Ian – Mary Arden Farm

This is Talia.  Talia is a trained eagle owl whom we saw at Mary Arden’s farm, three miles from Stratford-upon-Avon. We went to this historic farm, once owned by Shakespeare’s mother, on May 13^th as the first part of our tour to the multiple sites preserved by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. True to the days of its Tudor past, the farm had historical re-enactors who played a blacksmith, a farmhand, and a cook, telling us about what life was like in the 16^th century.

Here, a blacksmith asks if anyone needs free dental work.

The farm keeps a number of animals, such as sheep, cows, goats, pigs, and geese, many of which are rare breeds.

They also have a falconry with multiple birds of prey, such as eagles, vultures, kestrels, falcons, and two species of owl, like our friend Talia here.

Here Emma and Sarah are taught the fine art of geese herding by Mother Goose herself