Aillwee Cave and Birds of Prey

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All this week we have been locked away doing schoolwork at record speed. We were trying to squeeze 2 weeks worth of work into one week, so that we could take next week off but still finish in May. Mary, Sean, and Mary’s friend, Lucy, arrive on Sunday morning. Bob arrives on Wednesday morning. We can’t wait to see them, and we want to be able to relax and enjoy them being here!

After 3 very long school days, and lots of rain, the sun came out on Thursday. Then we finished up as much work as we could and headed out for a science field trip to Aillwee Cave and the Birds of Prey exhibit for the afternoon.

Our guide, Clodagh, holding Batty, an African species of eagle (I forget the name!)
After his demonstration, everyone got a chance to hold him.
Bobby holding Batty. His favorite part was that the eagle’s feet and beak can turn color when his mood changes. They are red in this picture, which means he is happy and relaxed.
Next up was Kelly. She was a natural.
Last was Colleen. Mom and Maggie said, “No thanks.”
Did you know that eagles can see ultraviolet light? It lets them see the difference between flesh and other objects from a great distance.
Second bird of prey was Jess, a barn owl.
Since we have been reading the Harry Potter series, everyone immediately thought of Harry’s white owl, Hedwig.
Bobby was so excited to hold the owl! He liked the owl so much that he would like to have a barn when we get to Tennessee so that he can have a barn owl.
Kelly came next.
Did you know that owls have terrible eyesight? The instructor described it as like trying to look at your own feet with a pair of binoculars.
Nora loved Jess!
Barn owls have excellent hearing and have asymmetrical ears. One ear is up high and one is down low, giving them the ability to differentiate sound left to right and also up and down. They can hear a mouse’s heartbeat from quite a distance, making them good hunters despite their poor eyesight.
Sadly, many barn owls die after eating mice and rats that have been poisoned.
Milly, a Saker Falcon from Asia
Simon, another variety of falcon.
The view from outside the cave. Part of Galway Bay is in the distance. The cave was very interesting, but too dark for pictures. It is the longest cave in Ireland, formed by an underground river and discovered by a local farmer in the 1940’s when his dog chased a rabbit into the tiny cave opening. The farmer did find his dog, but never told anyone about the cave until the 1970’s when he met visitors interested in caving and showed them where to go.
In the distance you can see the brownish-gray hills that make up most of The Burren. It is a vast area (250 square km) made up of glacial-era limestone formations. It gets its name from the Irish “bhoireann” which means “a stony place.” On our drive from Dingle to this house, we went through The Burren, which seemed to go on forever. It was very barren, just gray rocks as far as we could see in every direction, and I was getting a little nervous wondering what we were getting ourselves into. But at the end of all those gray hills was the ocean, and lots of cute little towns along the Wild Atlantic Way. (We are about 40 minutes from the nearest big store, though, which is so weird!)
After the bird exhibit and the caves, we tried to find our way to a neat circle tower out on a peninsula in the water. We had to drive down a very narrow road (of course!) and at one point it was basically just a wide sidewalk about 2 feet above the rocks, with water on both sides and no guard rails. Yikes! But we did eventually get to it and the view was amazing!
There was a water view for 270 degrees, since it was on the end of a peninsula.
(More gray hills of The Burren in the background)
View from the back of the tower.
Here’s the tower, but there was no description or marker for it, so we have no idea what it is or how old it is. No door either, just a rope with knots in it.
Next to the tower was a tiny cottage.
Panoramic view from the peninsula.
We had a great science and history field trip, and it was so nice to have a break from regular school work!

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Published by broganfamily8069

We're a homeschooling family of eight - five girls and three boys. Our children are ages 20, 19, 17, 15, 12, 10, 7, and 5. We will be living in Ireland for the next six months, and then going to Tennessee! This blog is a documentation of our travels. Enjoy!! :)

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10 thoughts on “Aillwee Cave and Birds of Prey”

  1. The birds are spectacular (as are the views!). Owls are so sumptuous with all their distinctive feathers. I enjoyed learning more about them from your notes. Of course, Hedwig is the perfect owl of all owls! Enjoy every minute with your arriving family!.

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  3. Hi Brogan Clan! The birds and owl were amazing. Were any of the kids nervous about those huge talons gripping their arms, even with the protective glove on? I hope you do get a barn owl (guess you will need a barn, then, too) in Tennessee!

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    1. I was nervous, but they had no fear! Nora needed a little help with the eagle because it was heavy, but otherwise they did it with no help. I was a little grossed out by the glove as the trainers were feeding raw chicken and quail to the birds to get them to do what they wanted, and the outside of the gloves was gross! Made them wash their hands ASAP afterwards!!

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      1. Oh boy – raw bird meat on the gloves would’ve been a deal breaker for me too. Bleh. Glad the kids were brave enough to go for it, though. What a neat experience to be that close to such beautiful creatures!

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