Eagle and Owl Experience

Being up close with Eagles has been something I have been dreaming to do for a very long time. They are one of my favourite animals and a representation of my home country (ALBANIA). The Albanian flag is probably one of the most different looking flag in Europe; the red flag with a silhouetted black double-headed eagle in the center. The red stands for bravery, strength and valor, while the double-headed eagle represents the sovereign state of Albania located in the Balkans. Its a national symbol the country tends to takes to take pride in, a lot of people have it tattooed across their bodies or carry it as a necklace. We are very patriotic and proud of our country.

Just look at Eliza Dushku's Tattoo for instance

Or check our Rita Ora's 'Shine Your Light' Video. She is representing the two headed eagle with her hand.

You might not know this but there many celebrities that are Albanian. Did you know Jim Bellushi was one? or that Mother Teresa was Albanian ? The Albanian airport is under Mother Teresa's name, whereby her statue is also found. Unfortunately Albania is a small country that most people are not even aware of it or know very little about it.

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Anyway....Back to the topic.

I am always scooping around Groupon deals and one day I came across a 'Bird and Pray Centre' near Bedford. I knew it wasn't an opportunity to be missed.

The eagles were truly beautiful and very intelligent. Their eyes are extremely sharp which makes them vigilant at all times. They were all well looked after and well fed, I could notice that because they were always very excited when they saw members of staff. During my three hour of falconry experience I managed to hold the eagles, feed them and watch demonstrations. Most of them are very heavy to hold, particularly the American Bald Eagle. My arm went numb after a few minutes but the birds were always patient and friendly. I also managed to hold and feed some lovely little owl; they were very soft and super light. The white ones reminded me a little bit of Harry Potter and Hogwarts.

The bird centre carried a variety of birds and the layout allowed me to get really close to them all. Some of the eagles were very loud because they kept noticing members of staff walk by and screeching out loud for their attention. I appreciated the connection the birds shared with the humans.

There was one particular eagle (Bateleur Eagle) who was beautiful and rich in colours. I also think this eagle was probably a cat. It loved to bow to its owners and would enjoy being stoked, which is very unusual for birds. This was spectacular :)

3 Interesting things I learned about the birds:

- The Fish eagle is white because fish do not see the colour white.

- Vulchers are very important birds because their immune system digests viruses and bacteria. They where the birds that helped ebola from spreading, unfortunately this was not highlighted across the media.

- The Bald Eagles tend to find one partner and hold on to them them for the rest of their lives.

I hope to visit the Bird and Prey Centre again because it an enjoyable experience and they will soon be adding new birds to their adaption centre, one of them being the amazing Golden Eagle. Check out Groupon for similar falcontry experiences.

#eagle #birds #albania #falconry