Millets Farm Falconry Centre
Millets Farm Falconry Centre
Millets Farm Falconry Centre
5
About
Millets Falconry Centre is the largest bird of prey and exotic animals Centre open to the public in Oxfordshire offering daily flying demonstrations and hands-on experiences. The Falconry Centre houses a diverse range of over 80 birds of prey including Owls, Hawks, Falcons, Eagles, Vultures and Kites. Open 10.30am - 4.30Pm with Daily Flying Displays. You can also see Meerkats, Skunks, Raccoon and Reptiles. Closed Monday's except school and bank holidays. Onsite at Millets Farm Centre
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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- Ian B10 contributionsFalcon and Owl, perfect experienceTook my Dad for a Hawk and Owl experience for his Birthday. He's always had a fascination with Birds so the opportunity to get up close with Falcons, Hawks and Owls was a great experience for him. Our Falconer, Katie, was relatively new to the centre but her knowledge and passion for the birds was apparent and she took the time to educate us and answer all the questions posed. Flying the Birds was a wonderful experience. Really enjoyed the afternoon. Thank youVisited October 2023Travelled with familyWritten 5 October 2023
- Ciarán W1 contributionAn absolute must do experience.My partner bought me an owl experience at Millets as a surprise for our anniversary. I had no idea what it was. Most experiences I've seen or been to are fairly short events but this was anything but. We had the opportunity to meet and greet several birds including an in enclosure encounter with two burrowing owls and several flying experiences. I even had the opportunity to be one of, if not the, first public experience with a juvenile owl newly trained. Katie was incredible and knowledgeable, fun and engaging without overloading us. Honestly this is one of the best animal experiences I've ever done. I cannot recommend this enough.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 22 October 2023
- Linda A42 contributionsGood place to visitHad a breakfast in the garden centre restaurant. Was excellent. Scones & coffee went down a treat. Had a nice day finished by a walk to see the animals in Millets park. They had a big wheel & horses merry go round for the kids.Visited October 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 24 October 2023
- Sean BNorthampton, United Kingdom30 contributionsRacoon experienceMy wife bought me this experience for our anniversary as she knows I'm absolutely obsessed with racoons. We turned up at 10.30am ready to meet Ben the trainer and guide. Ben was absolutely brilliant, he made it exciting and educational. You could definitely tell that he absolutely loves the animals and his job. I couldn't recommend this experience enough. The rest of the animal sanctuary is really good as well, all different types of birds, meerkats etc. There's a crazy golf course which we all love and lots of little boutique shops. A great family day out for all ages.Visited November 2023Travelled with familyWritten 5 November 2023
- Verity WhiteCheltenham, United Kingdom43 contributionsFab day, even in the rain!An excellent day at the centre despite the grey and rainy weather. We had an hours owling experience with Katie and it was SO much fun, amazing to be so close to the owls and learn so much about them and their personalities! The earlier flying display that we also caught was fantastic as well and definitely worth the damp bottom (top tip - bring a bin bag to sit on if it’s damp!) It’s really great to see the centre is doing so well and now expanding to add in more animals and areas, I’m excited to go back and see what happens next.Visited November 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 12 November 2023
- Anthony HMilton Keynes, United Kingdom31 contributionsMeerkatsHad a great time wandering around and seeing all the different animals, did meet the meerkats and loved it . The very informative guide was a good host. But the meerkats were the stars . Will definitely be booking to come back again with more people. Can recommendVisited November 2023Travelled with familyWritten 15 November 2023
- Charlotte S2 contributionsWonderful Hawk Walk and Day OutI purchased the Walk with a Hawk for my husband as part of our first wedding anniversary. We were wonderfully greeted through the door and led straight out through the falconry centre to meet Echo, the Harris Hawk we would be walking for the next 40 minutes. We didn't know how far we would walk and although it was a short walk, it was highly engaging and a fantastic experience. Echo is a beautiful bird whom we got to hold and see up close. He flew a countless number of times for us and it was magical to see him in flight across the walk. We were sad to come to the end of the experience but we would love to do it all over again. As part of the experience, we also got access to the rest of the centre for the whole day - we went round at least twice and saw three bird displays and talks. Each member of staff knew so much about each of the birds that they were bringing out and told us some interesting facts we did not know. I would certainly recommend visiting, and if you are able to, go on one of the experiences that they offer.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 19 November 2023
- Julie C22 contributionsWonderful meerkat experienceHad a fantastic visit for a meerkat encounter. In a small group of 8 people, we all sat in the enclosure with the meerkats running around our feet while Ben introduced the meerkats and told us about them. Then it was feeding time and the meerkats jumped up on our laps to get the food. At the end Ben was very patient answering all our questions. Wonderful experience for anyone who loves meerkats. Definitely recommend!Visited November 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 22 November 2023
