Birds of Prey - Page 1

For aslong as i have remembered i have always wanted to keep a bird of prey but lack of knowledge has alway kept me at bay. But now am seriously considering looking into it. Am looking at a few sites and i cant seem to find any laws on keeping a owl like the barn owl or little owl as a pet in the city illegal (uk) I have a big back garden i could build a aviary in for a owl(s) but i need to learn alot about them before i even consider it properly. (also i dont know if my dogs take kindly to their garden being taken away lol)

Does anyone on here own or use to own owls or another kind of bird of prey. Is it possible to have a happy healthy owl within in the city or would this be unwise? I always imagined them in the country side with the access to the open if am honest which is why i need to know if i could provide for such high maintance birds.

Any advice or web links would be really helpfull. I have seen countless ad's for barn owls for sale across the country and they seem fairly cheap compared to some birds but i dont wanna even consider buying yet till i know i could provide for one

LAVK-9, didn't you have some experience with raptors?

Yes Shady I live with a friend that does falconry. I have handled his hawk and lived with it in the house.
Geordie- I know that the UK and US(along with state to state) there are different rules but here are a few sites that might help.
www.falconrybooks.com/reviews/review_heying.htm
www.azfalconersassoc.org/info.htm
apfalconry.proboards.com/index.cgi

On the last site my friend posts there and he goes by dirthawker. There are some people that do use owls to hunt.Here eare a few pictures I took of the hawks he has.Right now he has a Harris's Hawk names Rico. The other was Neha a Cooper's Hawk.He is looking at getting another Cooper;s Hawk. Hope it is nicer then the last one he had.
And the Owl that I had for a night to releace back to the wild.When I did I had to re catch him can't he wasn't flying well.I guess my freinds didn't really check him out to make sure he was okThe owl woke mw at 3am with hooting..It is a nice sound.
Great Horned Owl

Thank LAVK-9 and them are stunning pictures. I'll have a look at those sites now

 

birds of prey are very beautiful but i would never own one as i think there wild i dont even like zoo's because the animals are caged up etc by the way  the photos are nice aswell

leciesters doghandler - I agree but the damage has been done sadly and it is just as easy to get a barn owl here in the UK like buying Chickens :( Advertisements are everywhere.

I read in one article that the Eagle Owl is now breeding in England (due to illegal releases and lost birds). A owl so big and powerfull it has been known to attack and kill Roe Deer and Foxes. If a Eagle owl is spotted near by they are all over the local papers giving warnings to dog and cat owners. I remember when one was spotted by Ponteland (believed to be a captive one but lost) and they even put in the local paper "keep young children close as it may attack in a desperate attempt for food" Luckily i think the bird just moved on and wasnt around for any longer than a few days but it still shocked people that a animal so powerfull can be easily kept as a pet.

Personally i wouldnt want one of the larger species as i think they must be for more experienced handlers but i cant resist the temptation of owning one if i could provide for it.

and it is just as easy to get a barn owl here in the UK like buying Chickens :( Advertisements are everywhere.

i live in the uk my self (leicestershire) i have never see a owl for sale it might be because i dont look for them i dont know

 

owl in the wild doing what owl's do ....amazing sight to see 

 

owl in some shed ...just sitting there doing what a owl should not do ..

 

i know what i prefer to see  

 

I think you should just find a local falconer and get some real facts.

leciesters doghandler - sites like birdtrader.co.uk and preloved.co.uk normally has a few ad's for owls. You would have to such for "owl" to actually see the ad's but they are there. I have never seen chicken ad's unless i looked for them but it is clear that alot of people own and sell them. Someone who lives round the corner from me use to chicken and ducks in his back garden. That was years ago though.

Two Moons - I think i plan to do that :) but it is just a idea right now and i will proberly decided against it before i seriously looked into it all.  I have seriously been considering keeping poultry like Chickens for some time and i deffintly have the time and the space for chickens. Proberly a better choice than a "owl" and the egg's speak for themselves.