27th August '07

Earls Barton Steam Rally

The end of August Bank Holiday saw NRC appearing at this event under some of the best sunshine seen this year!! The weather couldn't have been better, and the club were allotted a space undernath a large shady tree, perfect for keeping the birds cool, as well as the handlers!

The canopy that the club came under was the countryside arena, controlled by our own John Elliott.  Close by was ferret racing, bee keeping, and several wildlife charity organisations  raising both money and awareness to a variety of good causes.

On behalf of the club, we had our chairman, Glynne Malkin accompanied by Kate and Joe Malkin. They brought along two Harris Hawks ( male and female ), a female Kestrel, a White Faced Scops Owl and Glynne's newly acquired female Goshawk. Roland Richardson was also on hand with his newly acquired male Golden Eagle, a real crowd pleaser!! Although new to appearing in public, he behaved very well and several pictures were taken of him by passers by. Roland was happy to answer questions and impart ibformation about the bird and falconry, and many people seemed very genuinely interested to learn a little about these beautiful birds.

Also on hand were Maralyn and myself, taking along our young male Saker, who was also new to appearing in public, having never done so before. He made us quite proud as he behaved impeccably throughout, though he did prefer to sit on the glove rather than his block!

The weather ensured a good attendance at the event, and the stall was never short of people with enquiries, young and old...some asking intelligent questions, some not quite...I've never been asked if anyone had ever crossed a Golden Eagle with a chicken before today!!

Quite a few people commented that it was nice to see local groups attending events such as this, as usually there are few local things around, and the club has taken on a booking to attend an event at Delapre in Northampton next year, all going toward out tent fund!! On another note, John Elliott had a stall next to us and was inviting youngsters to disect wild owl pellets and identify what the bird had been eating...both adults and kids alike were loving it!

All in all, a great event, and a good local show for the club to attend. Hope to see some of you there next year!!