Down in the garden, something stirred...

This week saw great excitement at S.O.S. when a team of Barclays Bank volunteer management & staff arrived at the Sanctuary to install a special Sensory Garden, which they had kindly agreed to sponsor.

Among the visitors we welcome to the Centre throughout the year are many disadvantaged children & young adults who are brought along by their carers to see the beautiful owls and other birds of prey in their aviaries and in flight during the demonstrations that we give during the summer months.

However, in order to enhance the visits of these youngsters we thought it would be a good idea to develop part of the centre as an additional experience to widen the scope & enjoyment of their visit. Transforming the centre forecourt of the Centre as a Sensory Garden seemed to be an idea with prospects and with this in mind, our fundraiser-in-chief, the redoubtable Maz, approached a number of corporations to see if they would be interested in funding the project.

Before & after - what a difference a day makes!

To their great credit, Barclays Bank gave us an almost immediate 'thumbs up' and after an exploratory visit, returned on the big day with all the equipment necessary to install the garden, ably aided and abetted by a group of about 20 of their staff who had volunteered to graft on our behalf.

The transformation was remarkable, not least because the Barclays crew were able to declare 'mission accomplished' within the space of a day.

A sheltered garden seat amongst the flower beds

The Sensory Garden was designed by Barclays to stimulate the 5 body senses - touch, smell, sight, taste and hearing. To do this they incorporated as many colours, sounds and textures into the fabric of the garden as possible. Adding colour was the easy bit, as they used a great variety of plants to vibrant, multi-hued effect. To stimulate hearing, the garden benefits from having an array of windchimes within the trees and the sound of the water feature which was installed, bringing the trickling sound of a stream to the area. To stimulate taste and smell, a mixture of herbs and plants like lemongrass, mint and a curry plant (which leaves a distinctive smell of curry when touched) were added to the blooms Visitors are guided towards the bark of the trees, rippling water and some of the sturdier plants & leaves to satisfy the tactile senses.

The water feature - fountain and shale

As you will see from the pictures, the end result is a beautiful garden which has added an extra dimension to the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary and one that invites young and old alike to wander through it and admire the tranquility and beauty it provides. We are sure it will provide a rewarding experience for all visitors, especially those who are disadvantaged by lack of sight, hearing and other faculties, and we'd like to say a very big THANK YOU to Barclays Bank and their team of volunteers for their generosity and hard work in providing and building the garden.

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Grey Partridge Conservation

For a few years now, alongside Owls & Red Squirrels our manager Andy Hulme has been concentrating on a third conservation project involving a small game bird, the Grey Partridge.

These birds were once a common sight in in East Anglia, traditionally found on the arable lands of the region. However, like so many wildlife species, their favoured habitat of uncultivated field margins were ploughed into the ground and set-aside areas disappeared. As a result Grey Partridges have had difficulty finding suitable environments to provide their preferred diet of seeds, grasses, insects and the all-important insect larvae which provide the correct nutrition for their young.

But the tide is turning. With the help of conservation groups, sympathetic farmers and the special incentives provided for land owners, the type of habitat favoured by Grey Partridge is being allowed to flourish and a depleted UK population of only 75,000 breeding pairs is on the rise once again.

Andy has enabled us to play our part by using the large enclosure where our colony of Red Squirrels resides, to breed Grey Partridge for release. These are periodically set free in coveys of about 15 birds of both sexes onto managed land in the local vicinity - usually field margins between 4 and 6 meters wide. This habitat provides plenty of suitable nesting sites and the required abundance of insect life and a good variation of leaves & seeds on which they can forage.

Once back on the land, Grey Partridge form pairs by the end of February and start seeking out suitable nesting sites - they prefer free-draining soil on a south-facing slope with good cover provided by vegetation such as short tussocky grass and crops. Eggs hatch in late Spring and notably, the chicks immediately start the process of hunting for insect life using and instinctive natural pecking method which is extremely strong in the species from the time they hatch.

Our Coveys of Grey Partridge are quite happy co-habiting with our Red Squirrels prior to their release

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A Smaller Mum...

The entrance path to the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary is a busy one, host to the daily comings and goings of both staff and the increasing number of visitors we see as summer approaches. Alongside this is a small seating area where the staff take a breather and behind this - quite oblivious to the hustle & bustle of the nearby goings on - is where a robin has chosen to raise her brood of six young chicks! 

Ma Robin was first spotted sitting motionless on her nest in the open-fronted birdbox, placed there more in hope than expectation by staff members Anna and Andrew and who have kept a watchful & protective eye on her ever since. Now the young birds are nearly ready to fledge as they have most of their feathers, but their bright yellow ' gapes' can easily still be seen, even from a distance. 

The 'gape' is an important part of a garden bird chick, as the larger they can open their beak, the more food the mother can pop into it! Feeding time is a frenzy of activity when Mum returns with food, each chick competing to receive as much as possible from the parent by opening their beaks wide to display their hunger. Usually the diligent parents make sure there's enough to go round. Robins primarily feed on worms and insects and likes nothing better than following a gardner, waiting for the earth to be turned to reveal a favorite treat. In the wild, Robins have been been witnessed following around large animals for much the same reason - even Wild Boar as they root around turning leaf litter and earth!

Male and female Robins look very similar and at first glance look exactly the same - it can take an ornithological expert to determine the difference! Both sexes are extremely territorial and will defend their feeding sites vigorously. By Christmas many will already have paired, but they spend little time together, merely 'getting along'. They remain with one another until the Autumn moult, they become very scarce and not often heard. Robins favour open fronted nest boxes or holes in trees or garden walls. Unfortunately the Robin has a short life expectancy of only just over a year.

The Robin is a well-known bird to anyone who spends time in the garden and this little brown bird with its bright red breast is familiar to even the youngest child as they recognise them as the birds most often seen on Christmas cards. The association with Christmas has many origins. Legend has it that when Jesus was dying on the cross the Robin - then simply brown in colour - flew to his side and sang into his ear in order to comfort him in his pain: as he did so, the blood from his wounds stained the Robin's breast. However, the association of the Robin with Christmas more probably arises from the fact that postmen in Victorian Britain wore red uniforms and were nicknamed "Robins"; the robin featured on the Christmas card is an emblem of the postman delivering the card. 

Robins are also associated with Christmastime because that's the time of year when young robins are amongst the most vociferous of garden birds as they defend their breeding and nesting territories. In some cities the Robin can be heard singing right through the night and is often mistaken for the Nightingale.

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Super Mum does it again

Snowdrop has laid eggs in the same spot for the last 6 or 7 years...

