Castle Rapture~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, TRAVEL REVIEWS, Wild Life


Near Haut-Koenigsbourg in France is a castle called Kintzheim that houses only raptors.

These are bateleur eagles that I photographed in the wild in Africa and never expected to see again in France!

Of course you recognize these beauties, who I also never expected to see in France.

The castle runs a program called “La Volerie des Aigles,” which is dedicated to breeding, conserving and educating the public about vulnerable raptors. Birds are flown daily, and are an unusual sight soaring over the old towns and orderly fields of France. The castle has bred many endangered raptor species including Andean condors, and stellar, imperial and white-tailed eagles, and many other species, including vultures.

The white-headed vulture is endemic to Africa. Populations have been declining steeply in recent years due to habitat degradation and poisoning. Our planet needs vultures, they are designed to keep our world clean.

The cinereous vulture has an impressive wing-span of 10 feet. It is under serious threat. There are only an estimated 4,500-5000 of these amazing birds left in the wild.


The golden eagle is distributed across Eurasia, North America, and parts of North Africa, but has been eliminated from much of it’s prior habitats.

Harry Potter’s snowy owls are here too!
The public can visit the castle for a nominal fee which not only supports the raptor conservation program, but also provides an up close experience with these incredible birds which will, unless your heart is made of stone, cause you to become enraptured by them.
Admission also enables you to explore the quite impressive old castle ruins.


Cheers to you from Castle Kintzheim’s gorgeous and threatened raptors~

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316 thoughts on “Castle Rapture~”

        1. Well, actually, lots of people do kill these sorts of creatures, which is why they are in various degrees of threatened to near extinction status. I don’t blame people for killing them, too much.
          Just enough I think.

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  2. Hi Cindy, one of the many things i enjoy on your blog is that you highlight wildlife and history with travel, among other things! I learn so much while I marvel at the stunning beauty of the images.

    Thanks for being you!

    love, Linda

    Reply

  8. Neat Cindy! I have never seen raptors like this with such intense blue feathers and with bright yellow feathers as well. Also, their bright red-orange faces are such a contrast with the Blue. They look like a fairytale bird so it’s pretty amazing that somewhere, (in this place and hopefully others) they exist. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. Incredible creatures! We have a raptor center near us, they take in the injured, etc. We visited for the first time not long ago. I’m still in awe. I can’t even imagine being as close as you were!! Beautiful photos, Cindy <3

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    1. It is incredible to see these birds in the wild, and then incredible in a different way to see them up close. They are simply amazing and I know just how you felt seeing them. 🦅

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  18. Wow your photos are soooo good! Gorgeous birds! You go to the most amazing places! I sure hope you have tons of scrapbooks of your adventures! Hugz sweetie

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  23. These captures are remarkable, Cindy! I’m totally in awe…
    What a beautiful place, castle and magnificent birds.
    Yes, Our planet needs vultures!

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    1. Bateleurs are stunning creatures. In Africa we were driving down a dirt road in a rental car and one was walking on the road in front of us! I couldn’t believe it. I was able to get several shots before he decided to fly off. I never expected to see one in France! But then, after our last Africa trip, we flew to London, jet lagged, and I photographed an Goose in St. James Park. Amazing!

      Reply

  28. Wandering Albatross’s have wingspans of almost 12 feet. I saw them in Antarctica. Amazing birds floating like huge aerodynamic kites. Condors can get to 11.5 feet. I Saw Andean Condors in Patagonia, flying at glacier edges when they calved, but have yet to see the elusive California Condor, except in a breeding facility. These birds are like majestic living dinosaurs.

    Reply

  29. Raptures in general and bald eagles especially look so strict and serious! Like they are supervising the world and do no at all like what they are seeing. We had teacher like that, and I guess everybody knows such a teacher.Loaded with responsibilities and not quite up to the task of understanding what actually is going on. Great pics by the way, 🙂

    Reply

    1. Laughing. Yes I know just what you mean! I always think when they look in my eyes they are seeing perfectly accurately and it is disconcerting how little I impress them. I think they are smart about us.

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  31. Pingback: Castle Rapture~ —Another truly amazing post from: Cindy Knoke…stunning | Rethinking Life

  32. The bateleur looks like it could be on television with Big Bird, but I am sure it could not. Our bald eagle will need a very good agent to get a good part on either the small or large screen. Your head shot of the animal will need tweaking for that purpose.

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  34. You have done it again. The castle can’t hold a candle to the photos of those birds. My heart breaks to see the eagle restrained. I guess it’s for their benefit but the fact we have done so much damage to where these birds live and thrive is just too much. Thank you for continuing to shine a light on this.

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    1. Yes. I don’t like seeing the tethers either. They can free fly but they are trained with food deprivation. The things that kills me is seeing them in cages and you are so right. We need to be relieved they are in a cage since we are killing them all off in the wild? We are a bad species. We have done too much harm for too long to too many and it seems to be getting worse.

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        1. You are a lovely person, who I am so pleased to know. At least that golden eagle got to fly. Those tethers allowed him to fly free, but reminded him he was dependent, and should return to the humans who fed him. It is a lot better than what I have seen in lots of places, because these French birds had no tracking devices attached to them. In the US and other places, they have tracking devices attached to the tethers so humans can catch the raptors if they decide to bolt. If the French birds bolted, they were free. They bolted a bit, which made me happy, and the keepers were unconcerned, which made me happier. The birds came back. It seemed about the best captive bird situation I have seen so far. Still these birds should be wild and we all should be marveling at them and protecting them. What’s wrong us? Why are our priorities so entirely screwed up? I honestly don’t understand our species and I am a psychotherapist who should.

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          1. Thank you for your kind words. I’ve had the same thoughts as you so many times. The human mind continues to fascinate me as well. I really hope there is a great awakening coming but I seriously doubt it from what I see of the leadership in the world. We need to remember that this planet is in our care not here to serve us. I share your deep frustration. I was telling someone else today that my job it to help change one mind at a time. I had to learn and then teach others. Maybe that’s what it’s all about. Hence to name of my blog. Always looking for answers but the questions just get deeper.

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  41. It’s appalling what the world has evolved to. I’m just a person who is recycling, growing a garden, and conserving. Yet somehow I know inside me that I am partly responsible for this.
    Hurrah for the Kintzheim caste & Raptors!
    Wonderful pics, and OMG that first bird is hysterically fantastic!!! My blue baby.

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    1. A bateleur like this was walking on a dirt road we were driving down in Africa. An amazing, beautiful creature. Our species has done way too much harm on this planet and we are just getting worse.

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