Strange Bedfellows

April 17, 2011

Here at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary we pride ourselves on providing a safe haven for all our resident birds of prey and for the wild raptors that are brought into our hospital. Imagine our surprise though, when Andy announced that we had a feathered friend of a completely different variety nesting in front of one of the aviaries.

To set things in perspective, it is undoubtedly a bird-eat-bird world out there as far as raptors are concerned. Basically, if you’re a bird of prey then anything smaller (or slower) than you can potentially be considered as lunch. The Peregrine Falcon is renowned for its swiftness, often reaching speeds of 150mph or more during its characteristic hunting stoop or dive. Historically the Peregrine is also known as the ‘Duck Hawk’, which makes it all the stranger, then, to find a Hen Mallard serenely nesting right up close to the aviary of 'Comet', one of our display falcons.

All birds are sensitive when it comes to breeding, which is why when our resident birds are nesting, their aviaries don’t have their regular clean-out over the period in order to avoid disturbing or distressing them. Some birds won’t lay at all if there's a hint of danger in the air and some simply leave the nest if they feel threatened, so to see this little Hen Mallard placidly resting right beneath the roost of one of her greatest predators seems a little ironic! Fortunately, we know that she is totally protected from being Comet’s repast at any time - but does she know that?

Anyway, it’s a lovely sight to see her nestling among the daffodils and she didn’t even so much as flutter a wingtip when I cautiously pointed the camera in her direction! We will be monitoring her closely and look forward to being able to announce the patter of tiny webbed feet - a first for the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary!

School Out! (and In)

April 14, 2011

This time of year is always really busy for our Education Team and already the S.O.S. Wise Owl Roadshow has visited a number of schools, including as far as Beccles and Lowestoft.

School's Out - and so are the cameras, with lots of opportunities presented for some unusual photographs — *School's Out - and so are the cameras, with lots of* *opportunities presented for some unusual photographs*

As a point of information, we normally have a limit of an hour’s travel for our raptors as, although the birds we take with us are used to travelling, their health and welfare is of prime importance! The travel boxes in which the birds are transported are of course specifically designed for the purpose. Astro-turf covers the perches to allow the birds to safely grip them during movement and as with all animal carriers, the boxes have plenty of ventilation holes in them, although raptor boxes are especially designed so that you can’t put your fingers through - definitely not a good idea with some of our bigger birds!

This Thursday saw the second school of the season visiting the Sanctuary itself and, as luck would have it, the weather was absolutely glorious. In fact, it was more like a bright summer’s day than an early spring one.

When the children arrived, they were greeted by two members of the education team and given a guided tour of part of the Sanctuary. The tour always includes at least one member of each raptor group – Eagles, Owls, Hawks, Falcons & Buzzards and definitely wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Gypsy our charismatic American Black Vulture!

At school the children had been working on a book called ‘The Owl Who Was Afraid Of The Dark’ by Jill Tomlinson, so their activity was tailored to reflect this. At the moment, we are also refurbishing our classroom area, so we asked the children to do a special owl collage for us. They had great fun getting bits of tissue paper and glue everywhere and the finished result was a fabulous multi-coloured, multi-textured long-eared owl, perfect to go up as part of a display.

Although our regular programme of summer flying demonstrations was only due to start after the visit, our display birds have been exercising for several weeks now in preparation, so after lunch the children took a trip to the flying ground where falconer Maz was exercising Baloo, the Indian Eagle Owl. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed watching Baloo take to the air and were eager to ask questions and take pictures at the end.

The children and their teachers told us they’d had a lovely day and had learnt a lot about all the different birds of prey. This is the second year they have come to visit us at the Sanctuary, so we look forward to seeing them again next year!

Camera Shy

March 27, 2011

The Suffolk Owl Sanctuary has run its adopt-an-owl program for a number of years and every adoption helps to support the vital conservation work that we do here. Although the Centre is called an owl sanctuary, we also house a variety of birds of prey from all the five raptor groups; eagles, owls, falcons, hawks and buzzards and of course our tremendous character ‘Gypsy’, the black vulture.

Trial & error... no matter what Andy did, Pungu did NOT want to watch the birdie!

*The final result - a stunning pictureof a stunning bird...*

Up until last year all our adoptive birds were owls, but we thought it would be appropriate to have a couple of representatives of our other resident bird of prey species too. One of these is Comet the Peregrine Falcon, one of our flying display stars who frequently delights visitors with his incredible speed and agility. The other is Pungu the Bateleur Eagle, a real personality with a definite mind of her own.

When you adopt one of the birds here at the Sanctuary, you receive a certificate and a stunning, professional photograph of your chosen raptor with our compliments. Last year, when Pungu had her photo taken, she still had her juvenile brown feathers, but her plumage has changed considerably since then, so Andy asked our friend and professional photographer Paul Sawer if he would come and take some more up-to-date pictures.

