Hawk Conservancy Trust Conserving birds of prey and their habitats

We are proud to support the Hawk Conservancy Trust to help ease the struggles that birds of prey face in the wild. 

Who are they?

The Hawk Conservancy Trust was founded more than 50 years ago, and the conservation of birds of prey is at the heart of what they do.

Their team of scientists and researchers work tirelessly on a variety of conservation and research projects. This charity’s other aim is to share their knowledge and passion for birds of prey with you, by encouraging engagement with evidence-based conservation activities through actions like the Marion Paviour Award.

Applications for the Marion Paviour Award are welcomed by the Hawk Trust Conservancy, to support early-career researchers working towards the conservation of birds of prey.

What do they do?

Through their conservation work, the Hawk Conservancy Trust protects British birds of prey like the Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, Kestrel, and Red Kite.

Bird of prey conservation projects by the Hawk Conservancy Trust in the UK include:

  • Kestrel Colour-ring Project.
  • ‘Red Kites back in our skies’ project.
  • ‘How many buzzards are there?’ project.
  • Impacts of changes to the food supply project.
  • Nest box research.

On an international level, the Hawk Conservancy Trust is involved in research and campaigns to protect birds of prey overseas, too.

Most of their overseas campaigns involve the vulture, which has led the Hawk Conservancy Trust to extend their efforts to Africa and south Asia – where they actively protect vulture populations and complete research into critically endangered vultures.

Alongside protecting birds of prey through a variety of projects and campaigns, the Hawk Conservancy Trust care for over 130 species (such as owls, eagles, hawks, vultures, and falcons) at their dedicated bird of prey centre in Hampshire! Each donation and every visit to the Hawk Conservancy Trust supports their vital work in the fields of conservation, education, research, and rehabilitation. 

How we have helped Hawk Conservancy Trust

We are an avid supporter of this charity, and to date, we have donated £94,755 to the Hawk Conservancy Trust, including:

  • £12,500 for their Raptor Nest Box Project (RNBP), which involves setting up nest boxes for the Barn Owl, Kestrel, Little Owl, and Tawny Owl. Volunteers carry out surveys and monitor chicks, which are crucial activities to gain a picture of bird populations in the UK.

Since 2010, the team have put up over 1200 specially designed nest boxes for birds of prey across eight counties in the south of England.

  • £65,000 to help the Hawk Conservancy Trust set up a new annex for their National Bird of Prey Hospital™, The new annex is self-contained, improving the team’s capacity to look after birds safely. Features of the new hospital annex include an assessment room, a kitchen to prepare food and medicine, and six new treatment bays to house wild birds.
  • £10,000 was donated to support their Poison Response Action campaign, to act against the poisoning of vultures by ivory poachers in Africa. The campaign directs activities in areas known to be poisoning hotspots, such as vulture breeding colonies, by initiating Vulture Safe Zones in southern Africa. As well as completing vital research into vulture populations, the Hawk Conservancy Trust worked with the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the University of Reading to create Poison Response Kits that allow field staff to care for vultures who have been poisoned.

Did you know vultures are the most threatened bird group in the world?

According to the Hawk Conservancy Trust, there are 23 species of vultures, yet over 70% are at risk of going extinct!

They may not be the prettiest, but vultures play a vital role in keeping the areas they live in and fellow wildlife safe. Thanks to the vulture’s taste for meat and bones, these scavengers offer protection to other animals from dangerous diseases by acting as part of nature’s ‘clean-up crew’. 

You can learn more about the vulture, and our Ugly Endangered Animals campaign, by clicking here!

How you can help Hawk Conservancy Trust