With so many baby birds growing up around the centre at this time, we thought you may like to know that our 'Supermum' Snowy Owl, Snowdrop, is once again sitting on a clutch of six eggs. To date, this formidable matriach has managed to hatch well over 30 chicks here it Stonham - it seems that the chilly winds of the Mid Suffolk flatlands are to her liking!

Last year Snowdrop raised five babies, with only one egg of the clutch failing to hatch as it proved infertile. Infertility is something that happens on a regular basis with breeding birds of prey and we can determine whether an egg is fertile or not by a process called 'Candling'. This means holding the egg close to a light source such as a torch or (as in medieval times) a candle, which enables you to see ‘through’ the egg - if you can see an embryo developing inside, this is confirmation that there is a chick growing inside.

Snowdrop will be sitting on her ‘scrape’ - the rudimentary nest she scrapes from the ground in her aviary - for approx four weeks. A day or so before the eggs are due to hatch we will take them from the scrape, label them carefully and place them in an incubator, where they will hatch in the order that she has layed them, each usually a day or two apart.

(We do this because Snowdrop has a condition called haemoproteus, which is a form of bird malaria. It is a condition passed from bird to bird via the saliva, so in order to protect the clutch we have to prevent the mother feeding the young - which is why we remove them to the incubator for the last stages of hatching.)

Once hatched the chicks remain in the incubator for a few days, at which point we begin a process called 'imprinting': contrary to popular perception, owls have relatively small brains and so, as the falconers begin to feed the youngsters by hand, they take on the guise of ‘mum’ and so are ‘imprinted’ to the human form as the food source and, if you like, ‘next of kin’. We will keep you posted as to the progress of the chick.

This is our ‘Fetlar’ as a youngster - one of Snowdrop’s first progeny some years ago

Snowy owls come from extremely cold climates and can withstand extraordinarily inclement weather conditions - such as you might find in the Arctic Tundra, where temperatures can drop to -40ºC - which other birds find intolerable. Snowies nest on small outcrops of grassy tussock and blend in perfectly with the surrounding area. The female is always larger of the sexes and has more black speckling on her back, which helps her camouflage herself and her nest from predators.

Snowy Owls are diurnal hunters, which means they hunt their prey at sunrise and sunset. They like to hunt from perches, adopting a sit-and-wait routine, feeding on most ground dwelling mammals such as lemmings and voles.

Although not frequent visitors to the UK, a few pairs have nested on the island of Fetlar, in the Shetlands.

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More new arrivals...

This week S.O.S warmly welcomed Tiny, our new male Burrowing Owl, to the Sanctuary.

Tiny has been brought in as a long-awaited companion for Titch, our female Burrowing Owl, who has been with us since early last year (for more information on Titch, click here). Raised locally by a private breeder, young Tiny is Suffolk born and bred and comes from the same home as Titch and also Baloo, our Indian Eagle Owl. In our efforts to provided the best surrounding for the owls in our charge, wherever possible we like to keep them in pairs and so we hope that Tiny and Titch prove to be a perfect pairing!

Burrowing Owls in their natural habitat... and Titch as a youngster

The Burrowing Owl is a small owl with with a round face, no ear tufts and what look like disproportionately long legs. It is a species normally found across north and south America and whose favourite habitat is open landscapes and deserts with areas with low vegetation, where they roost in burrows. Though often active during the day, Burrowing Owls do most of their hunting between dusk until dawn, feeding on a wide variety of prey and changing food habits according to location and time of year. Beetles and grasshoppers form a large part of their diet, supplemented by small mammals like mice, rats, gophers, and ground squirrels. Burrowing Owl live up to 9 years in the wild.

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Following on from our previous blog about some of the other new arrivals at Stonham this Spring (see "New Arrivals" and "First Lady, Second Generation") we’ve now come up with a suitable name for one of our baby European Eagle Owls. We thought it best to call at least one by a name that was linked to his mother's, and as Rheia is the name of a Greek goddess, our choice is Hades because, as you can see from the accompanying pictures, he is indeed one hell of an owlet!

Hades looks like a bundle of fun now - but his sheer size as a youngster and strong talons illustrate that he will soon be a quantity to be reckoned with!

Now with a few weeks under his belt, along with our new Malaysian Wood Owl Bali, Hades has moved from his first home - the rudimentary but well protected floor of our falconer's hut, where they have both spent the last 5 weeks happily crashing into everything in their path - into a crèche aviary.

Hades & Bali together in the crèche aviary, where they are beginning to fledge

This provides a secure space for young owls to stay during the day, where they can adapt to the outside world, the climate and the enquiring scrutiny of visitors at S.O.S; and also stretch their wings and fledge as they grow their all-important flight feathers through. At night, whilst the evenings are still chilly, they are brought back indoors but once old enough, they will take up residence in their own full size aviaries at S.O.S!

As always, we'll keep you posted on their progress.

Andrew Farrow

Owl Pellets ... & Discovery Days

S.O.S. is pleased to announce the launch of its Owl Pellet Discovery Days, the first of which is next week on May 24th.

During the morning, youngsters can come along to the Suffolk owl Sanctuary, when they will be given a guided tour of the Centre, then do a spot of Owl supervised pellet dissection & detection, and finally be able to watch our 12.30 flying display. Each participant will be given a Pellet Discovery Kit comprising a large owl pellet, tweezers, prod, magnifying glass and information all about owls, their pellets and what you are likely to find inside them. The cost for each activity session, including all the above, is £6.50 per participant.

What is an Owl Pellet? Well, it's what is formed after an owl has eaten its prey (such as small mice and voles) and comprises the bits that cannot be digested, like bones, teeth, fur etc. The owl coughs out these bits in pellet form about six to eight hours after it has eaten and usually produces two every twenty four hours. The pellet must be regurgitated before the owl can feed again.

If you can't make it to the Sanctuary at Stonham Barns, then you may think about doing some detective work in the countryside by looking for owl pellets you can dissect for yourself. But before you start, a warning: along with other birds, owl nests & roosts are protected by law and it is illegal to remove eggs or young from them, or interfere with them or their nests & roosts in any way. So, if you do go looking pellets, please remember to leave anything that looks like a nest well alone.

Now, onto the search, and to begin with a little detective work may be required to discover if you have owls in your area. Firstly, look for the signs - perhaps take a quiet walk around the local park or recreation ground (but ensure an adult always knows where you are) and see if you can find where the owls roost or nest. Remember that a source of prey for the owls must be close by, as owls will only roost in an area where there is an abundance of small mammals to feed on. We suggest asking the park keeper or wildlife ranger if they know of any place where owl pellets may be safely collected.

