Eddie

Meet Eddie the Eagle Owl, resident at the Yorkshire Dales Falconry Centre near Settle. He's an incredible bird!

Spent the morning underground at the White Scar Caves - very cool, expecially the Battlefield Chamber, a huge chamber with a ceiling covered in over 10,000 straw stalagtites - so called because the water drips through a hole, forms a ring, which more water drips through, forms a calcite(?) ring, etc etc - usually it goes down the outside. Sadly they're very fragile, so we couldn't take pictures.

Then caught the end of this display at the falconry centre - glad we made it, because I was rather excited at seeing an eagle owl so close up! Hung around for another hour waiting for the next display, when we were treated to Wesley the White-headed Vulture, Kes the European Kestrel (whom I got to hold, also very exciting!) and Vera the Lappet-Faced Vulture, the onyl free-flying one in the UK. She's 36/39, very grumpy (she refused to fly for us), and they're hoping to breed her. They'll have a job, unless she chills out. She has to come out last each day as none of the other birds will come out when she's around! Though Ricky the friendly Crow didn't seem to scared of her....