- Catherine P2 contributionsAmazing meerkat encounterWe did the meerkat encounter and it was fantastic. We had an amazing experience getting to feed the meerkats, getting up close and learning all about them. Ben the mammal keeper was extremely knowledgeable and very engaging. He is clearly really passionate about wildlife and that made for a really great experience. We watched two of the bird of prey displays in the afternoon as well which were fab. Definitely recommend this for animal lovers looking for a lovely day out.Visited December 2023Travelled with familyWritten 6 December 2023
- Stephen B1 contributionA really great day and experience. I'd highly recommend visitingI visited the centre for the Really Wild Encounter with my partner. We got there early so were able to have a walk around the centre looking at all the animals including birds of prey, owls, ferrets, wallabies, skunks and more. Each area was well marked with info about the animals and their names. The experience itself was led by Ben who was absolutely brilliant! We started by meeting and holding ferrets which are way more wriggly than I thought they would be! Moving from there we got to see the skunks Coco and Chanel and learn about how they are reared and cared for, and how to avoid being sprayed. We then got to experience feeding wallabies hawthorn branches whilst learning about them. It was great to be able to have them walk up to you and watch them enjoying the leaves. Finally we learned about the raccoons and how incredibly and cute they are. Throughout the experience Ben showed how passionate and knowledgeable he was about the animals he cared for at the centre. It's very clear he enjoys his job and I can see why. His enthusiasm made the experience even better than I was expecting. If you are planning to go for an experience set some time aside to make you visit the whole centre and watch the falconry displays again. I will definitely be back.Visited November 2023Travelled with familyWritten 13 December 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
776 reviews
Excellent
679
Very good
64
Average
16
Poor
5
Terrible
13
boggles_11
Milton Keynes, UK5 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
First impressions when standing at the entrance and looking over the gate into the small display area of birds was we will not be here for long, how wrong I was the first area led in to series of other display areas. All with an interesting range of birds of prey and a few other small animals. Most of the display cages had very imformative plaques. The bird displays where also a must to see as not only was it good to see the birds free flying but were also very imformative. A nice touch was the all day free reentry this allowed you to visit other parts of the farm. We spent all day at millets farm and would recommend it to everyone young and old and will be returning.
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sars560
Tamworth, UK272 contributions
Oct 2021 • Family
We visited here after a friend gifted me a Meerkat feeding experience for two. We took my young daughter and mother in law as spectators who were able to watch us participating in the experience. We arrived before our alloted time as the experience included entry to the rest of the centre which has a larger than expected array of birds, reptiles and some mammals. Falconry displays are scheduled throughout the day. The wider site has more animals on the farm to explore including goats, alpacas and rabbits. There is a garden centre with cafe, restaurant and market type shops also so you could easily spend a full day here exploring whats on offer. The weather wasn't on our side but our Meerkat experience continued under cover and was thoroughly enjoyable with a small but knowledgeable talk from our host. Would definitely come back again on a dryer day to make the most of the rest of this place. We'll worth a visit!
Written 2 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ruth0909
Chester, UK41 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
We went for a meet the meerkats experience. 10 people in a small space with just 4 meerkats to feed using tongs. The centre is not wheelchair friendly. Very very disappointing experience. We have been to other venues and would not recommend this one especially if you need to push a wheelchair
Written 4 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ptbear_surrey
Woking, UK10 contributions
Sept 2021
What a fantastic place! I finally managed to use a voucher for the Bird of Prey experience that my husband got me as a Christmas present two years ago, and we were not disappointed.
We had a very friendly welcome from the woman at the reception desk who advised us where to wait to meet our Falconer, but as we were early, to feel free to wander around. At this point we had a little look at the Reptile Room with fantastic examples of snakes, exotic tortoises, ferrets, and some Marmosets that had recently had babies which we saw!
Then we met Ben, our falconer who was incredibly friendly, down to earth, and courteous. He introduced us to the history of falconry and then introduced us to falconry gloves and Pixie! What a gorgeous girl! She's a mixed breed falcon and just absolutely beautiful. We were allowed to hold her as she chatted away. Then we met Sabre, a gorgeous hybrid falcon who were were also able to hold.
