Come Meet our Handling Team
Our Handlers all bring their own individual experiences and abilities to Hoots Owls, creating a fantastic blend of professionalism, enthusiasm and knowledge.
Gillian Borland
Gillian is the head hoot and has been working with birds of prey for over 12 years, but felt a special connection towards owls rather than hawks or falcons. After helping out in other various falconry centers/businesses she decided that working with owls was the only job she wanted to do and so Hoots Owls was born. Gillian got her first owl in 2008 when her husband, Glenn, finally gave in and bought Gem, a barn owl, as a gift. Ever since she has been expanding her knowledge of the birds and building up the business. Gillian and Glenn both come from training backgrounds which proves to be invaluable for our school and educational visits.
Glenn Borland
Glenn is Gillian's husband as well as co-owner of Hoots and is our chief aviary builder and fix-it man as well as a handler. He knew when he bought Gem that more owls were sure to follow and so planned out the aviary space accordingly. More owls and individually designed aviaries soon followed with our Eurasian Eagle Owl and Snowy Owl joining the family. Glenn has now turned his attention to our Wedding Wings Service. Also, with Wedding Wings becoming very popular Glenn spends alot of his time flying with Ghost when not out on visits.
Helen McDonald
Helen joined our team in January 2015 and not only does she come with over 8 years experience but also her very own team of Owls - see meet our birds Helen has excellent handling skills as well as extensive knowledge of owls. She is pictured here with her beloved Snowy Owl Harry.
Caitlin Graham
Caitlin joined us in 2016 she has now completed 2 years trainee service and is now a full team handler. Caitlin has worked hard to increase her knowledge and is particularly good when interacting with small children due to her being a nursery nurse.
Caitlin is now focusing more on flying and has been spending time at the base flying with Luna and Starlite.
Tricia Bell
Tricia is our latest apprentice and has settled well into the team. Tricia is keen to learn and has been taking part in our education visits to expand her knowledge and gain some flight experiences. She has also been working with the wedding wings team and has already proved that she is a natural.