Raptor Encounters

RAPTOR ENCOUNTER PRIVATE CLASSES

Our private raptor classes are for anyone young and old who wants to take a look into the world of raptors. You’ll learn all about our birds of prey (See Our Birds) Then glove up for some fun basic falconry activities with them, and hear how they are used in falconry and conservation status.

We offer three Raptor Encounters to choose from:

1-Bird: Meet & learn all about 1 raptor of your choice.
2-Bird: Meet & learn all about our hawk & peregrine falcon (Lobo & Willow) and the differences between these two species.
3-Bird: Hawk, Falcon & Owl. Meet all 3 our wonderful raptors, and learn about their stories & differences.

Your private encounter takes place at Vicki’s home in her backyard, creating a casual and relaxing atmosphere. We are located just 20 minutes from downtown Santa Barbara, CA.

Class Duratio

n: 1-1.5 hrs (depends on class)

Best for ages 7-Adults

Class size: 1-6 participants

Please Note: All minor’s must be accompanied by an adult. We offer observer only tickets for those who wish to learn all about our birds, but not interact with our raptors.

Cancellation policy: We do not give refunds but you can reschedule to a future date, or receive store credit towards any class. Store credit does not expire. This also applies to, if we for any reason we need to cancel your encounter due to unforeseen weather, disaster conditions or sickness, covid, etc.

Bird Safety policy:   Our birds are wild creatures not pets. Quietness and slow approach is necessary for a pleasant experience for both the birds and guests. Safety instructions will be given during encounter class.

Guests are allowed to take photos/selfies and videos of the birds. All proceeds go to the care and feeding of our birds and future raptor education projects.

Thank you for understanding and your support.

Bookings now available throughout the year!

Available days: Friday - Monday
Available Times: 10:30am & 2:00pm

Come celebrate birthdays or other special occasions with us! This is a unique gift opportunity and one your family will never forget!

GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE!

Need a different date outside our normal booking days and time? We can check your date availability and can usually accommodate. There is an additional accommodation fee. Please email us for a manual booking. sweethawkfalconry@gmail.com

Our Guests meet and interact with our birds!

  • Dusty & Percy (Peregrine Falcon)

  • Happy Birthday Ria!

  • Andrew & Lobo (Harris Hawk)

  • Tracie & Percy (Peregrine Falcon)

  • Happy Birthday Andrew!

  • Thomas & Percy (Peregrine Falcon)

  • Heather & Lobo (Harris' Hawk)

  • Michele & Lobo (Harris' Hawk)

  • Katie & Lobo (Harris' Hawk)

  • Max & Lobo (Harris' Hawk)

  • Josh & Lobo (Harris' Hawk)

  • Jeremy & Percy (Peregrine Falcon)

  • JoEllen & Lobo (Harris Hawk)

  • Tyler & Percy (Peregrine Falcon)

  • Kirsten & Lobo (Harris Hawk)

  • Kate & Lobo (Harris Hawk)

  • Carlo & Willow (Peregrine Falcon)

  • Kurt & Lobo (Harris Hawk)

  • Carlo & Totoro (Eurasian Eagle Owl)

  • Marsha & Percy (Peregrine Falcon)

  • Happy Mother's Day!

  • Candice & Totoro (Eurasian Eagle Owl)

TESTIMONIALS & REVIEWS

  • "This experience surpassed my expectations, which were already high. SweetHawk unites education and advocacy for raptors, with living birds as the focus. The birds themselves are majestic. We got to spend time with four raptors who were respected as the individuals they are."

    KIRSTEN of CHATSWORTH, CA (5/5 Stars)

  • "Very enjoyable and informative. My husband loves birds so he especially enjoyed it. It was interesting also that the birds have their own personalities. I would come again!"

    MARSHA of TUSTIN, CA (5/5 Stars)

  • "Wonderful experience and will look forward to bringing the rest of my family at a future date."

    TIM of SANTA BARBARA, CA (5/5 Stars)

  • "Vickie does an excellent job with presentation & information on her birds. If you are at all interested in seeing and learning about Hawks & Falcons this is a must."

    PETER of SANTA BARBARA, CA (5/5 Stars)

  • "Vicki and Kendall provided the experience I'd been seeking for myself for many years. What a thrill to be eye to eye with a raptor, and to touch the feathers of such beautiful birds. They taught us far more than we expected to learn and in such a relaxed and easy manner. They are clearly dedicated to their work and their joy is contagious. What a thrill!"

    MARY of ATASCADERO, CA (5/5 Stars)

  • "The SweetHawk Falconry Private Class was absolutely amazing! It sounded incredible from the write-up in the AAA magazine, but managed to be even better when my mom and I were able to take part in the encounter ourselves. We met five incredible birds (Vicki and her daughter Kendall were taking care of a lovely barn owl named Luna in addition to the four regular raptors Niko, Tiki, Percy, and Lobo) and learned so much about them in a lovely, relaxed backyard setting. Highly recommended for any nature fan, bird aficionado, or really any person who is curious about and fascinated by the world around them."

