Latest News

Apologies to those members of English Heritage who booked a ticket for our “Falconry Insight” event at Stokesay Castle in March. We have received news that it has been cancelled due to staffing issues. Nothing to do with us, and yes a job lost for us too, but apologies nevertheless. We are not planning to reschedule the day.

We are steadily filling our 2025 diary with bookings and making plans for the year ahead. Mike was very ill in hospital for a spell so we have taken some time out over the winter so he can rest and recover. We have elected to take a more gentle work life by developing a good relationship with our local country estate and so that is where we are more commonly found, staging private events for residential guests. We will be out and about as normal at public events this year although we have made the conscious decision to reduce the mileage we normally do so are being more selective. Having said that, the diary is open and there are availabilities so please do get in touch before April.

For those of you not on social media, our elderly kestrel Bodkin passed away in late November. He was 21 1/2 years old and died of old age, an amazing age for a little bird. His end was quick and quiet and dignified, we noticed the decline early and so were able to manage his passing. It was a sad day but we can say hand on heart he had the best life. Young Griffin now has to step into his shoes and they are mighty big shoes to fill!

We have our licence inspection next month so while the bird team for the most part are enjoying a month of winter rest, we are all paperwork and repairs. We did some major refurbishments to our bird accommodation in the autumn so the hardware is done, just a few peripheral jobs left to do which require better weather, that thing which is in short supply!

Followers will have noticed that we are not publishing our event bookings on our website this year. The reason for this is simple, it deters people from contacting us! We have found that potential clients use our event diary listings to check our availability before contacting us, which sounds logical but is frustrating when we run 2 display teams, so this year we are giving away less information and it has already proven to be a wise move. Regular followers who want to know where they can see us perform can drop us an email directly to request a list of public events. It’s a little sad that we are generally having to release fewer details into the public domain, either to preserve our privacy or intellectual property, but that appears to be a condition of modern times when everything is visible on the internet!

We are currently taking bookings for 2024 however there aren’t many dates left so get in quick if you’re interested!

We have some exciting new venues to look forward to visiting next year including Boscobel House, West Horseley Place, Nothe Fort and Delapre Abbey. And of course our old favourites Alnwick Castle and various English Heritage properties. We have a Member Day planned for Battle Abbey and perhaps a few other venues which we will confirm in due course.

We are also expanding our presence at our local estate which is home to an exclusive nature reserve where guests can stay in renovated period cottages and have special events staged in their grounds. Our falconry encounter sessions and hawk walks are proving to be very popular!

More updates to come in the spring.

This is the title of our new show and a separate branch of service. New for 2021, The History Birds is our second commercial identity distinct to Raphael Historic Falconry. We are the same people but offering two very different services. Our primary ID is synonymous with falconry and flying birds in public demonstrations, but we understand that this limits our appeal to venues as many do not have the right spatial or geographical requirements for falconry. It’s a shame those venues miss out on staging events of our nature. Not any more! Now we can offer you The History Birds instead, perfect for museums and heritage sites with limited outdoor space. We can even stage The History Birds indoors.

The distinction is simple, Raphael Historic Falconry focuses specifically on falconry practice, past and present, i.e. demonstrating live birds in flight and hunt simulations. Conversely, The History Birds does not focus on falconry at all, it is specifically about birds in story – so historical storytelling. We still bring live birds but there is no flying display and no mention of falconry. The focus is purely on the birds themselves, on the history of natural history, genuine historical tales involving birds of prey, and folklore.
The stories are not period specific, that would be too narrow a field, so they are drawn from across the centuries and woven into an enchanting tapestry of tales. Presented in historic costume and with real birds for reference, The History Birds will hopefully become a popular addition to our repertoire.