Here are a few pointers. Barn Owls like to roost in old farm buildings or hollow, often derelict trees. Look on the side of the building or tree for white streaks, which are the tell-tale signs of owl droppings and usually indicate that they use the roost regularly. Now look below the roost site for small grey or black packages - these are the pellets. Barn Owl pellets are usually about 35mm - 65mm (1.5" - 2.5") in length, and are very smooth and round in shape. Should you be lucky enough to find one pellet at the site, then it is likely you will have found a regular supply BUT please remember to respect the owls and indeed the owner of the barn.

Tawny Owls, which are the commonest of owl species to be found in Britain, are as happy living in country woodlands as they are in wooded areas near the hustle and bustle of towns, so whichever, you are most likely to have a Tawny Owl around if you are near an area with plenty of trees. Tawny Owls like to roost during the day close to the trunk of a tall mature trees or conifers, but they do not have singular favoured roosts and use any suitable perch to sit on and regurgitate their pellets. It's worth remembering that Tawnies usually produce their pellets usually while out hunting so although a common bird, their pellets can be hard to find. It's worth asking local people if they have ever found pellets in their vicinity to speed up your search.

Tawny Owl pellets are much more furry than Barn Owl pellets and tend to taper off at one end. They measure about 25mm - 45mm (1' - 2") in length. They seem much less solid than the Barn Owl pellets and the contents can be seen easily within the mass.

Little Owls are our smallest owl and can often easily be seen during the day and at dusk. They like old dense hedgerows, trees in parkland and dead trees - their favorite roosts are in ancient Oak and Ash trees and they also like Willow pollards. As you would expect, the pellets are small, only 16mm-35mm (.75" - 1.25") long and are elongated with a distinct point at one end. They weigh very little, may feel spongy if pressed and are likely to contain insect remains such as wing cases. The pellets are produced out in the open while hunting, and so are likely to be stumbled on accidently.

Finally, Short and Long Eared Owls are rarely seen in the UK, and their pellets more difficult to find. The Short Eared Owl is best seen in winter months, when it hunts on salt marshes close to the mouth of estuaries and salt flats and the pellets are often deposited on the hard-to-get-at the grassy banks of a sea walls and estuary edges. Meanwhile the timid and well-disguised Long Eared Owl prefers to roost in dense thorny hedges, scrub areas such as tall bramble bushes on farmland and close to the edges of woodlands. Their roost sites can be used by up to ten birds, year after year, which means that lots of pellets are likely to build up over a period of time all in one place - a real find if you come across them!

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Welcome Back, The Hobby

In the bird world, now is the time of year when we start welcoming summer visitors back to these shores. Garden birds like Swifts, House Martins and Swallows have already put in an appearance, and they have been closely by the Hobby, a small bird of prey which, year upon year, follows the migration of all these species as they work their way back to the UK from Africa.

Migration is the process by which species of animals move from one area to another for the reason of reproduction. Longer days and warmer weather give birds a better chance of success rate when raising young and so the migration pattern is from the south to the north in our summer, and the reverse in winter.

Hence Hobbies usually arrive late April and leave again just before the start of September. This year, one individual was recorded locally to SOS, near Needham Market in Suffolk, as early as April 13th. They are not an overly-common visitor to these shores, but in recent years numbers have been on an increase, particularly in the south of England.

The Hobby is only a very small falcon of a size similar to our native Kestrel, though it has a shorter tail and distinct, 'sickle’-shaped wings which enable it to do fantastic aerobatic stunts as its chases its prey. The favoured diet of Hobbies is large flying insects such as dragonflies and the bigger moths, which they will eat while still on the wing - they can often be seen chasing moths just before dark. Hobbies are also the only raptor capable of chasing and catching the speedy Swift in flight.

In order to catch prey, Hobbies will usually cruise out of sight at high altitude, waiting for the right moment to close their wings and plummet to earth at speeds which can be in excess of 100mph, only opening their wings again when they are just a few feet of the ground.

Photo © Claude Ruchet at www.ruchet.com

Hobbies inhabit areas like heathland, near to the edge of woodlands, and around farmland. If you have a disused crow or rook nest locally, look out there too as Hobbies favour their abandoned nests - though as a result, a few chicks can be lost to these corvids before they get the chance to make the journey back to Africa.

As a rule the female Hobby will lay 3 eggs, which hatch in about 4 weeks: the chicks will take 4-5 weeks to fully fledge and then another 4-6 weeks to become completely independent. Young Hobbies learn to catch prey by first catching slow-flying beetles, then progressing to the faster species as they become more practised at the art.

The name “Hobby” is said to come from the Old Dutch “Hobben” - which means to move up and down or side to side quickly - which describes the way the bird flies to catch its prey.

The Latin name for the Hobby is Falco Subbuteo - you may recognise this name from the tabletop football game. This is because the inventor of Subbuteo was a Peter Adolph, who in his spare time was a keen bird watcher and the Hobby was his favourite bird. When applying for the patent, he wanted to register the game as ‘The Hobby’: this was turned down but the name of ‘ Subbuteo’ proved quite acceptable to the powers that be and which explains why the game carries crests and emblems which feature the head of the falcon on most versions produced today.

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First Lady, Second Generation

It is with great excitement that we bring you the news that our European Eagle Owls Rheia and her mate Sam, have managed to hatch two chicks for the first time!

Rheia is a very special bird for us at SOS as she was the first owl that we purchased when the centre opened over 12 years ago -hence her nickname, The First Lady of Stonham. Rheia was hatched on the 1st May 1995 and arrived at the centre as a chick only a few weeks old. As soon as she joined us, the process of “Imprinting” began - a technique whereby the falconer will take the bird under his or her wing, as it were, and replace the parents by manning and feeding the youngster to gain its confidence and make it easier to handle & fly in demonstrations.

The First Lady of Stonham - then & now

And so it went with Rheia for 10 years, up until 2006. However, she then grew into the habit of deciding that it was OK for her to fly a complete demonstration (about 10-15 minutes) for the first part of the year, and thereafter would take off at the start of the display, fly as far as the perch on the highest point of the showground, Eagle Mount, and then sit there happily enjoying the view until deciding to return in her own time. This could be be up to half-an-hour later - a tad disruptive to the proceedings as, being the largest owl on the block, no other birds can be flown safely whilst an Eagle Owl is at large!

