York Bird of Prey Centre

The best bit was the birds flying and the guy who was doing the doing the commentary he was so entertaining and knowledgeable you could see he just loved those birds.
Very large display of birds of Prey that they let you handle and fly.
I would recommend that you visit the morning display and you have a spot of lunch in the little cafe and stay for the afternoon display.

was expecting it to be like all the other bird of prey centers that i have been to ..BUT WOW!!!!! it is a small friendly place which upon arrival treat you like old friends. The staff are all very passionate about the center and the birds. T
he birds dictate the show.whilst the peagrine falcon chills out in a tree the staff entertain you with cheesy dad jokes and interesting facts about the birds. nothing about the place is forced routine after they have flown the bigger and faster birds you move into the arena in the trees for the lighter owls and the star of the shows 'Sid' all throughout the shows they quietly get people up to have a bird experience and its not here have one go thats it they get you up multiple time for different birds. the staff encourage you to ask questions and participate in what ever manner you are able to. the staff love kids and engage them at their level and keep them fixated and not bored with constant facts n figures. all the staff we happy to talk to you about any of the birds or the center for as long as you wanted and were never in a rush to do things i totally recommend this place for a visit you will be going back many times after.( just ask the staff they were once visitors) if i could give them 6 stars i would.

thanks guys and see you again soon

Have visited twice before and thoroughly enjoyed each visit so went a 3rd time with 3 friends. I’d told them how good it was, the volunteers very knowledgable, how you get to handle and fly the birds. There were only 15 visitors in total for the morning session so I thought it would be really interactive, however I was wrong. We were the only 4 sat on the 2nd row of benches, as the front row was full, but we were almost ignored because of it. 2 young lads, who were obviously friends of one of the handlers, were invited up 1st, then the family with kids, everyone else on the front row then us as an afterthought or not at all in some cases. I know the place is run by volunteers but they should keep it fair and people will enjoy it much more.

I went to the York Birds of Prey Centre for the eagle experience, and I have to say it is one of the BEST experiences I have ever had. It has always been a dream of mine, being a birds of prey lover, to handle and fly the eagles - it was wonderful!!!
The volunteers that run the centre are very dedicated, knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and a true credit to the centre and themselves - especially Neil who I was with for nearly 5 hours.
He was so knowledgeable, and told me all about the eagles in detail, he was also very patient with me, as this was the first time I had handled and flown such large birds!
It was well worth the money, not just for the fantastic experience, but all monies go back into centre for the upkeep and care of these beautiful creatures.
I have every intention of returning to the centre in the spring for another eagle experience - watch out Neil!!
Also, many thanks to Colin for letting me handle his magnificent Golden Eagle, Shadow.
If you ever find yourself in York, or the surrounding area, I highly recommend you take a trip to this centre. Ideal for adult and families alike, and very educational.

Booked an 'Owl Experience' for me and my partner. May not have been the most glamorous of places (not sure what I expected), but the birds were well cared for, the staff knowledgeable and we had an amazing time! The staff were great and the bird show was the best I've ever seen with plenty of audience participation!,

Special thanks to Billy and to Sharon, who not only had the experience and knowledge of the birds but were also fantastic fun. The manager was very humorous in his delivery of the 'bird show' albeit with some very corny lines The birds obviously love where they live and their affection for the staff is obvious when you watch a huge Eagle snuggle up to the manager during the show (an incredible sight to behold).

Great place, wish I'd know about it years ago x

Amazing day out , was so much more than what we expected the website does not do it justice . From start to finish we were entertained, educated and actively encouraged to interact with the amazing birds who live there. All the volunteers were friendly, knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble,

There were 3 shows through the day, we arrived just after 10.30am and didn't leave until 5pm , not one moment where we were not able to interact with the birds and staff during that time.

Everyone was encouraged to handle the birds , take photographs and ask as many questions as you liked.

My Grandaughter had the privilege of a Hawkwalk, our guide was Neil and we were able to spend time with the stunning Harrier Hawk Kaiser. Neil was excellent , provided us with so much information about Harrier Hawks and allowed my Grandaughter to be able to experience handling , feeding and recall.

