Falconry Kerry was established by Master falconer and wildlife biologist Liam Regan at his family farm in Killarney, Co. Kerry. Based less than 4 km from Killarney town centre.
As well as several varieties of birds of prey including hawks, falcons and owls, the farm is also home to some cows, friendly alpacas and also an apiary managed by Liam’s father Tim.
Traditionally, Falconry was practiced solely for hunting to catch food. While many of our birds do hunt, a falconry experience with us is more about learning about the birds while having them up close and personal on your gauntlet.
At Falconry Kerry, you will be entertained and hopefully also educated about birds of prey all over the world, their importance in the ecosystem here in Killarney, and also throughout history, hunting together with humans.
Conservation is very important to us here at Falconry Kerry.
Falconers throughout Ireland are a point of contact for veterinarians and NPWS as experts in raptor care and work together in aid of rehabilitation and care of wild birds of prey which may be discovered injured and in need of care.
The last few years we have been making and installing barn owl nestboxes to encourage the barn owl to take up residence at our farm. The barn owl numbers in Ireland due to rodenticides, road traffic collisions and also the transformation from old stone barns to industrialised steel warehouses often with no suitable nesting places.
Two acres of wildfowers are set aside here at the farm which can be seen in full bloom from early May on the beekeeping experience. The flower meadow is of course pollinated by our own honeybees on the farm but also by a multitude of solitary bees and other insects.
Solitary bees do not live in a hive, many nest alone in crevices and holes and these bug hotels do work! We have witnessed some solitary bees checking them out here at the farm.
Our farm is managed with conservation rather than productivity in mind. Most of the fields have not been ploughed for over 30 years producing a ‘longterm ley’ which will consist of several species of grasses, weeds, wildfowers and naturally occurring herbs. This of course could not be maintained through more industrious farming but is much more wildlife friendly for everything from microbes and earthworms to insects and mammals.
We also have maintained our old hedgerows and ditches. These were erected often from large stones pulled from the fields and they formed a boundary ‘fence’ separating fields. These are often referred to as “wildlife corridors” as they are largely untouched by farmers and fenced off from livestock, allowing bushes and even large oak trees to grow, providing safe homes for small animals and insects and corridors between farms for larger animals.