With all the uncertainty at the moment and lock downs as a result of COVID-19 I thought – as have a number of others – it might be nice to shine a spotlight on places that you miss going to because you are currently not allowed.

Part of the reason for sharing the places I will be listing is that in the current climate they will be struggling to survive as they all rely on income generated by visitors and wanting to share ways that they can be helped, or even just raising awareness of these places so that when restrictions are lifted people may go to visit them again. Please see the end of this post for further details.

I’m starting off with a place where I had one of my first days out after buying myself a camera: The Raptor Foundation – http://raptorfoundation.org.uk/

The following photos will mostly be new to the blog, but as you will see they are not new photos. Most of these have been shared from my Facebook page – a little different to my usual sharing habits to see how it works.

In honesty I have’t been here for a while, but it is coming to the time of year that I would usually try to have a couple of days out.

I have always liked visiting here. There is a lot to see with two or three flying displays depending on the time of year, friendly staff, nice layout, and beautiful birds to see. There is also a small reptile and insect house with some meerkats as well.

In addition to being a good day out there is also the satisfaction of knowing you are helping support a rescue centre and hospital for wild birds as well as re-homing pets that owners have decided they can’t cope with any more.

There is a wide selection of birds to see, almost all of the birds of prey with the exception of a kookaburra.

There are lots of varieties of eagles, hawks, and owls in all sizes, ranging from burrowing owls to a golden eagle.

Here is a selection of some of favourite shots from The Raptor Foundation.

I have a number of photos from the Raptor Foundation, this is only a very small selection. You can find more on my Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/NeilTorrPhotography/

Part of the reason for sharing the places I will be listing is that in the current climate they will be struggling to survive as they all rely on income generated by visitors and wanting to share ways that they can be helped, or even just raising awareness of these places so that when restrictions are lifted people may go to visit them again.

There is a page linked on The Raptor Foundation website for donations to be made:

https://raptorfoundation.dahosting.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=68

Donations can also be made from purchases on Amazon Smile by selecting the Raptor Foundation as your chosen charity.

If you like any of these photos and would be interested in purchasing any prints please let me know via the comments below, Twitter, or Facebook. A portion of the profits will be sent to the Raptor Foundation on your behalf.

Thank you for reading, you can see the other parts of this series here:

Places I Miss Because of COVID-19 #2 – Peterborough Cathedral

Places I Miss Because of COVID-19 #3 – Hamerton Zoon Park

Places I Miss Because of COVID-19 #4 – Nene Valley Railway