To be fair it was a bit cold and windy (well freezing and blowing a gale if the truth be told) so maybe it wasn’t entirely surprising that Pungu decided she wasn’t in her most obliging mood. Whichever angle Paul stood at with his camera, Pungu helpfully sat hunched up looking the other way or gazed loving at Andy instead of the camera.

Amongst other things however, Paul runs some of our extremely popular photo days, so he’s well used to the vagaries of animal photography! It wasn’t too long before he caught Pungu looking her radiant best and, it must be said, we think Pungu herself might have been rather taken with the results.

Coming on a treat…

A few weeks ago, I reported that the S.O.S team were hard at work laying the foundations for a new suite of aviaries and I must say, the guys have been doing a sterling job. From mere gaping holes in the ground, concrete has been laid, foliage planted and the structure is definitely beginning to take shape. There’s still a fair bit of work to be done yet, but hopefully it shouldn’t be too long before our flying display birds have plush new homes to inhabit.

*Work in progress... the new aviaries near completion*

The new Red Squirrel enclosure is also beginning to take shape, although much of the work so far has involved re-structuring the existing pens. Matt has worked hard on the new design, which looks complicated, but will no doubt all become clear in due course and promises to be a secure and stimulating environment for our small colony.

Callous & Cruel

March 27, 2011

However, what happens next is more than clear and, it has to be said, caused serious disquiet amongst the team here at S.O.S.. A member of the opposing football team, a Panamanian player called Luis Moreno, walks towards the owl and looks for all the world as though he’s going to pick it up. He doesn’t. Instead, he aims a hefty kick at the already stunned and bewildered bird, sending it flying along the ground. Apparently the poor owl suffered severe injuries as a result of this cruel and heartless act and died a few hours later.

Such blatant animal abuse should not only be condemned, but many people believe the perpetrator should be held to account for his actions. Though our emailer, Tracy, sent us the link to the incident on You Tube we do not feel inclined to reproduce it here, but she also sent us a link to a petition being raised which urges justice for the poor creature. At the time of writing, there are already well over 12800 signatures on it, so if you feel as outraged as we do, please add your name to it at http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AgCZN/zK85/bZY7I

We would like to say thank you to Tracy for drawing this matter to our attention and for adopting one of our owls as a result of the experience. She wrote: ‘I was so devastated by what I saw I felt I had to give something back, no matter how small, as a way not only to help other owls but also to try somehow to make amends for what another human being was capable of.’

The proceeds of her donation not only help us to look after our resident owls, but also aid with the funding of our Raptor Hospital, where we treat injured wild birds with a view, wherever possible, to releasing them back into the wild.

Camera Shy

March 27, 2011

*Trial & error... no matter what Andy did, Pungu did NOT want to watch the birdie!*

Up until last year all our adoptive birds were owls, but we thought it would be appropriate to have a couple of representatives of our other resident bird of prey species too. One of these is Comet the Peregrine Falcon, one of our flying display stars who frequently delights visitors with his incredible speed and agility. The other is Pungu the Bateleur Eagle, a real personality with a definite mind of her own.

When you adopt one of the birds here at the Sanctuary, you receive a certificate and a stunning, professional photograph of your chosen raptor with our compliments. Last year, when Pungu had her photo taken, she still had her juvenile brown feathers, but her plumage has changed considerably since then, so Andy asked our friend and professional photographer Paul Sawer if he would come and take some more up-to-date pictures.To be fair it was a bit cold and windy (well freezing and blowing a gale if the truth be told) so maybe it wasn’t entirely surprising that Pungu decided she wasn’t in her most obliging mood. Whichever angle Paul stood at with his camera, Pungu helpfully sat hunched up looking the other way or gazed loving at Andy instead of the camera.

Coming on a treat…

A few weeks ago, I reported that the S.O.S team were hard at work laying the foundations for a new suite of aviaries and I must say, the guys have been doing a sterling job. From mere gaping holes in the ground, concrete has been laid, foliage planted and the structure is definitely beginning to take shape. There’s still a fair bit of work to be done yet, but hopefully it shouldn’t be too long before our flying display birds have plush new homes to inhabit.

Callous & Cruel

March 27, 2011

A few days ago we received an email from a very distressed member of the public which included a You Tube link to footage of a soccer game between two Columbian clubs. One of the teams had a wild owl living at its stadium and adopted it as a mascot. Whilst it’s difficult to tell from the images, it looks as though the football inadvertently hits the owl during the course of a game and falls stunned onto the pitch as a result.

However, what happens next is more than clear and, it has to be said, caused serious disquiet amongst the team here at S.O.S.. A member of the opposing football team, a Panamanian player called Luis Moreno, walks towards the owl and looks for all the world as though he’s going to pick it up. He doesn’t. Instead, he aims a hefty kick at the already stunned and bewildered bird, sending it flying along the ground. Apparently the poor owl suffered severe injuries as a result of this cruel and heartless act and died a few hours later.

