Today I attended a birthday party alongside my wildlife ambassadors for a group of 4-5 year old children. The party was hosted in a hall, giving lots of space for the children to play! Once I arrived they soon settled down and we sat on the floor together to talk about British wildlife.

We started off by talking about all the different wildlife we have seen in our gardens and on walks. We then had a little look at some of the wildlife ambassadors. The children got the chance to hold Wren the smooth snake and we had a little look at the grass snakes too and how they differed in pattern. It was then time to get the toads out, and we watched as they walked along the floor which meant we could tell they were definitely toads rather than jumpy frogs! All children were very excited to hold the toad too.

Next we had a look at a non-native species, the yellow-tailed scorpion. Both the children and the adults were amazed to see Snappy the scorpion fluoresce under a UV torch. We finished off by having a look at the birds of prey and discussing lots of interesting facts about each one. I had some fantastic feedback from the adults which is always very rewarding to hear!

For Lizi's birthday her parents decided to gift her with a memorable bird of prey encounter, with her favourite animal being owls. Lizi was really knowledgable about owls, and we had a great discussion about the calls of the tawny owl as well as their diet, habitat, adaptations and their unfortunate decline in the wild. Lizi was very happy to hold Freddie the tawny owl, and to watch him eat his mouse which Freddie swallowed whole!

Bob the kestrel then made an appearance, which Mattie was pleased to hold being in the same family as his favourite species, the peregrine falcon. We talked about the different wing shape of falcons to owls and how that defines the way in which they hunt. It was then time to give Bob his meal, so Lizi had him fly to her fist for a bechin (small food reward) and then Mattie was able to drop the lure out for Bob to fly for the remainder of his food. 

This was a lovely visit and I hope their love for birds of prey long continues!

Today I visited 7 year old Louie and 5 year old Jamie, two brothers having a shared birthday party! As a surprise their mum had organised Freddie the owl to come. 

Being an encounter solely based on owls, we had some time to talk about lots of interesting owl facts including their excellent hearing, their flexible neck, their main weapons and the food they like to eat. Not only did the children learn something new, but the adults too who were just as interested!

After this we had time for the birthday boys to hold Freddie the owl on their fist, providing them with an unforgettable close up encounter with one of Britain's apex predators. Their birthdays guests also had a turn, both children and adults.

Thank you so much for having us, and happy birthday to Louie and Jamie.

I was really pleased to be invited to my first nursing home visit. Having a background in the care sector, I have seen first hand the positive effect that animals have on people. 

I brought all the available species with me, which included a slow worm, smooth snake, grass snake, tawny owl and Eurasian kestrel. After giving an introduction about my business and the aim to spread awareness about the decline of British wildlife and the importance of their conservation, it was time to meet the animals!

The opportunity was given for the residents to hold the rarest reptile native to the UK, the smooth snake. Most of them absolutely loved holding her and I had some fantastic discussions as I went round. For every resident it was their first time ever seeing this rare and elusive animal, despite it being native to the UK. They also held the slow worm and we had a look at the grass snake. All went down very well for the most part, with just a couple of residents not wanting to be near the snakes.

I then had the birds of prey out. A few of the residents were ecstatic to be able to hold Freddie the tawny owl on their fist. It was so rewarding to see the smiles on everybody's faces as each person got a close up view of Freddie. Bob the kestrel was a big hit too, with one lady in particular thanking me for providing her with the first chance she's had to see this small species of falcon up close. She had admired wild ones often in flight, but had never been close enough to appreciate the beauty of them.

Thank you so much for inviting us.

Myself and the animal ambassadors attended an hour long session with Bright Stars Day Nursery today! What a wonderful nursery with a great atmosphere. All the children were incredibly patient and sat nicely to learn about some of the wonderful wildlife we have in our country.

This is such a lovely opportunity to visit young children and provide them with a positive first experience with animals, including snakes, toads, lizards and birds of prey. All of them were keen to have their turn at handling the reptiles and amphibians, and it was a real privilege to provide them with their first ever opportunity to do so. Hopefully this will be memorable for years to come and they grow up with a newfound interest in British wildlife!

I had the super exciting opportunity to work with Cranleigh Prep school! I attended their explorers event with potential future students to provide a session focussing on British wildlife and the importance of their conservation, with the help of my wildlife ambassadors.

Here is what the school had to say:

" We were delighted to hold our first joint Explorers with Wild About Britain. Connie Smith, from Wild About Britain, introduced the children to her incredible British wildlife ambassadors including reptiles, amphibians and birds to ensure a unique and unforgettable wildlife experience. They met Freddie the distinguished tawny owl and Bob the stunning little kestrel full of character with a bobbing head! All the children handled snakes and toads as well as seeing other reptiles up close and at the end got to stroke the owl"

I am really looking forward to working with the school again in the future!

Absolutely delighted to announce that Bob is now free flying! We had our first day free at one of our lovely flying permissions at the back of Cranleigh golf course.

Bob was an absolute star, he flew to the fist for a bechin (small amount of food), then flew back to his training perch of his own accord and turned straight back round facing me, waiting for the lure. As soon as the lure was out and swinging he flew straight over, hovered low above the lure until I rewarded him by dropping the lure to the floor. He had half his food on the lure, before politely jumping straight up to the fist for the remainder of it. We then enjoyed some time sat in the field, Bob all fluffy and content to be with me.

Now the fun really begins. I'll be slowly introducing passes to the lure (where he follows it through but it's pulled away just before he can grab it) to allow him to build up his fitness and flight skills which will build on his length of free flight time. I also hope to start encouraging him to fly of his own free will for a duration of time before the lure/reward comes out. It's my aim to allow him to develop his skills naturally by just letting him fly and not pushing anything, teaching him to enjoy his time on the wing prior to focussing on chasing the lure which is essentially a simulated hunt. Hopefully he catches on to the hovering behaviour which is what I'd really like to reliably bring out of him!