So we took that as a message of 'enough is enough' and decided to retire the First Lady to the comfort of her own aviary with Sam for company, where she could survey her favourite views with no interruptions.

A year later - last year - the pair did produce eggs but unfortunately they proved to be infertile. So when we found two very healthy young Eagle Owl chicks in the nest a week or so ago, everyone came running to see the new arrivals. Since then, they have been moved to our incubator room to see them safely through the first part of their upbringing. One of the chicks will be staying with us here at SOS and will be part of our flying team (to replace her Mum) in the near future and we will be running a competition to name him/her - watch this space for further details.

If you'd like to see some of our young birds being fed by hand, click here.

On the subject of Euros, it has been reported in the news of various known pairs breeding again in the wild in this country, most famously a pair in North Yorkshire that managed to raise 23 young since 1997. Due a lack of evidence, it is unknown where the birds originated.

Whereas the species has been absent from these shores for many years and the return of wild breeding pairs is notable, it is generally accepted that the species was not originally a native to this country. The European Eagle Owl is the largest of all the owl species with some females weighing up to nine pounds and a wingspan of six feet! They inhabit areas from forests to deserts to rocky mountainous areas and like to nest in a hollow on a rock ledge or cave - many will re-use an abandoned eagle nest. On the continent it was seen as a bird of bad luck and ill omen.

With Rheia, however, our feelings are just the reverse

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New Arrivals at S.O.S.

Spring has now well and truly sprung at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary this week with the arrivals of our first babies of the year.

This morning, whilst one of our falconers was doing his routine daily check on our expectant mums, we discovered that the stork had already delivered to some of our birds! Phoenix and Huron, our resident Great Horned Owls, are now the proud parents of two chicks; Meluka our Malaysian Wood Owl has one chick; and Dewhurst and Forrest - a pair of Harris Hawks - also have one new arrival.

Two new Great Horned Owls

A young Harris Hawk

Meluka and her offspring (it's in there somewhere!)

If you'd like to see some of the young birds being fed by hand, click here.

So now is a good time to for a word in general about the breeding season ahead for wild owls and other birds of prey, as you too may be in for some surprises if you're out and about in the countryside. One of our main objectives as a charity is to protect, care and tend to wild owls and other birds of prey that may be injured. During the breeding season we get quite busy in our hospital due to members of the public bringing in young owl Tawny and sometimes Barn Owl chicks that they may have found along hedgerows or by the side of the road. Each type of youngster should normally, however, be treated differently.

Baby Tawnies found in this way are often what are known as “branchers”. This is because they very often have fallen from the branch during an exploratory excursion from the nest. But in most cases, never fear: the parents will usually be keeping a watchful eye on the youngster whilst hidden safely above and will normally help its offspring back to the nest by encouraging it to scrabble back up into the tree. So unless the bird is obviously injured or abandoned, it is probably better left where you found it, rather than putting it through the stress of a journey to us, and eventual return to the wild.

However if a Barn Owl chick falls from the nest then it is likely to be left unattended as Barn Owls tend to leave their young if they fall. So if you spot a Baby Barn Owl on the floor, then help is needed - call your local vet or us for advice on what to do. Click here for further information on orphaned & injured owls.

Chipmunks ahoy!

Finally, back on the breeding front, we were also surprised to find 8 new baby chipmunks in our enclosure over the weekend, as Dean and Matt went to move them into their new, newly completed home. They are really cute - why not come along and pay them a visit soon? We look forward to seeing you.

Anna Harris

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Eating for one, two three...?

Paradoxically, as the weather begins to improve this is also the time of year we tend to stop putting the scraps on the lawn or refrain from replenishing the peanut bags hanging from the apple tree for our garden birds. But research has shown that the birds actually need just as much, if not more, help with food at this time of year , due to their increased levels of activity finding food, or keeping themselves warm while sitting incubating the eggs.

So as most of the birds visiting our gardens right now will be on the look-out for food, if we as humans want to lend a helping hand, providing the right kind of food for the different species is very important.

Equally appreciated by our feathered friends is the provision of a good source of clean water, not so much for drinking as for bathing. This should be changed daily and positioned in a place safe from ambush by cats: a tray lined with silver foil and suspended safely from a tree or fence by string attached to each corner, makes a suitable bath of enough depth to allow immersion but shallow enough to prevent a fledgling from drowning should it chance to drop in.

(It is worth mentioning that any uncovered water butts should now have secure lids on them, as young and inexperienced birds can easily fall in while attempting to use them as a source of water. A young Kestrel was brought into us last year having suffered such ignominy and the poor chap got more than he bargained for but after a night in our raptor hospital in a warm recovery box, he was fit enough to be released the next morning.)

If you decide to help out with feeding the birds, the best start on deciding what birds you have in your garden is to do an "Hours Watch" by just sitting quietly in the garden or by a window, noting down the species which visit within a sixty-minute time slot. 

Depending on your findings, here are some food suggestions that might help. Blackbirds, Sparrows, Robins and Wrens are all rather partial to ‘live foods’ such as mealworms and wax worms. On the other hand, Blue Tits and Great Tits prefer to perch on the side of peanut feeders and also enjoy sunflower seeds. The Finch family such as Green and Bull Finches will eat seed mixes and most birds which come to visit all enjoy a good feast of home made peanut and seed cake. However, salty food - such as crisps, salted peanuts, salted bacon, desiccated coconut and last night's chips - should be avoided at all costs.

ACTIVITY IDEA!

Children love making things and here is a good opportunity to get them interested in wildlife in the garden - why not make help them make some Bird Cakes, which are quick, easy and most of all fun!
 
Ingredients (not for human consumption): Lard, peanuts or seed an old yoghurt pot with hole in bottom (or a flowerpot), and some string.
 
Method: Tie the string through the hole in the base of the pot to hang the cake - ensure you do this first! Then, melt the lard in a saucepan until runny (adult supervision required here), add the peanuts or seed and mix well. Pour the mixture into the pot/s and allow it to cool and harden. Finally hang them from tables or trees or tip out the contents onto your bird table (remembering to regularly tidy up any loose seed or food which attracts rats and other rodents, which can spread disease) and then watch and enjoy as your treat is eagerly gobbled up. 

As a result, it shouldn't be long before you see the new baby birds like this little chap in your garden, and you can be happy in the knowledge that you helped them get there! 

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The Thornham Owl Project

As a Charity of whose charter the creation of new, permanent habitat of wild owls and other birds of prey forms an important part, S.O.S. is always interested to learn about the activities of others who have similar goals.  