We learnt so much whilst there and will be regular visitors from now on, entry prices are ridiculously cheap for what you get, we have decided to sponsor two of the birds, Kaiser and also Jessie the Owl to support this fantastic place.

Perfect family day but also somewhere for adults fancying a day out.

Big thank you to everyone involved

Arrived at the Sanctuary just in time to see the flying display. Lots of volunteers passing out gloves so the birds could sit on our hands if we wanted. A man had the bird at one side and the other volunteer placed a glove on my hand and called the bird over. Wonderful. Swooped down and landed on my fingers. Andrew had a mic and everyone could hear him telling us about the different birds that were brought out. We could touch them and hold them. Children were queuing up to take part.

We visited following a day of heavy rain which had caused some slight damage. It was wet underfoot but the sun was shining and we had a great time. There are so many birds to see. However, the main attraction is the unmissable display. The leader and his team provide a wonderful, truly hands on experience. It is clear that the team are expert in both the handling and care of the vast collection of birds. The leader was very funny and a fountain of knowledge. This is a very child friendly experience. The team clearly want you to have a memorable visit. There is a cafe on site. The superb Burn Hall Hotel is a few minutes walk away and the centre is a nice 25 minute drive from York .Great value. Highly recommended.

We visited the York Bird of Prey Centre in April 2021 as a family of four (2 adults and 2 kids aged 7 and 5).

From the moment we stepped into the entrance building, we were greeted with warmth and enthusiasm. It's clearly obvious that the people who work here are extremely passionate.

The centre itself was much larger than I was expecting and there are lots of birds to see and read about. It's all outdoors but the weather was lovely for us so no concerns there (bring waterproofs it it's raining as there is only a small amount of shelter).

The highlight of the day was, without doubt, the display. My experience at other similar attractions is that displays tend to last for 15 to 30 mins but this one lasted a full hour! We were very lucky that there was only 2 other families in attendance so it fealt like a very personal experience. The 3 gentlemen (sorry forgot their names) who did the display were great and interacted with us throughout. We all got to hold a variety of birds, from barn owls for the kids to golden eagles for the parents. We also got to stroke a new born baby bird which was rather cute! The birds were also flown around so you could see them in flight. Throughout all of this, there was a great voice over provided with lots of interesting facts.

We didn't stay for lunch so I can't comment on the cafe but the menu did look good.

The only thing to watch out for and the only small gripe was the parking situation. It wasn't particularly clear where to park and it did take us a little time to find the centre (that was our own fault though). I believe the car park is a field accessed down the small road to the centre. We didn't know this so just parked behind the hotel - as it was quiet this wasn't a problem.

Having said that, I would still rate this as 5 out of 5. As the title says, this was a FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE and I would recommend this to anyone.

Thanks so much!

We purchased a Groupon for afternoon tea at the adjacent Burn Hall Hotel which included free access to the York Bird of Prey Centre – It’s worth mentioning that the centre does not receive any money from the purchase of vouchers for Burn Hall, from Groupon, Wowcher, Living Social or the like, which also include access to the centre. We left a voluntary donation after our visit which was worth every penny and very gratefully received.

Andrew, Claire and Neil were the experts at the centre who displayed and flew the birds on the day that we visited. It’s very apparent that they are passionate about what they do. They are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the birds but also so funny and entertaining (Andrew, you really should be on the stage!). The birds are incredible, so beautiful and obviously cherished and well-cared for. We were able to handle and stroke them – it was truly fantastic! There was ample opportunity to ask questions and also time to view the other birds in their aviaries. We watched 2 amazing flying displays in all and are still in awe!

The afternoon tea at Burn Hall was fresh and tasty and we were able to return back into the centre afterwards to watch the second flying display.

Parking was ample and free and the centre easy to find using SAT NAV. There aren’t adequate words to describe this truly wonderful place - please go, support and donate to this fantastic place. You won’t be disappointed.

We can’t wait to return! Thank you again.