AUDLEY END HOUSE

Audley End House slipped through our fingers last year because when we showed up at the gate it was closed for filming.
But this time we were more fortunate. These ornate interiors are not really my thing, but I decided to have a look inside anyway. Esspecially when I learned that photography was forbidden and this has an effect on me as a red rag to a bull...

The observing stewards could not prevent me from taking a few photos; I don't understand the objection.


Audley End House is a largely early 17th-century country house outside Saffron Walden in Essex.
It was once a prodigy house, a palace in all but name and renowned as one of the finest Jacobean houses in England. Audley End is now one-third of
its original size, but it is still large.
The Capability Brown parkland includes many of the neo-classical monuments, although some are not in the care of English Heritage.
en.wikipedia.org:_Audley_End_House |

I love libraries!


The best part of our visit, I thought, was the demonstration of birds of prey here in the grounds of Audley End House!

I loved the explanation that these people are not trainers: one cannot train birds of prey.
The Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug; NL: Sakervalk) is a large species of falcon. This species breeds from central Europe eastwards across Asia to Manchuria. It is mainly migratory except in the southernmost parts of its range, wintering in Ethiopia, the Arabian peninsula, northern Pakistan and western China. [Wikipedia]

This owl ate from the demonstrator's hand
or landed on something thrown on the ground.
www.owlpages.com/owls

The spotted eagle-owl ( Bubo africanus; NL: Afrikaanse oehoe) is a medium-sized species of owl, one of the smallest of the eagle owls.
Its length is 45 centimetres (18 in) and its weight is from 454 to 907 grams (1.0 to 2.0 lb). It has a 100 to 140 centimetres (39 to 55 in) wingspan.
The facial disk is off white to pale ochre and the eyes are yellow. It has prominent ear tufts, and the upper body is dusky brown, the lower parts off-white with brown bars.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_eagle-owl |

A ball is sweeped and the bird recognizes it as prey. When it catches it, there is a reward in it.
This is the Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus; NL: Woestijnbuizerd) formerly known as the
Bay-winged Hawk or Dusky Hawk (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris's_hawk)
This medium-large hawk is roughly intermediate in size between a Peregrine Falcon and a Red-tailed Hawk.
Perigrine Falcon, also known as the Duck Hawk in North America:
[
This Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus; NL: Slechtvalk) went for its first demonstration flight and after its
take off it refused to return! It ignored the whistle and the waving, enjoying its freedom. But it has a transmitter...
Thus ended the demonstration.

A game of cricket in the blazing heat. Others seem to think of better ways to spend the time.