So we're pleased to draw to your attention the work of a neighbouring group - The Thornham Owl Project - who are celebrating an important milestone in the quest to ensure that Barn Owls in particular are given every opportunity to survive & prosper in the face of man's encroachment on the landscape.

The Thornham Owl Project last week erected its 150th Bird of Prey nest box - no mean achievement for a group of experienced volunteers who have given of their time (and money) over the last 10 years to provided safe harbour for raptors in East Anglia!Initially the boxes were put up by Roger Buxton, who started the project in 1997, and Mark Chester - both talented local artists - within the Thornham Estate in Suffolk and along The Waveney Valley, which borders the county with Norfolk, to the north. Aided and abetted by another staunch helper, Kevin Boyce, and the Countryside Park Ranger at Thornham, Tim Page, the main aim was to put up nest boxes for the various bird of prey species which inhabit the local area. 

The Thornham Team build their own nest boxes

However, it soon became apparent that - in common with large tracts of the British countryside - there was a distinct lack of Barn Owl nesting sites in the area. This was primarily because many of the old hollow trees favoured by Barn Owls had been felled or blown over in high winds, and in this neck of the woods, many of the old barn buildings had been converted into luxury houses and offices.

As a result of Roger & Marks initiative, the project has now erected over 100 Barn Owl nest boxes stretching along the Waveney Valley corridor from Redgrave to Bungay, along the Gipping Valley and throughout the Thornham Estate. Importantly, the scheme enjoys an excellent success rate - the project saw 40 Barn Owl chicks reared from these boxes in 2007.

With this in mind, the Thornham Owl Project is now radiating further north into South Norfolk with more nest box schemes, and it's here that we (that is S.O.S., as trustees of the donations you are kind enough to fund us with) hope to be of assistance.  

Firstly, the 'patch' we cover as part of our East Anglia Nest Box Scheme is pretty much centralised through Mid Suffolk: establishing links with the Thornham Owl Project means that hopefully we can avoid any duplication of effort and so ensure our resources are used more efficiently. I am sure we will learn from the experience of the Thornham group, too. Secondly, S.O.S. have offered to fund the purchase of materials The Thornham Owl Project may need for the building of new nest boxes for their extended programme.

The Thornham Team have the necessary accreditation to allow the careful ringing of young Barn Owlets

So, we hope this is the beginning of a new co-operation which we hope will benefit all concerned, not least the Owls. We'll keep you posted as to progress and future developments.

P.S. Just a polite reminder that any Barn Owl nesting sites are protected by law. You may not disturb, take eggs or chicks from any nest unless you have a special Disturbance Licence which is issued by DEFRA. If you think that Barn Owls are in situ in the nest box, please leave well alone but by all means contact a proper source such as the Thornham Owl Project or us here at SOS.

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Red Squirrels Named!

As you may aware, during the winter months we concentrate on “re-vamping” the aviaries and perform general maintenance duties around the Centre. This was very necessary down at the woodland walk, where we gave our Red Squirrel pen had a good tidy up and added a few optional extras to it, including more ropewalks and a newpond.

We had two new squirrels arrive to join the colony late last summer. Already in situ was the final remaining member of our our original squirrel colony, the older female called “Nutkin” who, with the introduction of the two boys, took to her bed for a few days!

However, up until now the new pair have been nameless, so over the Easter holidays we ran a questionnaire asking our visitors to suggest suitable monikers for them. The most common names to crop up were Rusty and Fluffy, but after much deliberation the winning names we have chosen are from Evan Walker from Letchworth, Herts with the name “ Chestnut”; and Mary Newlove from Pettaugh, Suffolk with the name “Copper”. Congratulations to these winners, who will be receiving cuddly red squirrels, a family pass to the sanctuary and the first of our new squirrel adoption certificates in due course.

Although our Squirrels live very happily together in the small colony here at S.O.S., in the wild they would usually live alone in small nests or “dreys” - usually in the fork of a tree - only getting together to mate. However, family groups will sometimes gather together within the dreys during the winter months to keep warm.

The Red Squirrel - readily identifiable by it's wonderful russet colour and distinctive red ear tufts - does not hibernate and so needs to gather a good store of food through the summer months from which to draw through the winter. Primarily, the Red Squirrel is a seedeater, favouring those from Larch & Spruce trees, and will eat pinecones too. They will also store fungi in hollows in trees.

During the Autumn when food is at its most plentiful, Red Squirrels put on weight - this is very important for a breeding female, so they are in tip-top condition for the following breeding season. Young squirrels are called kittens and are born in the spring, though very often a second litter may be produced later in the year, too.

Unfortunately, with the introduction of the American Grey Squirrel to these shores, our poor native Reds have been on the decline and suffer from a disease called Squirrel Poxvirus, which wiped out entire colonies of the native species. The Greys are immune from this disease and, being larger and stockier, often push the smaller Reds away from good feeding areas, making life even more difficult for them.

Thankfully our Reds here at the Centre never have to worry about Greys, and when you come to see us please wander down to the woodland walk and watch them going about their day-to-day fun and frolics. You WILL be amused!

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New Homes for Old!

Easter traditionally heralds the arrival of spring and although a little early this year - the earliest since 1935 - as well as getting our SOS HQ ready for spring visitors, we have also been out and about completing the preparations we began last Autumn for our feathered friends in the wild.

As you may know, a proportion of the donations we receive from visitors and through adoptions goes towards funding our East Anglian Nest Box Project and pays for the nest-boxes and manpower to survey sites for, and then install and monitor, their success. Currently we are installing the last of the owl boxes in time for the breeding season, which usually begins in May.

However, there are many considerations which need to be taken into account before erecting nest boxes for wild owls and if this is of interest to you, the following guidelines set out the steps you need to take.

In simple terms, firstly you need to establish what sort of owls you have in the area, or at least which species you intend to attract. Observation is the key here: have you seen or heard owls in vicinity, or perhaps come across owl pellets? These will be your indicators that the environment holds promise.

Once you're reasonably sure that owls are already in the area, or that the habitat may well attract them, you then need to establish whether there will be a sufficient supply of wild food - usually small rodents - in the area to sustain the owls and keep their interest! This particular process may take some patient research. as if there is no localised food source, then your mission will be a fruitless one.  

The next thing to do is to build or buy a suitable nestbox for the intended species. You will find more information about Owl Nestboxes on our website by clicking here, and later this year we are publishing a free booklet on the subject - watch this space for availability and we'll be happy to send you one.  

Then, when you have the right box, it's time to site it: in our case, this is always on someone else's land, so we need to get permission to do so before we start erecting boxes.