Such blatant animal abuse should not only be condemned, but many people believe the perpetrator should be held to account for his actions. Though our emailer, Tracy, sent us the link to the incident on You Tube we do not feel inclined to reproduce it here, but she also sent us a link to a petition being raised which urges justice for the poor creature. At the time of writing, there are already well over 12800 signatures on it, so if you feel as outraged as we do, please add your name to it at http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AgCZN/zK85/bZY7I

We would like to say thank you to Tracy for drawing this matter to our attention and for adopting one of our owls as a result of the experience. She wrote: ‘I was so devastated by what I saw I felt I had to give something back, no matter how small, as a way not only to help other owls but also to try somehow to make amends for what another human being was capable of.’

The proceeds of her donation not only help us to look after our resident owls, but also aid with the funding of our Raptor Hospital, where we treat injured wild birds with a view, wherever possible, to releasing them back into the wild.

First Signs Of Spring

February 20, 2011

*Come On Down! Taiga gets comfy as he tries toentice his mate to share the billet*

The mornings are getting light that little bit earlier, the evenings are drawing in that little bit later and the garden birds are singing their hearts out at waking and roosting times, sure signs that perhaps spring is shaking out her floral skirt once more.

Here at the Sanctuary too it’s time to prepare for the advent of new life and indeed some of our residents are getting suspiciously broody. With this in mind, Andy has begun to prepare the nestboxes up in the aviaries of some of our paired birds.

Our Great Grey owls are definitely feeling very broody and it took Taiga (the male) mere minutes before he had settled himself comfortably into their nestbox. He sat there calling softly to Napoleon (rather strange name for a girl, but there you go) who almost flew to join him, landing on the perch above the nest box. Clearly she’s not quite ready to accept his amorous advances just yet, but love is definitely in the air.

*Fred surveys his refurbished nesting box*

Fred the American Kestrel was quite impressed with his and Paula’s nestbox too and he sat for quite a while giving it contemplative looks. Meanwhile, Huron our Great Horned owl was most certainly getting in the mood and called and paraded his charms most beautifully for us when we passed by his aviary.

*Huron struts his stuff in demonstrative fashion*

The Southern Boobook owls Tasmin and Darwin looked on with interest as their nestbox was returned to its usual place in the corner of their aviary. Andy made sure they had plenty of stones in their box, as Boobooks like to make a shallow scrape to lay their eggs in. Boobook owls only have one brood per season and tend to lay between 2 & 5 round, pale white eggs at 2 to 3 nightly intervals. The eggs are incubated solely by the female, for anything from 26 to 33 days, during which time she will be fed by her mate. Once hatched, the chicks are totally helpless and dependent on their parents, so both the mother and the father feed them and sometimes will even enlist the help of a second female. Young Boobooks fledge when they are five to six weeks old, but stay with their parents for another two to three months until they can hunt for themselves.

Last year our birds produced 29 young in total, so here’s hoping we hear the patter of many tiny talons again this year!

First Signs Of Spring

February 20, 2011

Last year our birds produced 29 young in total, so here’s hoping we hear the patter of many tiny talons again this year!

Red Squirrel Residence

February 13, 2011

Since the advent of our new baby Red Squirrels back in June last year, head falconer Matt has been working on designs for a new enclosure. With an increased colony size and the possibility of breeding more youngsters this year from unrelated pairs, it’s important that we have the requisite space so that we can manage the family groups appropriately.

*Head Falconer Matt has been hard at it creating the foundations for a new Red Squirrel pen to house our expanding colony, some of which are donated to controlled wildlife release programmes in Wales*

Red Squirrels are lively, inquisitive creatures and so it’s essential that they are encouraged to develop naturally and have the opportunity to demonstrate the behaviours that they would in the wild. As with the original pen, the new enclosure will be especially high to encourage climbing, with bushes & branches, trees & logs for them to scamper around, much as there would be in a natural woodland environment.

Work has already begun and the footings have now been dug, so we’ll keep you posted with how things progress over the next few weeks.

Conservation, Creation & Biodiversity

Our woodland walk not only houses our Red Squirrels and chipmunks, but also a variety of other wildlife, including the many birds that regularly visit the feeders strategically placed outside the bird hide. This is a good time of year for a tidy up and a bit of TLC, so Andy has been working hard doing just that.

*Andy constructed a few dead hedges in our woodland walk, laying down the natural detritus to form a prospective home for all sorts of local insect wildlife*

In addition to his hedging exploits, Andy has also been selectively coppicing, which is a traditional method of woodland management. Trees naturally shed unnecessary branches in order to extend their lives, a procedure called ‘retrenchment’. Coppicing mimics this natural process by taking advantage of the fact that many trees make new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. This exercise resets the ageing process and lengthens the life of the tree.

