Herrings Green Activity Farm & Bird of Prey Centre Reviews Summary

Interactive Activities

Pros:

• "Always interactive and plenty of things to do so children can get closer to the animals."
• "The bird flying show was also excellent."
• "Getting the opportunity to wear a glove and have an owl on you was definitely everyone's highlight."
• "Fully interactive with the birds, many of which you get to hold."
• "We got to play on tyres, hold an owl a couple of times, pretend play on fire engine, feed farm animals and see some wonderful birds."

Cons:

• "The experience was good, just too much waiting around as our group had 30 people in it."

Bird Displays

Pros:

• "The bird displays are amazing! And the animals seem happy as they are all flown daily."
• "The bird of prey display was absorbing, educational and entertaining."
• "The midday show was absolutely fantastic! Very informative and a lot of fun getting people involved."
• "The birds themselves are so well looked after and loved very much by all the handlers we saw throughout the day."
• "There's a farm area also with Goats, Ponies, Mules, Pigs, Turkeys, Chickens, Parrots etc. Children's play area, tractor rides."

Cons:

• "The play area is a little tired, fine for under 8s, but you don't go there for the play area."
• "The toilets were a bit dated (porta cabins in car park) and when we went the car parks seemed full so the chap told us to start a row down the middle!"

Staff Knowledge and Hospitality

Pros:

• "Sarah was our host and was super knowledgeable about all of the birds as well as making sure we were comfortable when handling them."
• "All staff we met were friendly, welcoming and we need to shout out Joe who was so knowledgeable and fun."
• "Jake was very interesting and really knows his stuff."
• "The staff are really friendly and are happy to answer any questions you may have."

Cons:

• "The toilet facilities were run down."
• "The woman working in the shop was not very pleasant."
• "The staff member who showed us round was having more fun herself and said a lot of silly/inappropriate phrases."

Animal Welfare and Environment

Pros:

• "In the aviaries, the birds looked to be well kept and there was plenty of information on the species."
• "Amazing array of owl & bird of prey species; hawks, falcons, eagles and others."
• "The birds are just magnificent. It feels a privilege to be that close to them, let alone hold one."

Cons:

• "However, I do wonder how often the cages are cleaned."
• "The bird area in particular was filthy, and smelt of poo, and the children's farm area was poorly signposted with dangerous rusty metal, cleaning equipment left out and generally looked quite shabby and neglected."
• "Row and rows of caged birds in tiny spaces, some on the floor with no view of anything other than the bird opposite. It really looked like a prison."