Thirsk Birds of Prey Centre Logo

See our birds hover,
swoop and soar!

Sponsor our birds

Find out when
you can visit

Donate

Three amazing flying
displays each day!

Sponsor our birds

Find out when
you can visit

Sponsor our birds

See our birds hover,
swoop and soar!

Donate

Three amazing flying
displays each day!

Sponsor our birds

Get up close
see our birds in action

Experience days

Welcome to Thirsk Birds of Prey Centre

🌿 A Visit to Thirsk Birds of Prey Centre

Inspiring • Uplifting • Unforgettable

📍 Beautiful Yorkshire Countryside
Home to one of the largest collections of flying birds in the North, with around 100 birds from over 50 species from across the world — including owls, vultures, eagles and kites.

🦅 Daily Free-Flight Displays
Enjoy an incredible variety of birds in our daily flying displays, with a full and varied timetable running each day. Our programme changes throughout the year and includes special themed flying displays, so there’s always something new to experience.

🌬️ Get Remarkably Close
Our 35–40 minute displays bring you thrillingly close as birds swoop, dive and soar overhead. Watch the heaviest eagle in the world take to the sky, marvel at the silent flight of the barn owl, and discover the beauty and importance of vultures.

🎤 Expert Commentary
Our passionate and knowledgeable bird team provide a light-hearted yet informative commentary, sharing fascinating facts and insights into how your visit supports our vital conservation projects.

👨‍👩‍👧 Family-Friendly 
Families are catered for, with free children’s activity sheets, including the chance to win a small prize — making your visit both educational, fun and engaging for the whole family.

⭐ Experience Days & Specialist Encounters
Looking for more? Our small-group experience days let you fly and learn about a wider range of birds. We also offer pre-booked specialist experiences focusing on owls, vultures or eagles.

🗺️ Plan Your Visit
👉 Click here to find out more about what’s included in a visit to TBOPC and start planning your day

❄️ Closed for the Winter Season

Reopening Spring 2026

We are now closed for our winter season to give some of our birds a well-earned rest and to carry out our annual maintenance and development projects.

A huge thank you to all our visitors for your support throughout the year — it truly makes a difference.

Looking ahead to 2026, why not treat someone special to one of our five-star experience days, bird sponsorship packages, or admittance tickets — amazing and unusual gifts for any bird or nature lover.

💚 We look forward to welcoming you back in Spring 2026.

🎟️ Entrance Fees

 Adults (16 years+) £10.95

Concessions (65 years+) £9.95

Children £8.95 (under 3s go FREE)

Family Ticket £37.00 (2 adults + 2 children or 1 adult + 3 children)

ℹ️ Visitor Information

✔️ No need to pre-book for general admission
🌦️ Flying displays are weather permitting

📸 Photography
Please view our latest photography policy click here

👉 Click here for full visitor information and to plan your visit. 

Experience Days

Experience Days in Beautiful North Yorkshire

 

Give the gift of special memories and magical moments with our incredible hands-on experience days. Join us at Thirsk Birds of Prey Centre — an award-winning attraction with over 30 years of experience, proudly featured on The Yorkshire Vet.

We deliver high-quality, five-star experiences in a fun and friendly environment, with plenty of hands-on opportunities alongside a wide variety of amazing birds. Our experience days are highly recommended, brilliantly reviewed, and truly hard to beat.

 Come and enjoy a five-star experience you’ll never forget.

Click here for more information.
  1. Gift Vouchers are valid from 1st March 2026 till 31st October 2026. *
  2. Spectator Tickets are available for £20 or £25 depending on which experience is purchased.
  3. Gift Vouchers will be processed and posted within 24hrs.
  4. We run these experiences most days of the week including weekends. *
  5. Vouchers can be purchased through our website or over the phone by calling 01845 587522
Buying gifts from us will help support our conservation work, breeding programs and help towards the upkeep and longevity of TBOPC and all the feathered residents.

Meet the Minnies Handling Experience

£10 pp (subject to availability)

Enjoy a wonderful time at Thirsk Birds of Prey Centre whilst getting to know and meet some of our smaller feathered friends.

This exciting addition to your visit runs at 1:00pm and 3:00pm. Two birds will be able to be handled at one of the dedicated handling times. Photographs are welcome and the duration is around 10-20mins. Please book your Meet the Minnie’s Experience on arrival to avoid any disappointment as this experience is very popular.

We have a selection of feathered friends that might take part on the handling experience depending on the centre’s commitments on the day.

  • Aplomado Falcon
  • African Barn Owl
  • White Faced Owl
  • American Kestrel
  • Tawny Owl

Purchase tickets at reception. Tickets are non-refundable. Please arrive at the meeting point 5-10minutes ahead of your handling experience time.

We advise for children to be 4 years old and up to take part on this mini experience

This handling experience does not include admission into the centre.