Now, be warned: there is usually quite a bit more to putting up an owl box than simply nailing it to a tree. As you will understand, the locations for siting the box may be remote, the footings soft and/or irregular, the size, shape and weight of the box more than a mere handful and the position well off the ground - so putting up a box may be at least a two-person job. Remember to equip yourself with suitable safety equipment and a good selection of tools before you set out.

To illustrate the point, we took some photos of our most recent jaunt to sites that had been fully researched as known or potentially suitable Barn Owl habitats, headed by our Conservation Office, Dean Winham. One box was to be located on the gable end of a barn, and two others in well-weathered oak trees - and as you can see from the photos we had a very interesting day putting them up.

'Job Done' on the gable-end of a local barn

'Hard Hat Dean' manfully secures a gable box in a mature tree

The rather damp & dreary day finished with an uplifting surprise! We had taken our equipment across the fields to the second of the mature trees we believed would provide the perfect roost/nest-site for a Barn Owl. Having placed our ladder at the base of the tree, suddenly - from a hole in the trunk above our heads - out one flew! After watching this beautiful bird in flight as it headed away over the fields, a very quick inspection of the hole confirmed it as a daytime roost - somewhere where nocturnal owls species "camp-out" during daylight hours to digest their meal from the previous night). Judging by the number of pellets found, we could tell that although this was not a breeding site it was obviously somewhere where this particular owl felt very much at ease.

This tree proved to already be a day-roost for a Barn Owl...

... as illustrated by the pellets inside

As a result we decided not to locate the nest box there, but successfully recce'd for a suitable alternative in the vicinity, a tree about half a mile away across the fields. Once this box was in place, all that remained to do was fill out the various pieces of paperwork for our records- and let the owls do the rest!

Now, having successfully erected the boxes, it's worthwhile remembering that this is not, of course, the end of the story - only the beginning. It can take as much as three or more years before the owls decide to use a box - so those of you who undertake the task may have a long wait before seeing any results for their actions. Also, be certain you are aware that it is ILLEGAL to go near an owl nestbox without a "Disturbance License," which can only be obtained from the relevant authorities. For more information on Owls & The Law, please click here.

So, that concludes our owl box adventure and I felt very proud of the SOS team's efforts on this particular day. Of course, if & when we are lucky enough to have any of the boxes used, we will of course let you know.

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Can you tell what it is yet?

Here at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary we have a variety of captive-bred owls & other birds of prey we use to illustrate the variety of native-bred species. These reside in aviaries at our Stonham headquarters and many are used in the demonstrations, talks & visits we undertake during the course of a year. This core collection is augmented by species from around the globe, which go further to show what a great & spectacular diversity of size, colour, form and lifestyle there is in the raptor world.

A great many of the birds at S.O.S. regularly fly free in the displays we give at the centre from around Easter right through the summer, and others live in spacious accomodation with the space, habitat, privacy & security required to provide an humane & stress-free environment.

Where & whenever possible, we like to keep our birds as male & female pairs of the same species, as they are generally much happier this way than if living in isolation. Though many are 'bonded' couples, the pairing is not specifically for breeding reasons and indeed, many of our older birds are paired together purely for companionship.

However, when the need arises it can sometimes prove difficult to find a mate for a single bird already in residence at S.O.S. This has been the case with Lanark, our long eared owl, who sadly (and despite our best efforts) has - since the demise of her previous partner due to old age - spent most of last year alone.

Since that time we have been trying all the usual channels to find a replacement male long eared owl, the channels being firstly, other raptor centers or collections; secondly, reputable breeders, and thirdly, private owners and other contacts who may be seeking a home for a bird they can no longer keep.

When we began our search, we soon discovered that virtually all suitable captive, non-related male long eared owls of a suitable age were already spoken for - quite literally "otherwise engaged."

Eventually we found a suitable candidate in the hands of a private collector. Having taken delivery, we then set about carefully introducing the owls to each other to spot whether there was likely to be any aggressive behaviour between them - firstly by putting them in separate, adjacent aviaries within sight of each other and subsequently together in the same aviary under constant scrutiny until such time as we felt confident they could co-habit peacefully.

Fortunately, after a week together it looks as though we have a compatible couple: whether they will bond successfully in terms of breeding remains to be seen.

Kielder & Lanark get to know each other

However, trying to get a photo of the new male - we've called him Kielder - is proving incredibly difficult! This is not really surprising as, as with any animals introduced into new surroundings, they are at first very timid and wary of change in situation, But although you have yet to see the best of Keilder, the photos do explain why these birds are hard to see in the wild, where their mottled plumage provides excellent camouflage long eared owls can be virtually impossible to see as they sit motionless up in the branches beside the trunk of a tree!

We will of course keep you informed of the progress of this new couple, and if you think you are clever enough to spot them in situ, then why not pay us a visit to meet the latest addition to the Stonham family.

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Young Falconers Course takes flight

In the news this week at SOS is the launch of our Young Falconer's Course.

If you are a regular reader of our blog pages, then you will no doubt be aware that over the last couple of months we have been preparing to run a new falconry programme specifically for teenagers. The course has been devised to address the many requests we have had to run such a course, due to the fact all our adult falconry courses are for those aged 16 & upwards.

We have divided the course up into six individual sessions which collectively aim to give a solid grounding on the essentials of the correct keeping and handling of birds of prey.

Just as we'd hoped, all six of the first applicants turned up on time and eager to get started, and I have to say that all the staff at SOS were incredibly impressed with the knowledge and commitment the children brought on the day.

We started by finding out what experience they already had, and what they wished to achieve from the course.

Then we talked briefly about the origins of falconry and why such an ancient pastime has survived into the modern age. We also discussed why falconry is still relevant in 2008 and how centres such as S.O.S. contribute to raptor conservation initiatives both nationally and internationally.

The next step was to delve into the costs and, particularly, the commitment levels involved in owning a own bird of prey, stressing that doing so is not to be entered into lightly. Then, in order to give a good introductory overview, we looked briefly at falconry equipment (to which we will return later) and went behind the scenes to see how the feeding and weighing regimes we operate are of utmost importance with regard to the correct care of any raptor.

I think it safe to say that by this point, most of the course candidates had begun to be impressed by the enormous amounts of knowledge required when planning to undertake falconry seriously.

