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Balloch · Wildlife
Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre
Come for the birds and a flying display rather than expecting a full-day zoo. This small, family-run centre sits in woodland at Loch Lomond Shores. Allow around 1.5 hours to look round and see one display. Your wristband lasts all day, so you can head elsewhere at the Shores and come back later.
- Best for
- Children keen on birds; toddlers may prefer a short look round
- Cost
- Adult £10; ages 3–16 £6; under-3s free. Online fees extra.
- Weather
- Outdoor visit; shows depend on the weather
- Time to allow
- Around 1.5 hours for a look round and one show
Our family take
The flying display is the main reason to come: children can watch the birds close up while the handler explains what they are seeing. Quiz books and the Discovery Trail give keen children more to do between shows. It is easy to fit the centre around the rest of a Loch Lomond Shores day.
- Flying shows. Normally 11:30am and 2pm from March to October, except in extreme weather. Be seated at least five minutes before the show.
- With younger children. Birds can fly overhead, and visitors need to stay seated and keep noise low during the show. Ask the team about leaving the seating if your child may need a break.
- Winter visits. General admission closes from early November until early February. Separately booked experiences have their own year-round arrangements.
The practical details
Plan your visit
- Flying displays
- Displays normally run at 11:30am and 2pm from March to October, except in extreme weather. Admission includes the shows. Be seated at least five minutes before the start.
- Published 2026 admission
- Adult £10; child aged 3–16 £6; ages 0–2 free; senior aged 66+ or student £8.50; disabled visitor or carer £7.20. Students need a student card. Disabled visitors and carers must bring suitable ID or may be charged the adult rate. Online fees are extra: the checked totals were £10.58 for an adult and £6.35 for a child. Check the current price before booking.
- Opening pattern
- General admission normally runs daily from the second week of February to the end of October: 10am–4pm during GMT and 10am–5pm during BST. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. General admission closes from early November until early February; separately booked experiences have their own schedules.
- Booking and children
- Advance booking is not required for general admission. Children aged 16 and under must be with an adult. Online booking requires one Adult or Senior ticket for every four Child tickets; check with the centre if your group needs a different arrangement.
- All-day re-entry
- Your admission wristband lets you leave and return throughout the day.
- Food and toilets
- Cafés and restaurants are available elsewhere at Loch Lomond Shores. Step-free toilets and adapted cubicles are off the main foyer near the car park; baby changing is within the female toilets. Ask the centre before relying on picnic space or facilities inside it.
- Access and dogs
- The centre has wheelchair, mobility-scooter and walking-frame access, with dedicated space in the flying area. Dogs are not permitted. If you rely on an assistance dog, check the arrangements with the centre before travelling.
- Parking
- Pay on arrival at Loch Lomond Shores: 50p for up to 30 minutes, £1.50 for up to two hours, £2 for up to four hours or £4 all day. Blue Badge holders also pay. Follow the current car-park signs.
ParkingGift shopStep-free accessAll-day Re-entryEducation CabinQuiz Books And Discovery Trail
7 October 2026
Check admission and experiences (official)A little more detail
Make it work for your family
What will children actually do?
Most of the visit is spent looking around the enclosures, talking to the keepers and watching a flying display. Children can use quiz books, and the Discovery Trail follows questions and clues about the resident birds and local wildlife. The education cabin has feathers, eggs, skeletons and taxidermy exhibits.
Watching a show is included in admission; handling or flying a bird yourself is a separate experience. Fly a Bird is for ages 12+ and does not include admission. Meet the Owls is for ages 12+ and Meet the Birds for ages 16+; those two include entry to the centre. Check the individual product before booking.
See the individual bird experiences Check ages, what is included and the available dates.Planning around a flying display
The usual display times are 11:30am and 2pm from March to October. Arrive with time to look around, and be seated at least five minutes before the show. Entry to the flying area pauses once a bird is flying, until that bird has finished.
Treat this as an outdoor visit and bring layers and waterproofs. Extreme weather can stop flying shows, so check the latest updates before a longer journey. The education cabin adds something to look at, but it does not make this an indoor rainy-day outing.
Will the display suit your child?
Children who enjoy animals may love seeing the birds pass close by or overhead. For others, the movement and commentary can feel intense. Explain beforehand that visitors need to sit quietly, stay behind the barriers and keep small children closely supervised.
If your child may need to leave partway through, ask the team about the safest way to do that before taking your seats. With a restless toddler, a shorter look around the birds may work better than planning the whole visit around a show.
How long should families allow?
Allow around 1.5 hours for a look round and one flying display. That is a planning estimate rather than a fixed session length: keen children may want longer for the quiz books and Discovery Trail.
The wristband allows re-entry all day. That makes it easy to leave for lunch, use the toilets or follow another plan at Loch Lomond Shores without losing access to the centre.
Food, toilets and getting here
Loch Lomond Shores has cafés and restaurants, and the all-day wristband means you can leave and return after eating. If you want to bring a picnic, ask the centre about where you can eat it before travelling.
For a toilet stop, head to the main foyer near the Shores car park. There are step-free toilets and adapted cubicles; baby changing is within the female toilets. These are facilities in the wider complex.
Loch Lomond Shores access guide Detailed information on the foyer toilets and wider complex.Parking is paid on arrival, including for Blue Badge holders. There are parent-and-child and disabled bays. Use a map pin for the centre or follow signs for Loch Lomond Shores rather than relying on the postcode alone, which can send satnavs to the wrong place. Balloch train and bus stations are about a ten-minute walk away.
Current Shores parking informationAccess, buggies and assistance dogs
The centre has wheelchair, mobility-scooter and walking-frame access, with dedicated space in the flying area. Contact the team before travelling if you need to check a particular seating position, buggy route or access detail.
Dogs are not permitted. The wider Loch Lomond Shores complex is dog friendly, but that does not mean dogs can enter the bird centre. If anyone in your family relies on an assistance dog, confirm the arrangements with the centre before making the journey.
Birds of prey or SEA LIFE?
Choose the bird of prey centre for a shorter outdoor visit built around the flying display. SEA LIFE Loch Lomond is the indoor option nearby, but it is a separate paid attraction, so budget for each one individually if you plan to do both.
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