*Andy coppiced the small woodland area at the Sanctuary to make way for fresh growth and more light*

Remember to keep up with our blog for further developments at the Sanctuary and you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Better still, why not come and see for yourself? – we look forward to your visit!

The Heavy Mob

February 13, 2011

Being a charity, the tremendous support we receive from donors to help us maintain the centre in good order is vital and therefore we were very grateful last year to be given a donation specifically for restoring this particular suite of aviaries.

They were definitely beginning to look somewhat dilapidated and so, having planned, costed, drawn up the blueprints and sourced materials, Andy and the team began digging the footings. The concrete arrived with perfect timing late in January, the whole 4m very kindly donated by Eastern Concrete, to whom we are once again indebted for their continued & generous support!

Many thanks go too, to our regular volunteer Pete Ruddy who generously donated his time to lay all the blocks for the aviaries’ foundations.

The Heavy Mob (our benefactors Eastern Concrete) trucked in a weight 4m of the grey stuff which then all had to be barrowed in by hand

Andy feeds in the last of the concrete footings by hand - phew!

Our friend and faithful volunteer Pete had muscles on his muscles when he'd finished with the building blocks

Once the team had barrowed the concrete into the footings, Dean set about levelling it whilst the rest of the gang began proofing & painting wood in anticipation of the erection of all seven new aviaries, which should be completed in a few week's time, providing 5-star accommodation for all of our flying demonstration owls, including the newest member – Cecil the Spectacled Owl.

Oh, Lucky Man! One of the residents of the new Owl Block will be Cecil, our Spectacled Owl, who contrives to look more handsome by the day! — *Oh, Lucky Man! One of the residents of the new Owl Block* *will be Cecil, our Spectacled Owl, who contrives* *to look more handsome by the day!*

Keeping Up with the Wider Picture

A couple of weeks ago, we were invited to attend a meeting about the wider benefits of farming in the local area. We receive a lot of support from local farmers, who often allow us to put up nest boxes on their land or to release rehabilitated wild raptors on their property, so General Manager Andy thought it would be useful and informative for an S.O.S representative to attend.

The evening was hosted by URSUS Consulting, on behalf of Sustainability East (a group including Government Office, Defra, Natural England, NFU & CLA) and as well as ourselves, there were representatives from the local ramblers association, local organic and conventional farmers, country land owners and parish councillors.

The discussion focussed on aspects of concern such as increasing levels of soil erosion and looked ahead to the future priorities in farming in particular relation to food production, irrigation, fuel, wildlife and pest control.

Some changes are already being made, for example Rape fields in the area are now being directly drilled rather than ploughed, which not only cuts the farmers’ fuel costs by 50%, but also means that the stubble from the harvested crop provides an abundance of food for the local wildlife. Current thinking suggests that the future will bring wetter winters and warmer summers, thus giving rise to the need for the conservation of water during the winter to enable effective irrigation during the summer.

Taking care of the countryside will make sure that released raptors - like this fully recuperated Barn Owl who left our charge last week - have a good (natural) home to go back to. — *Taking care of the countryside will make sure* *that released raptors - like this fully recuperated Barn Owl* *who left our charge last week - have a good (natural) home to go back to.*

From our point of view, obviously all these factors have an impact on the local wildlife, including birds of prey, which generally speaking are at the top of the food chain. This in turn helps focus the work we do here at the Sanctuary, especially with regard to the rehabilitation and release of wild raptors. As it’s really important that we keep our finger on the pulse, it was very useful to be able to add our voice to what’s important to us locally and to take a hand in influencing emerging government policy.

Red Squirrel Residence

February 13, 2011

Conservation, Creation & Biodiversity

Over the last couple of weeks, using the natural wastage that occurs in the woodland, Andy has been creating new ‘hedging’ to adorn parts of the walkway. This serves two purposes (apart from utilising rather than wasting natural resources) as it helps to provide an attractive feature and, more importantly, will help to encourage an even greater diversity of insect wildlife to make our woodland walk its habitat. This in turn will hopefully encourage more birds to visit – perhaps even species we haven’t yet seen here before!

In addition to his hedging exploits, Andy has also been selectively coppicing, which is a traditional method of woodland management. Trees naturally shed unnecessary branches in order to extend their lives, a procedure called ‘retrenchment’. Coppicing mimics this natural process by taking advantage of the fact that many trees make new growth from the stump or roots if cut down. This exercise resets the ageing process and lengthens the life of the tree.

There are other benefits too from the careful coppicing of trees, which, as you would expect, provides areas of greater light intensity where other plants are then able to flourish. This in turn opens up greater possibilities in terms of animal biodiversity, as many animals are dependent on plants other than the trees that grow in a woodland.

Remember to keep up with our blog for further developments at the Sanctuary and you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Better still, why not come and see for yourself? – we look forward to your visit!