After this we started to make our way to the flying area, via some of the other birds enclosures to give us some very detailed information on each of them. Its very nice to see that the keepers are so heavily involved with the birds welfare and they know each bird so personally.
So. The flying experience. What an amazing privilege to be able to handle these magnificent creatures. We flew the beautiful Jill, a barn owl called Tinkerbell who is only a few months old (and absolutely gorgeous) and then the Harris Hawk (Sorry, I forgot his name!!). WOW! He was a big boy, with an amazing hunter instinct, and was so collaborative with Ben it was a wonder to see. From using visual signals, 'sign language' with his tail, and a fantastic explanation of the hunting process without anything being hunted. Ben was an absolute delight, was so informative, and was obviously deeply invested in the birds and the other animals. I cannot praise him enough.
We finished our experience just before the next flying display was due to start, so we hung around for it. What great fun!!! James was a fantastic host, and had a great sense of humour, and like Ben, had a great knowledge of these animals.
Afterwards we wandered around and saw the rest of the birds, the Racoons, and the Meerkats! It was amazing.
All in all we had a fantastic day, and although we had an experience voucher, the £8 entry fee for everything else is well worth the price. Well done guys, we will definitely be back!!!!
Just as an aside, the Falconry centre is situated in a Farm Park which is also great. Enclosures of farm animals, woodlands, a lake to fish on, a carousel, playgrounds for the kids, a maze, a lovely Garden Centre and a fantastic farm shop and restaurant.
A great family day out for not a lot of money. Loved it.
We had a very friendly welcome from the woman at the reception desk who advised us where to wait to meet our Falconer, but as we were early, to feel free to wander around. At this point we had a little look at the Reptile Room with fantastic examples of snakes, exotic tortoises, ferrets, and some Marmosets that had recently had babies which we saw!
Then we met Ben, our falconer who was incredibly friendly, down to earth, and courteous. He introduced us to the history of falconry and then introduced us to falconry gloves and Pixie! What a gorgeous girl! She's a mixed breed falcon and just absolutely beautiful. We were allowed to hold her as she chatted away. Then we met Sabre, a gorgeous hybrid falcon who were were also able to hold.
After this we started to make our way to the flying area, via some of the other birds enclosures to give us some very detailed information on each of them. Its very nice to see that the keepers are so heavily involved with the birds welfare and they know each bird so personally.
So. The flying experience. What an amazing privilege to be able to handle these magnificent creatures. We flew the beautiful Jill, a barn owl called Tinkerbell who is only a few months old (and absolutely gorgeous) and then the Harris Hawk (Sorry, I forgot his name!!). WOW! He was a big boy, with an amazing hunter instinct, and was so collaborative with Ben it was a wonder to see. From using visual signals, 'sign language' with his tail, and a fantastic explanation of the hunting process without anything being hunted. Ben was an absolute delight, was so informative, and was obviously deeply invested in the birds and the other animals. I cannot praise him enough.
We finished our experience just before the next flying display was due to start, so we hung around for it. What great fun!!! James was a fantastic host, and had a great sense of humour, and like Ben, had a great knowledge of these animals.
Afterwards we wandered around and saw the rest of the birds, the Racoons, and the Meerkats! It was amazing.
All in all we had a fantastic day, and although we had an experience voucher, the £8 entry fee for everything else is well worth the price. Well done guys, we will definitely be back!!!!
Just as an aside, the Falconry centre is situated in a Farm Park which is also great. Enclosures of farm animals, woodlands, a lake to fish on, a carousel, playgrounds for the kids, a maze, a lovely Garden Centre and a fantastic farm shop and restaurant.
A great family day out for not a lot of money. Loved it.
Written 19 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravellerMich
Southampton208 contributions
Sept 2020
Had our Xmas present meerkat experience here yesterday. Absolutely loved everything about this place. The falconry bit is part of a bigger centre that includes a farm shop, 2-3 places to eat, an animal walkway and I think other stuff that we didn’t have time to look at. The meerkat experience was fantastic, about half an hour of hearing about them, and getting to feed them while they scamper about even climbing onto your lap. There are also bird flying demos that were educational and interesting. Normally you pay once to go in and out all day but due to covid general admission is limited to 2 hour slots. But with the meerkat experience we were able to stay longer and see more than one demo. Staff were all super friendly and knowledgeable. Fantastic place to come and my daughter and I are talking about doing it again. Definitely highly recommended! Loved it!