    CHRIS, E PALO ALTO, CA (5/5 Stars)

  • "This experience surpassed my expectations, which were already high. SweetHawk unites education and advocacy for raptors, with living birds as the focus. The birds themselves are majestic. We got to spend time with four raptors who were respected as the individuals they are."

    KIRSTEN, CHATSWORTH, CA (5/5 Stars)

  • "We had so much fun! Vicky and Kendall were the best hosts to my husband and I. Friendly, helpful and informative. The birds were well taken care of and were perfect for this experience. Our time went really quick! I highly recommend SweetHawk! This would be good for any age. We were so glad to have checked off our bucket list with Vicky and Kendall! Thank you also to: Tiki, Lobo, Percy and Niko xoxoxo"

    MICHELE, NEWHALL, CA (5/5 Stars)

  • "My family of four came to SweetHawk after my 11-year-old finished a unit on medieval falconry. Vicki and her daughter were welcoming, knowledgeable, and friendly. The birds were magnificent. It was a truly memorable experience for all four of us."

    KATIE, BALTIMORE, MD (5/5 Stars)

  • "Niko, Percy, and Tiki were a hit with us. We had and are used to "tame" (not so much) birds. We had a Military Macaw for many years. All birds are not the same! That was a great gift of knowledge to help us appreciate these raptors. Thank you Vicki for the education."

    PAM & RON, SOLVANG CA (5/5 Stars)

  • "Vicki and her daughter are compassionate falconers with amazing birds. I brought my three youngest kids and even though the birds are serious predators, we had a gentle and comprehensive learning experience. Do this! Take the chance to see these birds up close. You will learn a lot, and the next time you look up and see those birds in the sky, you'll feel like you know them."

    SKY, SANTA BARBARA CA (5/5 Stars)

  • “I booked a Falconry Encounter for my 9 yr old son who is fascinated with hawks and falcons. This was such a great experience. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. It was wonderful to learn new things about these birds, and to feed them, hold them, and be that close to them. Thank you, Vicki, for this great opportunity to learn about these beautiful birds. I will absolutely book another encounter with you. ”

    ALYSSA & THOMAS, PORT HUENEME CA

  • “ Love the class. Vicki and Kendall were very helpful and informative. My 4 yr old son had a great time and they were very helpful in making sure he was able to interact with the birds and was involved in the course. Can't wait to do it again.”

    JEREMY, SOMIS CA. (5/5 Stars)

  • "IF you're on the fence about whether or not to do the private encounter with Vicki, I'd say get off the fence and pull the trigger. IT IS SO WORTH EVERY PENNY!!! I did the private encounter for my boyfriend's birthday and he was completely surprised. Plus, it is such a unique birthday gift/experience. How many people do you know can say "I had a hawk fly to my arm for my birthday!" I got this encounter for my boyfriend for his birthday and I have to admit, I was super excited for myself as well. We learned so much about falcons and hawks. It was fascinating. Sure, you can read about them, but it's a whole different ball game when you're in front of them and Vicki is explaining things to you about them. What's so great is that Vicki has such great love for the birds, falconry, and what she does that it's palpable in how she teaches and how she shares the birds with you. It's so much fun to learn about them, have them fly to your arm, and have them on your arm. Vicki and her daughter Kendall are such great falconers. The private encounter takes place in their backyard which definitely makes it more intimate, unusual, fascinating and attractive. If I lived closer to her, I would do this again in a heartbeat and wouldn't even flinch about doing it! Trust me, when you have the private falconry experience, you will feel the same way! ABSOLUTELY LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!"

    TRACIE, DOWNEY CA (5/5 Stars)

  • "I am a big animal lover and I especially have a fondness and fascination with birds of prey. I’ve done many up-close animal encounters, experiences, shows, zoos, etc. This falconry experience is one of the best I have ever done. As soon as you walk in, all of the birds are right there on their perches, out of their cages and in full view. They hang out with you as Vicki gives a wonderful presentation and talk about each bird, their similarities and differences, tail feather samples, etc. She will answer all of your questions happily (I had many). At the end, you get to hold each bird on a glove, and the red tailed hawk will fly to your glove several times. As an added bonus, the price of the experience is very reasonable. I can’t say enough good things about this experience. I have thought about getting into falconry for years and this made me want to do it even more! A big thank you to Vicki and her gorgeous birds of prey.

    ELISE of CASTAIC, CA (5/5 Stars)

  • "It was very eye-opening. Very thorough answered 99.9% of my questions and I can't wait to be at falconer."

    TAMERA of CALABASAS, CA (5/5 Stars)