Barn Owl Checks Decs

Shadow the Barn Owl was so fascinated by the Christmas Decorations he insisted on joining the display.

Brought into the office by Lindsay Goss the Falconer at Woodlands, the owl fell in love with the Christmas Tree man and flew straight to the snowy scene without fear.

“He is an amazing bird” said Lindsay who has hand reared him since he was two weeks old. “I call him Shadow because he won’t leave me and travels everywhere on my shoulder. He is a real softy and trusts me completely. Shadow is a real friend and a pleasure to work with”.

Shadow can be seen with 42 other owls and birds of prey of all sizes at Woodlands.

He is a firm favourite with the children enjoying the birds in the Falconry Centre.

Re: Scout Camp

There seems to have been a lot of misunderstanding and misleading comments written in the press regarding the Scout camp at Woodlands Leisure Park.
There never has been a £10 Health & Safety fee, this was wrongly quoted in the press.  

The entrance to the Caravan Park & the Leisure Park is via the kiosks next to the pick-up area within the day visitors’ car park which is where all groups are collected from.  The Scout camp leaders were told that any children being picked up on the Sunday would need to be taken by a leader to the pick-up area in the day visitors’ car park.  This is normal practice and entirely safe.  We have to control the access to the Parks, it would be dangerous to have what could be 600 unauthorised cars all driving around the Park looking for their child.

We fully support the scouting movement and have an extremely good relationship with the numerous groups who come here, including Scouts, Cubs, Brownies, Special Needs Groups, Church Groups, etc.  The fact that these groups come back time and time again, shows that they are happy with what we do here.  In appreciation of the Scouts repeatedly visiting us, we give them a subsidised rate to camp here and are pleased to do so.

 

Bird Olympic Gold Challenge!

Stretch Your Pound Further

Choosing the best value day out in these tight times is important. Parents appreciate paying one price which includes all attractions. Saying no to an activity which costs extra is hard on parent and child.

Woodlands offers a day out which ticks all the boxes. The one admission price includes 16 family rides, 100 000 sq ft indoors, 10 massive play zones, falconry centre, and the most up to date animal centre in Devon.  During the school holidays live entertainers are included as well.  Bring a picnic and the whole day at Woodlands costs just over £40 for four. Buy an annual ticket for £31.50 each and the first visit is included free.

A full day of variety with zones where there are attractions for each member of the family makes a happy day out. High standards, new rides, and an unexpected diversity of animals, birds, and insects in the zoo zone is a bonus for families who want more for their money.

Stretching the pound to include wet day play is no problem at Woodlands. The play centers are massive with four rides and two ball blasting arenas. From the stomach churning Trauma Tower to the cute Circus Train there’s an indoor ride for everyone. Families experience the wow factor as they tackle multi slides, soaring tower climbs and themed ball pools. The challenges of the two soft play centers are favourites for little ones.

Set in 80 acres of fantastic countryside there is space for families to play together. They can shoot Water Coasters, fly down the Avalanche, bump boats and giggle on the Dune Buggies. Keeping kids fit comes easy on the major Commando Course & Action Tracks.

A new era of fun at Woodlands with two new zones is welcomed by families on a budget.

Although the new white knuckle Swing Ship and the Big Fun Farm cost £1.5 million there is still one inclusive cost. Families know that the pound in their pocket at Woodlands stretches further and there is even some left.

Mayors Take Off

Pirates Day at Woodlands

Champagne splashed over 3 Mayors as they hurtled upwards on the new Swing Ship at Woodlands. 84 year old Dartmouth Councillor Elwyn Davies was the first to climb aboard the White Knuckle ride “I didn’t know what to expect” he chuckled “I’ve never experienced anything like it, my stomach was still at the top and I was coming down. I’m going to have another go”.

Iris Pritchard Mayor of Dartmouth smashed the Champagne bottle and named the ship “Sea Dragon”. She told us “Woodlands has made big investments to attract visitors to the area. It is a big asset to Dartmouth”.

Dartmouth Sea Cadets whirled heavy cutlasses round their heads in a dazzling display to start Pirates Day. Lt (SCC) Patrick K Franklin RNR cut the mooring rope and received a cheque from Pat Bendall, Woodlands Director. “This will be a great help” he said “as two Cadets are going to Canada and Sweden shortly and funds are hard to come by these days”.

Burly lifeboat men from Dartmouth RNLI Tony Chapman and Chris Rampling were surprised by the ride “It really throws you up” Tony said “Bit like a force 8 gale”. The Dartmouth Lifeboat has already saved five disasters since opening. Three fund raising ladies received a Woodlands cheque and had a money raising stall.

Adam Church winner of the South Hams Newspapers Red Carpet Day at Woodlands enjoyed his star treatment. “I feel really special” he told us “I was first on the Swing Ship with all the Mayors. I started the Ferret Racing. We were first on all the rides and had free meals and ice cream”.

Colourful pirates from all over Devon invaded the park on Wednesday. Families staggered home exhausted after experiencing the new zones in the 70 acre park. They took home loot bags presented by Cllr Pam Barnes Deputy Mayor of Totnes.

Councillor Rufus Gilbert Mayor of Kingsbridge and his wife Sandra had a wonderful day and had great fun judging the Davy Jones Best Dressed Pirates Competition. They particularly enjoyed the new Big Fun Farm and helped feed the lambs “It is an excellent park” he said “The Sea Dragon Swing Ship ride is an occasion we will not forget”.

Rare Owls fooled by weather

CCTV Cameras catch magic moments

Spring like weather has fooled one of the world’s tiniest owl into laying eggs 8 weeks early. Despite traveling 300 miles to their new home at Woodlands Falconry Centre a month ago the pair of Mexican Burrowing Owls have produced a tiny white egg as big as a thumbnail. Falconers Geoff and Lyn were astonished when they saw eggs deep in the heart of their burrow on CCTV. 

With an experience of 50 years working with birds of prey Geoff was speechless with excitement. “I could not believe my eyes when I saw the egg” he said “it is rare for these birds to breed in captivity. It is unheard of for Burrowing Owls to lay eggs in early February its usually late March or April”. Geoff and Lyn worked hard preparing a natural paradise for Chico and Chica. They built a huge mound of earth with long tunnels leading to a central nest that is one metre inside the mound. They equipped it with an infra red light camera and microphone to enable visitors to hear and see Chico and Chica in their pitch black underground home.

Geoff believes this is the first time that Burrowing Owls have been observed under ground. Standing just five inches tall the owls come from North and South America. The birds fly strongly but spend some time hunting grasshoppers and scorpions on the ground, using their talons to catch larger insects in the air. They take over tunnels normally dug by rabbits and ground hogs. They usually lay a clutch of two or three eggs.