to their bad reputation, birds of prey might be considered the bad boys (and girls) of the bird world. These birds do not kill for the sake of killing! They only kill to have some food. In the sanctuary, you can watch falcons flying together with pigeons as well as eagles and hawks landing beside rabbits and guinea pigs, paying no attention to them.

Despite their gruesome antics for snatching up small animals, gifted with sharp talons and keen eyesight, they are fascinating creatures. Here are some facts:

• Birds of prey are in no way a danger to man. The idea of them attacking children is a complete myth.
• Eagles don’t attack live farm animals. They will feed on ones that are already dead, but they won’t attack them.
• Females are always larger than their mates, and her larger size enables her to catch larger prey. The male is responsible for feeding the chicks until she starts hunting.
• All raptors eat flesh, but there are some exclusions, such as the osprey, which tastes like fish, and the honey buzzard, which feasts on bees and wasps.
• A golden eagle can lift 12–15 pounds, almost total body weight.

Eagles Flying Show

The Eagles Flying Show at the centre is fun and educational for the whole family! During the interactive and entertaining Bird Shows, you can experience Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, Vultures and Owls swooping right over your head or landing next to you. The show's stars fly around and land on the handler’s glove in a specially designed arena. If you are lucky, you might have an incredible feathered creature land on your gloved hand. The main events are two free-flying shows that occur daily and last about 1 hour. Live shows start at 11 a.m. and 15 p.m., so arrive on time. Rain can not spoil this experience, as shows can be presented indoors. Tour groups are welcome as per the show; the facility can accommodate more than 550 people.

While watching the show at a sanctuary, taking one’s eyes off an eagle casually resting on the handler’s arm is hard. The performer managed to engage the audience with every word she said while balancing a full-grown eagle in one hand, making them believe the entire show was effortless. But the birds are living creatures who breathe, eat and sleep. The amount of time and effort invested behind the scenes is enormous. There are equipment inspections, health checks, and food preparation. Building a trusting relationship with the bird and devoting time and patience to training it.

Once the Bird Show is over, you can linger at the supervised zoo. At the Petting Zoo, you can cuddle up with animals such as mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, lambs, goats, donkeys, gerbils and more. Places like this encourage a love for animals, offering first-hand interaction with the wonderful creatures.

Educational experience

The highly popular ‘raptor show’ is just one aspect of the project. There’s something special about the chance to be so close to eagles and owls. Besides the excitement and plenty of photographic opportunities, the main reason to visit Eagles Flying is that it is highly educational for the whole family!

Before the show, you can walk around the grounds and talk to the enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff. The staff does amazing work educating the public on the importance of conservation and the value of all animals to the ecosystem. Research is also carried out at the Birds of Prey Centre, and time is invested in caring for sick and injured animals. It’s great to see the birds and other animals well cared for. The scientists present information on each bird and raptors in general, so if you ever have a question about a bird of prey, you just have to ask.