We answer hundreds of queries on many topics on a daily basis, including trying to manage how to discourage American Black Vultures from roosting on buildings, what to do about an owl being mobbed in someone’s garden, how to stop crows from removing the putty in windows and many other bird related issues. We don’t always have the right answers, but we try our best. We act as consultants, advise NGO’s and government bodies. We use our birds for filming wildlife programs, documentaries, feature films and in advertising. We are always busy and rarely bored.

The most important achievement is to learn that you never know it all. We know that we have to continue to learn – adapt as we go, understand the things that did not work and try a different way, and that applies to all aspects of what we do.

With our own captive birds, we strive to achieve making their lives as comfortable as feasible, giving them the chance to breed wherever possible. This may mean changing housing, or mates, or where they are kept or how they are fed, all of which can have an impact on successful breeding. We also try to make sure that rather than just breeding high numbers of birds, we not only breed for quality, but also to allow parent birds to complete the breeding cycle by rearing young. We learn from our experiences with captive breeding every year.

We try to set an example to others who are keeping captive birds or may do so in the future, in all aspects of what we do. That includes enclosure design, husbandry, hygiene, health and safety and in the ethical side of what we do.

We make sure that our demonstrations are educational, informative, interesting and fun, both for the people watching, the demonstrators and the birds themselves. If everyone is having a good time, it all works so much better.  We aim to have our signage accurate, smart, informative, educational and up to date, which is hard and expensive to achieve.

We aim to make the surroundings as pleasant as possible for not only the visitor, but the birds inside their enclosures and the wildlife that surrounds us. We have more wild birds here at the Centre than any of the surrounding countryside, and that is only because of the environment we have made here.

We hope to make sure that all the staff and volunteers are well trained, confident in their jobs, and enjoying what they do. And they are able to put over the educational message in a confident and mature way, giving enjoyment and interest to the audiences of all levels.

We give free advice wherever and whenever asked as long as we are not asked to write peoples projects or theses for them (have we been asked to do that – yup!). But our time is limited, and the internet is a wonderful resource.  However there is arguably more information in hard copy than on the web at this time.

We have always taken in injured wild birds and will continue to do so. It is important if people care enough to contact us and bring in birds that we will be there to help. Although there is much debate about the success of rehabilitated birds, no doubt some have gone back successfully and bred in the wild. And probably more importantly those people that find them and care will sometimes develop a lifelong interest in conservation.