Located just a short drive from the town of Newent in the Forest of Dean, the International Centre for Birds of Prey is the oldest dedicated birds of prey centre in the world. There’s over 70 species of birds on show at the centre, ranging from the enormous white-tailed sea eagle to the tiny burrowing owl.

The centre is home to a wide variety of hawks, owls, falcons, eagles and many other majestic birds. In charge of the centre is a remarkable lady who has dedicated her life to the care and conservation of birds of prey. Jemima Parry-Jones grew up with birds of prey, as her father, Phillip Glasier, was Britain’s leading expert on falconry and hawking. Following in her father’s footsteps, Jemima is now Britain’s leading authority on husbandry, welfare and conservation breeding of birds of prey. “I’ve had a love of birds of prey for as long as I can remember,” said Jemima. “I grew up around them when my father ran the centre here. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to make a career out of helping protect these incredible birds,” she added.

Continued Jemima: “It’s an enormously satisfying job. We’re fortunate to have a truly wonderful team of staff and volunteers who ensure everything runs smoothly. The staff all have a natural affinity with the birds. You can’t succeed in this job unless you have a real passion for care and conservation. It’s a total delight to be working with these wonderful animals, sometimes they’re a lot easier to get on with than human beings!

“We’re fully committed to providing visitors with the best possible experience. Our staff and volunteers are so knowledgeable and are always keen to answer any questions our visitors have.”

One of the most popular events that takes place at the centre are the daily flying exhibitions which give visitors the opportunity to see the magnificent spectacle of a bird of prey in full flight. “It’s always exciting when we get to fly our birds. Visitors get the opportunity to get up-close to them and really see them in all their glory. It’s always a great thrill seeing them in flight. Each bird is different, you learn to pick up on their traits.”

Working with birds of prey is no easy task, not only are their talons and beaks capable of inflicting serious harm, they sometimes have a desire to have a wander around the Gloucestershire countryside. Said Jemima: “Only the other day one of our birds went for a little explore around the valley. Fortunately, all our birds are microchipped so we were able to quickly locate him and bring him back home.”

Jemima, who received an MBE from the Queen for services to bird conservation in 1999, says the most satisfying part of her job is caring for her beloved birds of prey. Continued Jemima: “You build up a real bond with them. It’s an amazing experience when a bird flies a mile or two away and comes back to land on your arm. Some of the birds here are as old as our staff!

“The pinnacle of this job comes when we successfully breed a species of rare or endangered birds. Breeding can be an emotional rollercoaster at times, getting the birds to lay eggs is only the start of the journey. There’s so much than can, and often does, go wrong in the incubation process. You can only truly relax when the chicks are born and show all the right signs health wise, and even then, young chicks face a number of challenges. It’s a long-term project, one which our staff put so much time and effort into.”