I have written before on visits here, here and here to Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre but hadn’t visited since their move to a new facility. It was lovely to see the new purpose built venue with further plans for expansion and improvement.

As always seeing the birds up close and in flight was the highlight. The passion of the staff for the birds is infectious and effective in disseminating appreciation for these remarkable creatures.

The opportunity to photograph falcons in flight is special and the new facility has some good backgrounds that can yield a variety of images. The above 3 images are all from a single sequence as the bird banked to drop in on the lure.

The displays allow opportunities to photograph birds on the glove and on perches in the flight display area. They will usually make a few passes at the lure so you can get a chance to anticipate their flight and catch a variety of poses.

The birds have jesses and can have a GPS tracker which can be distracting photographically. Fortunately I was able to select images in decent poses where they were largely concealed or only had an antenna visible which was easily removed in processing.

I am always on the lookout for an opportunity to photograph my Birds on White and this was achievable despite a largely sunny blue sky day.

Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre is a great place to visit for bird enthusiasts and bird photographers. It is a worthy cause to support and I would encourage visitors to sign up as members. This gives added support to the work done and allows you to attend as often as you like for free. Membership is less than the cost of 2 visits so makes sense even if just visiting Rotorua for a short holiday.

Wingspan is due to host Te Kūaha o Kaitiakitanga – The Gateway to Guardianship, a mini festival celebrating raptors for Sustainable Backyards month on Saturday 8 March, 2025. This would be a great opportunity to see the great work they do. I may see you there!

Photos with Nikon Z8 and Nikkor Z 400mm f4.5 VR S