A Day in Dingle

Friday, 16 September 2022

Dingle is the main town on the Dingle Peninsula. It is a center of tourism with its shops, restaurants, and attractions. We took the opportunity to get our laundry done, do some shopping, walk around town, and attend a folk concert in the evening. But the highlight of the day was visiting the birds of prey at Kingdom Falconry. Our private experience lasted about 90 minutes, and we got to see peregrine falcons in action, then get to have a Harris hawk, barn owl, eagle owl, and golden eagle perch on our outstretched (and heavily gloved) arm.

The first peregrine falcon was not very cooperative and liked to annoy the falconers by perching in/on trees, bushes, and this chimney.

Slow-motion video of a Harris hawk coming to Sue's arm.

Lon with a barn owl.

Lon with Gonzo, an eagle owl.

Sue with Gonzo. Those orange eyes are striking!

Gonzo flies to Sue's arm in slow-motion. I was a total failure at trying to video the birds landing on Lon's arm - either switched to "time-lapse" (high-speed) mode or it didn't focus.

The golden eagle weighed about 8 pounds - very heavy! It's hooded to keep it calm.

Lon with the golden eagle.

The talons on the golden eagle could do real damage!

Afterwards we got a tour of the aviary where the birds are kept. There are several more birds besides the ones brought out. This is a gorgeous snowy owl.