 

Opening Soon.

 We’re looking forward to welcoming you all back for our 2026 display season.

Our planned reopening date will be announced very soon for our Spring Timetable, so keep an eye out for updates 👀

We can’t wait to see you again!

Meet the Minnies Handling Experience

£10 pp (subject to availability)

Enjoy a wonderful time at Thirsk Birds of Prey Centre whilst getting to know and meet some of our smaller feathered friends.

This exciting addition to your visit runs at 1:00pm and 3:00pm. Two birds will be able to be handled at one of the dedicated handling times. Photographs are welcome and the duration is around 10-20mins. Please book your Meet the Minnie’s Experience on arrival to avoid any disappointment as this experience is very popular.

We have a selection of feathered friends that might take part on the handling experience depending on the centre’s commitments on the day.

  • American Kestrel
  • Aplomado Falcon
  • White Faced Owl
  • Red Backed Hawk
  • Kestrel
  • African Barn Owl
  • Tawny Owl

Purchase tickets at reception. Tickets are non-refundable. Please arrive at the meeting point 5-10minutes ahead of your handling experience time.

We advise for children to be 4 years old and up to take part on this mini experience

This handling experience does not include admission into the centre.

If you’re planning a visit with us soon, here’s a reminder of our summer timetable:

  • 10:30am – TBOPC opens (arrive 15-20mins before the display)
  • 11:30am – Warriors of The Sky Flying Display
  • 12:15pm – Ideal Lunch Time (Snack bar offering sandwiches, crisps,cakes, hot and cold drinks and ice creams. Picnics are also welcome.)
  • 1.00pm – Meet the Minnie’s  Experience*
  • 1:30pm – African Adventure Display (the main display of the day hosting up to 30 birds)
  • 3:00pm – Meet the Minnie’s Experience*
  • 3:30pm – Training Flying Display*
  • 5:00pm – TBOPC Closes 🕣
PLUS don’t forget to complete our free Vulture Scavenger Hunt for a treat on completion and our Owl Scavenger Hunt to enter a prize draw worth £140!
*Book your Meet the Minnie’s Handling Experience at reception. £10pp in addition to the day admission fee.
* After watching our two main displays of the day feel free to join us for our training display where some of our young and new birds will be learning the ropes.
*Displays are weather permitting
  1. Please Arrive 15-20 minutes before our 11:30am display to really make the most of your visit and then watch the 1:30pm flying display. After the displays there will be a chance to ask the handlers any questions you may have.
  2. Explore the other 100+ birds on display.
  3. If your feeling peckish then don’t worry we have you covered, in our snack bar we over sandwiches, crisp, cakes, plus hot and cold drinks are also available or try an ice cream to cool down on a hot day.
  4. Picnics are also welcome, after all who wouldn’t want to have a picnic surrounded by some of the most beautiful birds from around the world.
  5. For more information and our latest photography policy please click here.

Sponsorship Packages from £30

Sponsor a Bird of Prey – A Truly Meaningful Gift

Looking for a unique and memorable gift? Sponsor one of our incredible birds of prey and give a present that truly soars.

From cute owls and majestic eagles to fascinating vultures, there’s a feathered friend to suit every bird lover.

Who will you choose?

• Gordon the Great Grey Owl
• Mr Wick the Aplomado Falcon
• Ethel the White-Headed Vulture
• Toruk the Steller’s Sea Eagle

 What’s included:

 A personalised sponsorship pack
The chance to meet your sponsored bird
Direct support for vital bird care and conservation work

With 40+ birds to choose from, why not browse our collection and find your perfect match?

 A gift that supports conservation — and creates a lasting connection.

We are happy for photos to be taken of our birds as they are important ambassadors for their species and play an important role to help protect and conserve.  
Our birds play a huge part towards education, research and conservation projects.
However please adhere to the following conditions.

For more information regarding our policy please click here.

Thank you.

 

Meet the Minnies Handling Experience

£10 pp (subject to availability)

Enjoy a wonderful time at Thirsk Birds of Prey Centre whilst getting to know and meet some of our smaller feathered friends.

This exciting addition to your visit runs at 1:00pm and 3:00pm. Two birds will be able to be handled at one of the dedicated handling times. Photographs are welcome and the duration is around 10-20mins. Please book your Meet the Minnie’s Experience on arrival to avoid any disappointment as this experience is very popular.

We have a selection of feathered friends that might take part on the handling experience depending on the centre’s commitments on the day.

  • Aplomado Falcon
  • African Barn Owl
  • Tawny Owl
  • White Faced Owl
  • Red Backed Hawk
  • American Kestrel

Purchase tickets at reception. Tickets are non-refundable. Please arrive at the meeting point 5-10minutes ahead of your handling experience time.

We advise for children to be 4 years old and up to take part on this mini experience

This handling experience does not include admission into the centre.