The Heavy Mob

February 13, 2011

Undoubtedly, if you’ve read our blogs before, you’ll know that the Sanctuary is a bit like the Forth Railway Bridge, in constant need of repair, updating and sometimes good old fashioned replacement. Rain, snow, frost and the vigorous winds of Suffolk have all played their part in continually undermining the fabric of our substantially wooden structures, none moreso than one particular block of owl aviaries which - being on the edge of the wide open spaces of our flying ground - bear the brunt of our brisk nor' westerlies!

Being a charity, the tremendous support we receive from donors to help us maintain the centre in good order is vital and therefore we were very grateful last year to be given a donation specifically for restoring this particular suite of aviaries.

They were definitely beginning to look somewhat dilapidated and so, having planned, costed, drawn up the blueprints and sourced materials, Andy and the team began digging the footings. The concrete arrived with perfect timing late in January, the whole 4m very kindly donated by Eastern Concrete, to whom we are once again indebted for their continued & generous support!

Many thanks go too, to our regular volunteer Pete Ruddy who generously donated his time to lay all the blocks for the aviaries’ foundations.

A Year In Review

January 30, 2011

The beginning of the year saw the completion of the new falconers’ huts, providing new, updated mews, food preparation room, weighing room, incubator room and general office. Now, a year later and decked out with all the requisite falconery paraphernalia, they have seen us through blazing summer sun and wintry blasts and still look as good as new and are functioning well for the purposes intended.

Spring is always an exhilarating time, when the Sanctuary starts to come back to life. There’s definitely a buzz in the air as the flying display team birds are reclaimed, ready for the summer season and preparations are made for the new catalogue of events. We're a couple of weeks off from that for this year, but it won't be long before that feeling of anticipation returns to the Sanctuary.

*Finding his wings - our spectacular spectacled owl (sorry) is getting to grips with flying free*

We had an exciting program of events in 2010, beginning with our popular Mother’s Day photo-sessions in March and an Easter week full of events for visitors, the young ones in particular. All through July and the summer holidays, we ran our ‘Summer Sunday Specials’, including the Funforce Crew teaching circus tricks like hula-hooping, tightrope walking, plate spinning and limbo dancing. We also had brilliant Bouncy Castle Days, face painting and lots of good old fashioned fun with Punch and Judy - all providing some additional entertainment for the families who who made a day of it in the company of our owls and other fascinating birds of prey.

Undoubtedly our most popular and remarkable extra attraction, however, was Jenny’s Ark Pet Zoo, who set up camp with us periodically through the holidays. Jenny has an astonishing array of animals, everything from giant millipedes, to inquisitive goats and even our youngest visitors can’t resist the chance to hold a slithering boa or feed the ever-ravenous rare sheep. Our older visitors are also by no means immune to the draw of the wild and who doesn’t like a quiet cuddle with a cute, fluffy bunny? We have had many enquiries about Jenny’s Ark since her last visit back in August and are pleased to announce that she and her entourage are once again firmly on our list of events for this year!

*Jenny of Jenny's Ark Pet Zoo with one of her closest friends...*

Of course, no summer visit to the Sanctuary would be complete without the superb flying displays, where visitors have the chance to see some of the world’s most stunning birds of prey stretch their wings as they swoop, stoop, glide & soar in the skies over Stonham. Displays begin on April the 9th this year, but visitors can also see the falconers exercising the birds daily as they up their fitness levels during the next couple of months.

Pleased to Meet You (1) The two Red Kite chicks born at the centre early last year... — *Pleased to Meet You (1) The two Red Kite chicks born at the centre early last year...*

*Pleased to Meet You (2) Andy and one of the youngsters a little later in the year - "My, how you've grown!"*

We also attended a number of outshows last year, which gave us a great opportunity to tell people about the Sanctuary and its work and to hand out information about the importance of raptor conservation. Many people have never seen a bird of prey up close and we tend to spend most of a day out answering questions and posing for pictures. (Not us of course, just the superb birds in our charge!)

Our education team worked hard to update the education package last yar and the response by teachers and children was really positive and enthusiastic. Our new teacher pack was also very well received, providing lots of fun and informative activities for kids and plenty of information for teachers. (there can be downloaded from this website - see here for details.

A Year In Review

January 30, 2011

In our last blog, we were pleased to report on some very successful results from our hospital’s raptor rehabilitation program for 2010. The year just gone was an eventful one in lots of ways and we thought it would be an idea to recapture one or two of its highlights.

The beginning of the year saw the completion of the new falconers’ huts, providing new, updated mews, food preparation room, weighing room, incubator room and general office. Now, a year later and decked out with all the requisite falconery paraphernalia, they have seen us through blazing summer sun and wintry blasts and still look as good as new and are functioning well for the purposes intended.

Spring is always an exhilarating time, when the Sanctuary starts to come back to life. There’s definitely a buzz in the air as the flying display team birds are reclaimed, ready for the summer season and preparations are made for the new catalogue of events. We're a couple of weeks off from that for this year, but it won't be long before that feeling of anticipation returns to the Sanctuary.