Falconer Dean introduces a Falcon to the team

At this point it was time to take a well earned break from the classroom, so we watched at close quarters several of the SOS Flying Squad being put through their paces by Dean in preparation for our daily flying demonstrations which run throughout the summer. This gave the students the opportunity to see exactly what handling a bird in flight is all about and what they might one day get to achieve if they pursue their ambitions with a passion. This session culminated when Taiga, our Great Grey Owl, flew to the fist of each of the group, allowing them all to experience this magical moment for the first time - an experience they all agreed was the part of the day they will never forget!

The day ended with a session learning how to tie the infamous Falconer's Knot, a fundamental practice when it comes to raptor husbandry. The knot itself is quite tricky to learn but all the youngsters did extremely well and most managed to grasp the basic principal without difficulty.

Getting to grips with the falconer's knot

All in all, the first day of the course proved a complete success and all of the students said they couldn't wait to return to continue their studies at each of the fortnightly Saturday sessions that follow. If you know of any child that would like to participate in the Young Falconers Course, then please click here for more details.

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Trim for Spring

Further to the successful outcome to our "Lucky Escape" story involving a young kestrel as featured in last month's blog, you might be interested in what has happened since.

We told you of how this tiny native raptor became trapped inside a local B&Q store and how we lent a helping hand in successfully returning it to the wild.

However, to our surprise, the story did not end there!

As we reported, during the period of incarceration we had many phone calls from concerned members of B&Q staff about the welfare of the bird and it was truly heart-warming to see the levels of genuine concern expressed.

This in turn led to the development of some great rapport between ourselves and the store, as part of which Dean and Denise - both Managers at B&Q - got to understand more about S.O.S. and the work that we do. It also gave us the opportunity to give them an 'insiders view' of the centre and a guided tour of our Raptor Hospital and Rehabilitation Aviaries to illustrate our mission at first hand.

During the course of our dialogue we explained how we are completely reliant on public donations to operate, and this led to some interesting - but I hasten to add, un-prompted - conversations with regard to what help the B&Q organisation could give to S.O.S.

Given that at this time of year, the onset of Spring means that ground-keeping becomes a major concern as we start to tidy up after a long winter; and witnessing the dilapidated state of our lawnmower, itself in need of a thorough but expensive service - Dean and Denise took it upon themselves to contact the 'powers that be' within B&Q and ask if it would be possible to donate a new lawn-mower to S.O.S. to assist with our task.

The outcome was that shortly afterwards, we took delivery of a brand new lawn-mower courtesy of B&Q as a thank you for assistance we provided for the stranded Kestrel. So we would like to use this blog to extend a huge and heartfelt thank you to all the staff of B&Q and to good samaritans Denise an Dean in particular, for the part they played in ensuring that our visitor center looks pristine and ready to welcome the public throughout 2008.

In return, if you would like to join us in thanking B&Q for their support and are thinking of tidying up around the house now that winter is done, why not pay a visit to B&Q - click here for further details.

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From Snakes to Snake Eagles

As the mild winter continues here in East Anglia, we have been extremely lucky to have had some gloriously sunny weather recently, particularly during the recent "half-term" school holidays. And to celebrate, we launched our new series of Activity Adventure Days for 2008, designed specifically for 6-12 year olds.

For the new year, we have updated the format and added some new adventures to stimulate the enquiring young minds that participate.

One of our most popular adventures last year was our "Dino-Soar Discovery Day" and we really could not have timed the launch event better, because just one day before a newly discovered "flying" dinosaur was announced to the world!

Identified from its fossil remains, the discovery was of a new species of "pterodactyl". Pterodactyls are commonly recognised as the large hulking reptilian, bat-like creatures with gigantic membranous wings - quite unlike the feathered archaeopteryx that many people know from later prehistory.

The interesting thing about the newly-discovered fossil is that it sheds completely new light on the theories of flight evolution. For many years, it was thought that, because pterodactyl remains were found mostly in prehistoric coastal regions, that the creatures needed the coastal updrafts to get airborne and stay aloft. Once in the air it was presumed that because of their size, these incredible creatures would not have flown like conventional birds (as they would have required enormous amounts of energy to flap their gigantic wings) but rather flew much more like conventional gliders, spending long periods out at sea catching food on the wing from the surface.

However in contrast, the new "pterodactyl" is incredibly small, just about the size of a house sparrow. Equally surprising, it was found in the western part of China's Liaoning province, far from the sea in a region that was heavily forested 120 million years ago. As a consequence, the new discovery has the scientific name Nemicolopterus Crypticus, which means "hidden flying forest dweller".

Importantly, the experts think the pterodactyl would have been capable of the typical "flapping-flight" we associate with modern day birds. "This really amazing creature, sparrow-sized, which lived essentially in the trees, showing us a very new, very interesting side of the evolutionary history of these animals," said Alexander W.A. Kellner, of the National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. "Because they were flying animals, their fossils are extremely rare," he added.

Researchers at first thought that this particular Nemicolopterus find was a baby: he skull was not fully fused, meaning it was not yet an adult, but as the ends of the bones were developed, it was not a hatchling either. They also said the legs and feet had attachments for muscles, indicating that it could grasp tree limbs; and unlike most pterodactyls, it lacked teeth - leading to speculation that it might have eaten insects, much like the common garden birds we have today.

Meanwhile back in the 21st century, the dinosaur enthusiasts on our Activity Adventure Day started the day discussing this news, and then took time to look at some living specimens of both raptors and reptiles to see what comparisons could be drawn between them and their distant dinosaur cousins.

During our fun-packed day - and with the much appreciated assistance of our neighbour Colin of Abbey Aquatics at Stonham Barns - we examined everything from snakes to snake eagles in our quest to learn more.

Especially exciting was being able to handle many of the reptiles and other incredible creatures within Colin's collection: his reptile knowledge is second to none, and our Dino-Soar Activity Day proved a great opportunity for our young adventurers to share his amazing understanding of the subject.

We rounded off the day with a fossil-making session attempting to make our very own replicas of creatures already known to science - and some yet to be discovered! Thanks to Chris Soule of Soule Pottery - another Stonham Barns neighbour - for providing us with the clay we needed to make our freaky futuristic fossils.

Finally, if you or any youngster you know would like to participate in one of our Activity Adventure series during 2008, then please click here for more details.

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Lucky Escape

Last week was an interesting week for us at The Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, when we made the front page of the local newspaper, "The Ipswich Evening Star".

Occasion was all down to a Kestrel who had made a slight error of judgment and got somewhat lost inside a local B&Q Superstore!

Superstores are deceptively tricky places - vast cavernous spaces, with isle upon isle of products that at first glance all look relatively similar, catering for every consumer need - but if, like me, finding your way back to the checkouts can prove tricky, imagine how little Kestrel felt!

