Durham Falconry Ltd is a family-ran business owned by directors Adam Dawe and Elana Hobkirk. Adam and Elana collectively, have over 20 years’ worth of falconry experience, working with falcons, hawks, owls and eagles, and rehabilitating injured wild birds of prey.

Durham Falconry was founded in 2005 by Phillip and Alex Niall, who introduced thousands of people (from all walks of life) to the art of falconry, including Adam and Elana, who became the new directors of Durham Falconry Ltd in 2021.

Adam has been a passionate falconer since 2010 and is a certified Raptor Awards instructor. Adam has successfully taught many falconry students who have each gained their Raptor Awards certifications and who have moved on to work with various birds of prey in different career paths. Adam has a background of working in education and scouting and so, teaching is second nature to him. Adam is very passionate about the wellbeing and conservation of birds of prey and so incorporates this into his teaching.

Elana has been an enthusiastic falconer since 2011 and has a background in science and academia. Elana’s passion for the natural world has led her to gain her first degree in Zoology and second degree in Behavioural Ecology. Alongside falconry, Elana has been researching wolf behaviour since 2014 and is well-known in her field of research. Elana has had the pleasure to observe the harmony in which wolves and birds of prey live together in the wild. Observing such harmonious coexistence in the wild has led Elana to a passion for all predators and their conservation; as a result, while presenting her research and giving educational talks, Elana underpins the importance of predators in the natural world.

We are situated 1.5 miles south of Durham City centre at Houghall Farm, Houghall Campus, East Durham College, just off the A177.

Our flying grounds are primarily within Houghall woods, a local attraction during the Spring for its blooms of wild bluebells.

Houghall farm is a mixed livestock and arable farm, which dates back to the 12^th century, with a history of monks growing and harvesting crops and sheep for use in the Cathedral, Cloisters and Castle.

Houghall farm and its surrounding woods and ponds are home to a wealth of British wildlife, which our customers often have the delight of encountering on their falconry experiences.

We offer one-to-one and group falconry experiences with birds of prey. We fly hawks, falcons, owls and eagles over 450 acres of farm and woodland.

We offer our customers the opportunities to get up-close and personal with a range of birds of prey through static and flying demonstrations, hawk walks, training and craft skills, and Raptor Awards courses.  We also offer art and photography sessions and educational talks.

We are an inclusive business and can offer falconry experiences regardless of customer capabilities.

Durham Falconry Ltd can tailor a falconry experience to include any of the above and we can travel with our birds to events across the Northeast of England, please contact us for more information and to book.

We look forward to hearing from you!