*Of the five Red Squirrels born at Stonham last year, two have already been released into the wild as part of the Anglesey Red Squirrel Project*

Last, but certainly not least, we had two major surprises last year, which were incredible firsts for the Sanctuary. One was the arrival of five rumbustuous red squirrels, progeny of a resident pair who form the basis of our breeding colony and two of which have now been released to the organised Red Squirrel release programme on Anglesey: it’s fantastic to be a part of such an important conservation schemes. Then came the production of our two striking and distinctive Red Kite chicks by their long-time-resident parents, all the more exciting because of their rarity in this particular area. Both are both doing well and will make a special addition to the flying display team as they add to the diversity of raptors demonstrating their individual characteristics and capabilities during these shows.

*Ladies who munch - one of Jenny's goats during a popular visit to the Centre during the Summer Holidays*

Now we look forward to the year ahead but if you too would like to reflect on times past at S.O.S., all of our previous blogs can be found, year by year, on this website. The links are situated just below the main page listing. But try nd pay us a visit this year - we look forward to seeing you!

A belated Happy New Year!

January 22, 2011

Hi there! Welcome to the S.O.S. Blog for 2011 as we close one year and look forward to new challenges ahead.

We'd like to start by wishing all our supporters, visitors and donors a belated but heartfelt Happy New Year - your help is greatly appreciated and we hope that you will continue to offer your support in the months ahead.

We'd also like to say an extra-special thanks to the un-sung heroes of S.O.S. - the group of loyal volunteers who come into the Sanctuary fair weather and foul to help out with the many necessary repetitious and often grubby jobs around the Centre which enable us to maintain a clean and healthy environment for the birds in our charge.

Without our volunteer brigade, not only would our life be a lot more difficult but our very existence a lot more tenuous, man- and women-power being one of the more costly resources required to keep the place functioning efficiently & effectively. These guys turn up regularly, often more than once a week, to assist in cleaning aviaries, feeding round and lending a helping hand with some of the arduous building & repair jobs, so we'd like to give them a special mention in acknowledgement of their invaluable contribution to S.O.S (in no particular order!):

* Steve *
* Paul *
* Pete *
* Simon *
* Darren *
* Doug *
* Sarah *
* Lynn *
* Allen *

and our two current work-placement helpers from Otley College, the two Katherines & Catherine. Confused? We often are...:-)

We hope - indeed we know - our volunteers enjoy their time in the company of our magnificent birds, and although this is small reward for all the time they put in, we hope it continues to provide sufficient recompense for all their hard work. Thank you.

2010 Raptor Rehab Results

January 22, 2011

Although the Sanctuary's raptor hospital generally ticks along quietly behind the scenes, it's an aspect of our operations which has a hugely important role to play and, as always, was kept busy throughout last year.

However we're particularly pleased about the recovery of the birds brought into us last year, of which we were able to release a higher than normal rate successfully back to the wild - all told, during 2010 our falconers attended to 77 sick or injured wild birds of prey brought into to the Sanctuary, of which 48% were re-released.

*This undernourished Kestrel was collected from a local farm a few days into last December's cold snap, when it had been unable to find food because of the deep snow cover.*

The biggest cause of wild raptor injury by far - certainly in this area - stems from Road Traffic Accidents and over half of those brought to the Sanctuary year were victims of these RTA’s.

Many of the other birds brought to the Centre have been found in gardens or fields, either suffering from starvation or quite often - especially in the case of Sparrowhawks - having been stunned by flying into a window. Among the other hazards out there awaiting the unsuspecting raptor are getting caught in netting or barbed wire, all sorts of other perilous obstacles such as trains, chimneys & electric pylons - and on one memorable occasion, Sellotape!

*This bedraggled Tawny Owl had fallen down a disused chimney - hence the wretched, muddy appearance - and was given a very careful wash-and-brush-up to remove the grime from its plumage*

The majority of birds brought into the hospital last year were Tawny Owls and Little Owls, but the number of Barn Owls and Kestrels also exceeded double figures, in addition to nine Sparrowhawks and one Buzzard.

From the total number of raptors brought to the Sanctuary in 2010, the falconers were able to treat, rehabilitate and release nearly half of them, a fantastic result in this context. This is also an opportune moment for us to extend our thanks to the Stowe Veterinary Group, who have been brilliant once again with all the help and assistance they have given us throughout the last year in this and other regards.

Although not listed as injured in our Register, around May time we tend to have a higher proportion of nestlings or youngsters brought in, particularly if they have fallen out of the nest and are looking abandoned!