It all started when in the middle of the week we recieved a phone call from two B&Q employee, Denise Kerrigan & Dean Swarbick, alerting us to the plight of the bird.  In an ideal world we would love to give immediate assistance, but we have found through experience that chasing a bird around huge warehouse-type building can prove very time consuming business and unproductive - the sheer scale of the building means that it is virtually impossible to safely retrieve the bird: height is a threat to human safety and chasing a bird in such a large space would ultimately exhaust and distress bird to the point where its life would also be endangered..

Our usual advice in situations like this is to simply leave the warehouse doors open for as long as possible,allowing the bird to exit the building in much the same way as it flew in, action is usually prompted by hunger.

But things don't always go according to plan and then human intervention does become necessary!  

On this occasion the kestrel had made its way from the interior of the warehouse to the vast glass front of the store, where it was no doubt frustrated by the invisible barrier preventing it escape to the world beyond. This state of affairs persisted for two days during which time the bird would not have eaten. As this was a wild bird, this gave no initial cause for alarm, for In the wild a raptor's bodily system is designed for the odd occasion when a day's hunting fails to provide a meal.

At this point the store the staff decided to take action and with the aid of a pond net , some long copper tubing and a few long ladders - commodities which, being within a B&Q store, were readily top hand - the staff were able to safely catch up the bird and bring it to us!

We discovered that the handsome male kestrel was in very good health, if somewhat hungry.  After providing food, we kept the in our hospital overnight as a precaution that he would be well enough to survive in the wild upon release. This being the case, the following day we took him back to B&Q, where Denise & Dean had the privilege of releasing "Lucky", as he had been named by the B&Q staff - across the open fields behind the store, an area which (very importantly) the bird would recognize and be familiar with as it likely usual hunting grounds.

Denise admits this was a "once in a lifetime" moment for Denise and one that she will never forget!  For us, releases like these really are one of the best parts of the job here at SOS!

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The world in their hands

In the news this week is our launch of a new Young Falconers Course - something that has been created due to popular demand, and as far as we know, it will be only one of the very few courses of its kind held in the UK.

Under the auspices of of the East Anglian Academy of Falconry, who are based here at Stonham Barns, the course is designed to provide an insightful look into the raptor world, coupled with much of the conservation work that is done here at SOS. The aim is to provide youngsters aged 12 - 16 years with the opportunity to experience the best of falconry at first hand

Like many keen on this fascinating hobby, along with my colleagues my first introduction to the world of falconry was Ken Loach's beautiful film, "Kes" - the emotional story of a young boy who had very little in life except the love of the kestrel he had trained from a youngster. The film really kick-started a love of all birds and raptors in particular, and at a very young age but I remember being frustrated that I couldn't find a way to pursue my awakening interest any further.

In those days there were only a handful of falconry establishments in the UK and none close to where I lived: even then it was hard to find any one of them willing to teach a youngster, and no one locally could teach me very much. I also soon found that with a very practical sport like falconry, books can only offer a limited amount of knowledge, especially as these specialised books were - before the age of the internet - not only hard to find, but also very costly

Many years later, when after several changes of career I finally found my way into the falconry world, I still found that it is still very difficult for young people to learn about the sport first-hand. Which is strange... falconry has been in existence for many thousand of years and as today the focus is very much on conservation (rather than putting food on the table as in days gone by), there is still a big void out there when it comes to practical tuition for young people.

From this rationale, the new Young Falconers Course has been born. It will provide a unique and valuable learning experience for the young raptor enthusiast, with plenty of "hands-on" time with the birds.

Divided into 6 separate practical and classroom sessions, the course will brief young enthusiasts on all the basics of what is entailed when owning a bird of prey. The participants will be introduced to the correct way of handling birds and the differences between the various types, and enable them to discover why each is more suited to varying environments and situations. They will also take an inp-depth look at raptor husbandry, focussing general health care, weight management, feeding, & the day-to-day care and maintenance of a healthy bird of prey.

There will be the opportunity to learn about the many different techniques to train young birds and participate in the training programme, including a chance to try lure winging and radio telemetry tracking equipment.

If you'd like to participate, please click here for booking details. We look forward to seeing you!

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A Vet in the Hand...

If you are a long-time supporter of our work at S.O.S, then you will be aware that our main area of concern is the care, rescue and rehabilitation of injured wild owls and other raptors from around the region.

But you have recently joined the ranks, hopefully this particular Blog story will give you some idea of the specialised work we do, often - but not always - with a successful outcome.

Throughout the course of the year we have many injured wild Owls and other birds of prey brought in to us for inspection, usually by concerned members of the general public. For the most part we are able to treat the birds ourselves in our purpose-built Raptor Hospital, a facility which was recently fully refurbished thanks the funding of your generous donations.

When an injured bird arrives at the centre, we firstly enter the details of the circumstances & conditions of the creature into our register before giving them a quick physical assessment, looking for obvious signs of external damage. Then we check for bone fractures, concussion and other aliments, relying on our accumulated experience of identifying minor injuries that have crossed our path over the years.

But whilst we are able to deal with many of these instances, we also receive many cases which require the attentions of a higher authority in avian medicine - the veterinarian.

Such was the case this week, when we were brought a Tawny Owl which arrived in a very poor state indeed. We could see immediately that this particular individual had a badly broken wing, probably - as the bird was picked up by the road-side - the result of a collision with a vehicle of some sort. The unfortunate bird also had signs of a condition called 'frounce', which swells the throat and makes it hard for them to swallow.

Without hesitation, we decided to take the casualty straight to out local veterinary practice, the Stowe Veterinary Group in Stowmarket, who are always willing to give us first rate & usually preferential assistance when it comes to wild raptor care. Here, vet Bill Besley confirmed our suspicions on both counts. Of particular concern was the frounce, or Trichomoniasis to give it its proper name, because - as it can make feeding difficult - it can compromise the birds natural ability to heal itself. The disease is increasingly prevalent pigeon and dove populations and it seems likely that this particular Tawny Owl picked it up by injesting an infected bird of this type.

It is possible to treat frounce if caught in the early stages but the course of care is fairly intensive and drawn out, including medication twice daily and hydration by crop tube every hour, which can cause no small degree of distress and discomfort. Unfortunately, for this particular Owl the prognosis was not good, and in the end the vet recommended it would be kinder to end its suffering than make it endure a very long recovery period with no guarantee of a successful return to the wild or a worthwhile quality of life.

So - win some, lose some. Next time, hopefully we will be luckier.

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