Written 19 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CarolS98
Southampton, UK127 contributions
Nov 2021
Had a great day out. We had an owl experience for two before the site opened to the public so it was quiet when we arrived. Kane told us all about the different species of owls and we were able to hold several. A couple were flown between us. After the experience ended we wandered round to look at the rest of the birds and animals and enjoyed the flying display. All staff were very friendly and made time to chat if you asked them questions. There is a little room for improvement in the phrasing of the email confirmation. It was made very clear that if we were late we could not have the experience and no refund. We arrived early, but our guide was actually a little late! Perhaps phrase the warning that if you are late your experience may be cancelled or curtailed at their discretion. Kane also checked the time on his phone several times to ensure our experience did not overrun. I appreciate he would have other work to do, but a more discreet check would have made us feel a little more welcome.
Written 20 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roving671076
16 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
We visited with our 3 children aged 5, 9 and 14. All 3 boys enjoyed the centre and especially the flying show. The staff were passionate and very knowledgeable and keen to raise awareness about issues facing the birds in the wild which is very important.
Would highly recommend as they have a wide range of birds, meerkat and raccoons etc. My favourite was the raven Hela, such a clever bird!
Would highly recommend as they have a wide range of birds, meerkat and raccoons etc. My favourite was the raven Hela, such a clever bird!
Written 27 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jackieads
Milton Keynes, UK13 contributions
Apr 2022
My family and I (all adults) thoroughly enjoyed our Meerkat Meet and Greet experience at the Millets Farm Falconry Centre. We arrived early and spent sometime looking at the birds in the aviaries and the other animals on display before our experience started. Before we entered the Meerkat enclosure we were given a short safety talk by the keeper. In the enclosure we fed the Meerkats mealworms as they clambered over us as the keeper shared lots of information and facts about the Meerkat's at the Falconry Centre and how they behave in the wild. After our Meerkat experience we watched the Falconry Flying Demonstration which was great with the birds flying low over our heads and lots of information shared by the Falconer.
Written 8 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kieron Sean Joyce
Fareham, UK15 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
WOW, what a place. Wife & I visited for an Owl encounter & didnt know what other things were around. Millets is like the tardis as it keeps surprising you with other Owls & Hawks & other birds. Ross took us for our encounter & his passion showed on everything he was telling us. We will be returning again soon. Made to feel welcome everyone was friendly & helpful
Written 6 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Samuel S
3 contributions
Sept 2020 • Couples
The staff were friendly, funny and informative. The bird shows are a few times a day and bring out different birds for different shows. I have been a few times over the years and have always seen different animals for the shows.
This is my main reason to come to millets farm. Also they have raccoons and skunks.
Definitely would recommend.
This is my main reason to come to millets farm. Also they have raccoons and skunks.
Definitely would recommend.
Written 25 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, how long roughly does it take to see everything at the centre? Am also looking at booking mini golf at Millets and trying to work out timings!
Written 6 October 2023
You can very easily spend a full half day there or longer. Last time we went with our ten year old bird-mad grandson we were first in when they opened and last out at closing time and could have spent longer. Admittedly we made sure, or should I say our grandson made sure we were there for all the flying displays
Written 7 October 2023
Hi am thinking of visiting this weekend but am a little concerned about your recent review stating there are nails etc about the place as i have young children. In your reply you state it is your first negative review in 6 years yet the website says you opened to the public in 2013? Are you also the same Fallowfields falconry that has numerous terrible/poor reviews on this very site? Look forward to your reply so I make my mind up if its worth a visit or not.
Written 14 September 2017
Sorry for the delay in response. We are the same Fallowfields Falconry.
As other visitors have testified (thank you all) there are no nails or safety concerns. Safety of our birds and visitors is paramount to us. There are signs all around the centre stating children should be accompanied at all times and to not climb the barriers or touch the birds etc.
We are Zoo Licenced and therefore subject to annual checks from a zoo vet and the local council.
While there are a handful (6 out of 108 marked as below "good") of negative reviews there certainly aren't "numerous", especially when compared with the amount of visitors we receive each year.
We do our best at all times, unfortunately some people cannot be pleased or complain if we can not accommodate unrealistic requests. The reviewer you mention made no direct contact with us and did not mention any concerns about safety on the day (If I thought an animal or person could be in danger I know I would highlight it to staff there and then) and was obviously upset about having to share an experience that is advertised as a group. Unfortunatley they did not like the facts being shown to them and so decided to be malicious.
Written 19 September 2017
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