An important stage of re-release for wild birds that have been in our care for a while is the 'hack-back' - a process whereby we continue to provide food for the released bird in a secure location, so that it can feed as it recovers its bearings and… — An important stage of re-release for wild birds that have been in our care for a while is the 'hack-back' - a process whereby we continue to provide food for the released bird in a secure location, so that it can feed as it recovers its bearings and natural hunting instincts in the wild

2010 Raptor Rehab Results

January 22, 2011

The biggest cause of wild raptor injury by far - certainly in this area - stems from Road Traffic Accidents and over half of those brought to the Sanctuary year were victims of these RTA’s.

Many of the other birds brought to the Centre have been found in gardens or fields, either suffering from starvation or quite often - especially in the case of Sparrowhawks - having been stunned by flying into a window. Among the other hazards out there awaiting the unsuspecting raptor are getting caught in netting or barbed wire, all sorts of other perilous obstacles such as trains, chimneys & electric pylons - and on one memorable occasion, Sellotape!

From the total number of raptors brought to the Sanctuary in 2010, the falconers were able to treat, rehabilitate and release nearly half of them, a fantastic result in this context. This is also an opportune moment for us to extend our thanks to the Stowe Veterinary Group, who have been brilliant once again with all the help and assistance they have given us throughout the last year in this and other regards.

Although not listed as injured in our Register, around May time we tend to have a higher proportion of nestlings or youngsters brought in, particularly if they have fallen out of the nest and are looking abandoned!

Wintery Grips

December 24, 2010

Along with the rest of the world, it seems, the world recently disappeared into a hazy blur of white. I thought I had a car in my driveway but at times all I could see was an amorphous blob! Apparently, weather determines the seasons and, to aid meteorologists, some bright spark decided in 1780 that each season should have three months. Winter, for meteorologists then, starts on December 1st in the Northern Hemisphere and June 1st in the Southern Hemisphere.

Three MONTHS! After a few hours The Sanctuary was covered in a swathe of white nd we were soon playing ‘Spot the Snowy Owl’... in three months it could be more a case of ‘Spot the Sanctuary’!

For the last few weeks we have had various items of clothing (not to mention falconers) steaming dry over the heaters in the office, the aforementioned having been drenched from head to toe cleaning snow off the aviaries. It’s amazing how much a layer of snow cuts out the light and of course there’s always the worry that if we had a particularly heavy snowfall on top of existing snow, it could cause damage to the aviary roofs. Not the most glamorous of tasks then, but one that has to be done.

On the positive side, the Sanctuary does look stupendously beautiful, not to mention exceptionally serene and tranquil. And the birds don’t mind the snow. Their layers of feathers, especially the downy ones close to the skin, can be fluffed up to keep them nice and warm and, whatever the weather, they can be assured that one of our hardy falconers will make it through the most treacherous of conditions to provide them with a tasty chick or two. (Not, in my opinion, as comforting as a steaming cup of hot chocolate, but then I’m not an owl!)

Hey ho, hey ho! It's off to Wales we go!

No matter how intemperate the weather conditions, the work of the Sanctuary goes on. Regular blog followers may remember that back in mid July we proudly announced the arrival of our Red Squirrel kits (as in baby squirrels rather than the Airfix variety), which have continued to grow and thrive ever since. The key purpose for breeding our Red Squirrels is the opportunity to work with various Red Squirrel regeneration projects, among them ‘The Friends of Anglesey Red Squirrels’, who are successfully re-introducing more Red Squirrels across the island on the north coast of Wales. The kits are now old enough and robust enough to make the long cross-country journey from Suffolk Wales, so just before the now arrrived, Head Falconer Matt spent two days trying to tempt some of them into travelling boxes, so that they could be transported to their new home. By the end of the second day, two of the kits decided they would play ball, but the rest were intent on staying in their nice cosy drey.

Wednesday arrived along with the youngsters’ conveyance, but after several more fruitless hours trying to coax out another kit, Matt gave up and just two of the kits set out on their journey to a new life. Matt then went back to the squirrel enclosure to remove the last box only to find 3 cheeky faces peering at him from its inner depths! What’s the old maxim… ‘never work with children and animals…’?

Well anyway, we hope the kits thrive in their new environment and hopefully we will be able to further our breeding program next year.

Ferrets and Spooks

November 14, 2010

After the hustle and bustle of the summer season, the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary settles down to a more peaceful phase. The flying display birds rest their wings for a few months, enjoying a period of well earned relaxation and the falconers don their jackets and gum boots against the wintry weather, tackling the many areas of the Sanctuary that need a little TLC after the busy summer.

One of the first jobs to be undertaken was the erection of a new ferret hut. The old one was not only looking a little worn but, given that we’re hoping to expand the colony, it seemed a good time to give them a more palatial setting.

Ferrets are supreme escape artists, so lots of thought was put in to exactly what materials would be needed to keep them safe and secure. They also love to play, so the new hut comes complete with large playball with exciting holes to explore, drainpipes to run in and out of and a long flexipipe to chase each other through. And, (something I learnt only just recently) you’ll never guess what ferrets like above all else for those snoozy moments – a hammock! Lucky ferrets - I’m thinking about moving in myself!

