I had an incredible time during the "Meet the Owls" experience! I got to meet several of the beautiful owls and each with their own unique personality. The woman leading our session was fantastic, knowledgeable and great at teaching us how to handle the owls properly. The whole experience made my day and left me smiling with a head full of facts.
My whole life I have wanted to get into falconry, but due to the nature of my job it’s almost impossible. I happened to find out about the bird of prey center on an online forum before my wife and I traveled from the states to visit Scotland. It seemed like a to good to be true moment, well I’m happy to say it more than over delivered. Our teacher Hannah should be the face of this awesome place, she knew everything about these amazing birds and made us incredibly comfortable when we got to handle them. We got to fly gonzo the spectacled owl, sully the American kestrel, and toothless the Harris hawk. Hannah not only talked about the birds (with an astonishing amount of information) but mankind’s interactions (both good and bad) with birds of prey. She didn’t romanticize the care of these animals. She set real expectations should the opportunity ever come for me to try my hand at falconry. If you near Loch Lomond make the time to come here, spend the money to take out some of there amazing birds and support an origination that so clearly loves these animals. Thanks again Hannah for a great once in a lifetime opportunity.
Fantastic little place that we all thoroughly enjoyed visiting (2 adults & 2 children - 13 & 10 yrs old). Those that are saying the enclosures are too small etc, obviously didnt take the time to talk to the staff about the origins and needs of the birds at the sanctuary. We were lucky enough to do a flying experice (Highly reccomend) with a gorgeous old man (Owl) called Cargo. His hadler was so knowledgeable and the staff are all absolutely dedicated to the birds care and well being, and will talk to you about anything you want to know! The flying show was full of facts and demonstrated the birds individual characters (very funny). Money well spent on a very enjoyable visit & a good cause.
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this place. The staff were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, and all the birds looked very well and happy. We watched one of the free shows where they brought out various birds and explained their personalities and species. The show was really fun, and it was great to see how happy and free the birds were. People complaining about the cost is ridiculous. You can come and go as you please, take your time to read the information and learn about each bird, and explore the cabins with information, bones, skulls, and feathers. There’s also a small seated area with a video playing. All in all, it was a great time, and if you’re around to catch a show at the listed times, I highly recommend it.
A great experience- but you need to see the birds flying currently 11.30am and 2pm. The bird flight was very interesting with lots of relevant information. Despite the drizzle we had a great time. Thoughtfully the cleaned off the water from the bench before we sat down. Then a good half hour show with three birds. Harris's Hawk, Eagle Owl, and a smaller bird, possibly a kite, which apparently was 12 years old - far older than you'd find in the wild. The centre is small but it is providing sanctuary to birds that sometimes were recovered. I believe the birds are taken out on rotation to fly, so they do not live their whole life in the cages. I gained the impression the staff really cared and the birds looked to be in beautiful condition, with no obvious signs of stress. There was a nice little gift shop with Thoughtful materials and souvenirs made from wood, largely avoiding the plastic trashy stuff you often see. A facility well worth supporting.
Amazing visit. Wristbands allowed us to pop in and out all day letting us catch all the flying shows while taking in the rest of Lomond Shores and having some lunch and ice cream too. It was great to see so many birds in flight and the shows and staff were really informative.
Lovely enjoyable visit. Shame I had to cut the American birds of prey flying display short to return to my coach. Loved the amount of information supplied in all areas and also the educational centre. The flying display was brilliant and a short safety chat was given at the start, for the safety of all concerned including the birds and the keepers.
Definitely one of the highlights of our trip even though the flying shows were cancelled due to avian flu and the birds were under quarantine during our time of visit. Out of good will, we got a discount for our tickets. Stuart , the center manager gave us loads of valuable information about the birds. We watched a very interesting video on those amazing falcons too. Birds are very well looked. We enjoyed the visit very much.
They have 2 golden eagles which was very big and so majestic to watch. These guys offer bird experiences which is a plus. They also have a variety of other birds such as falcons, owls, vultures etc. Very nice place.
The Birds of Prey Centre in Loch Lomond makes a fantastic morning or afternoon’s adventure. Myself and my Girlfriend were in the area for a long weekend and wanted to try it out. They are located at the Loch Lomond Sea Shore visitor centre in prime spot for everyone coming to visit, there is free on site parking available and various eateries, shops and activities available. As we entered the Bird of Prey centre we were met at a hut where you can buy tickets: luckily for us with it being slightly out of season we got a discounted couple pass which was £10 for the both of us. Birds of Prey have so many different types of birds but I have to say the owls were definitely the cutest. We ran into a girl who was doing the daily weighing of all the birds and she was so helpful and friendly telling us all about the centre, explaining all about the different birds and how they interact with humans and become jealous when other birds get more attention than they do. Only thing they weren’t running was the live flying shows which don’t start until April when the summer season starts, so will definitely be back to enjoy that later in the year. It was a great morning wandering around the centre brushing up our knowledge and actually being able to see them at arms length. The staff, especially the girl we spoke to were fantastic really keen in the work they do and made us all feel welcome. To finish it off they have a small gift shop with little soft toys, souvenirs and other merchandise, all the profits made go back into the centre which really made it worthwhile when I bought a small toy owl to take home… why not!
Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre is located at Ben Lomond Way, Balloch, Alexandria G83 8QL, UK
You can contact Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre at +44 1389 729239
You can find directions to Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre by following this map link