Fundraising Hallowe’en Hoot at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary

Spooky Tooth & Magic Merlin - two of the guests at our Hallow'een Fundraiser

Although it’s a much quieter time visitor wise, there are one or two highlights, when the Centre briefly springs to life once more in fundraising mode to sustain us through the winter months – Hallowe’en being one of them. This year, we thought we would go the whole hoot and make a real day of it. All half term week we ran our tantalising pumpkin trail, with all sorts of hallowe’eny facts scattered around the Sanctuary and prizes for everyone who could answer all the quiz questions.

The 31st October itself dawned grey, but was dry and warm, ideal weather for a special Hallowe’en flying display. As well as the pumpkin trail, the falconers had hidden bats and spiders all over the Sanctuary for the kids to hunt, with stacks of prizes to be won. The flying display was, as always, a spectacular event, where Nessa the Red Kite, Becky the Lanner Falcon and Marge the Harris Hawk all showed off their aerial prowess. A very special extra, was the novice display of one of the Sanctuary’s newest residents – Cecil the Spectacled Owl - there’ll be more about his first flight on our next blog.

As a finishing touch, after the flying display, General Manager Andy had the tricky task of judging the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary's fearsome fancy dress competition. It was a tough call to choose between all the wizards, witches, skeletons and zombies and a rather appealing pumpkin, but finally the winners were selected and very scary they were too! The following day, we received a super letter from one of the winners thanking us for his prize. All in all an excellent day, thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Waifs and Strays

November 07, 2010

On our last blog, we wrote about the exciting events going on at the Sanctuary over the hallowe’en period. On Hallowe’en Sunday itself however, as well as the pumpkin trail and fancy dress, there was some additional tension behind the scenes, but not for such a good reason.

*Paula, our American Kestrel, recently went walkabout - to the consternation of us, and twitchers nationwide!*

Back in mid-August, we told you about a very special little lady who came to reside at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, our female American Kestrel Paula. As anyone who has seen an American Kestrel knows, they are really tiny, usually weighing in at around 3oz – as small, if not smaller than some of our native songbirds.

All our resident birds live in spacious aviaries, with plenty of foliage to roost and nest in. This can mean, though, that the birds aren’t always easy to spot and so it was that when one of our volunteers went to clean out Paula’s aviary, she slipped over his shoulder and out of the door before anyone could stop her.

Paula isn’t one of the flying display birds, otherwise it would have been much easier to tempt her back to the glove. As it was the falconers tracked her through our local village, trying desperately to entice her to come down, but General Manager Andy soon came to the conclusion that they were just in danger of driving her further away. With much reluctance, they decided to call it a day in the hope that she would find her way back when she was hungry.

A couple of days passed and there was no sign of her, but on Wednesday morning, the phone began to run red hot at the Sanctuary, with numerous sightings of an immature female Kestrel at Landguard Nature Reserve over on the East coast. The fact that the bird was wearing a yellow ring confirmed that this could well be Paula.

Conservation Officer Dean was very quickly on the phone to one of the bird ringers at the reserve getting directions and made his way to Languard with all haste. A number of twitchers had spotted the Kestrel by this time, which thankfully made it easy for Dean to locate her once he arrived at the reserve. She was obviously quite hungry, as she showed considerable interest in the food he offered her from the glove, but she was still intent on being coy. However, as luck would have it, there were some strategically placed mist nets on the reserve, which are used for safely catching birds so that they can be ringed and, specifically at this time of year, for checking on migratory wading birds. Paula flew off straight into one of these and was soon back in Deans’ safe hands once more.

*Paula's mate, Fred, appeared pretty concerned and kept a watching brief for the return of is partner*

With Paula safely tucked up in her travel box, Dean returned to the Sanctuary, where Paula was given a thorough health check to make sure she hadn’t sustained any injury throughout her adventure. Her lovesick boyfriend Fred had been calling for Paula since her escape, so he was very happy when at last they were reunited in their aviary once more.

Although only the tiniest of birds, Paula nevertheless made a pretty big splash in the national Press with her story - for more click here to see how The Daily Telegraph reported it.

One Short-Eared Owl - Far From Home!

*Betwixt & between, this Short Eared Owl pitched up on an oil rig in the middle of the North Sea*

A couple of days later, we received an interesting e-mail from Stewart Green who works on a ConocoPhillips Oil Rig way out in the North Sea, about 50 miles east of Scarborough. He attached a photo of an Owl that had landed on the rig earlier in the day and the question was, what sort of Owl was it? We were able to verify that it was a Short Eared Owl, a long, long way from it's natural habitat of marshlands and moorlands, where - unusually for an owl - it is a ground-dweller.

We have heard nothing since but hoped that it managed to return to terra firma in the UK or somewhere in Europe without too much hassle - whereever it set foot again, no doubt it was one tired owl by then! For more on the Short Eared Owl, click here.