Helping Hands

Throughout the year, we receive calls and emails asking for help or information on a variety of natural history subjects, ranging from what to do with an injured owl to whether we can help with underweight hedgehogs.  

Hedgehogs of course aren’t really our field, but we ‘know a man who can’ and very good at it he is too – but that’s another story. We even had a call from a gentleman the other day who had bought a parrot and, at 70 years old, was finding it rather a strain every time the bird let out a random, raucous squawk.  It just so happens that our Chief Fundraiser Maz has connections in that line, so she was able to offer assistance.  Whatever the problem, we will try to help wherever we can.

Of course, our general manager Andy is a bit of a dab hand when it comes to bird of prey species, so he is usually the first port of call when we receive enquiries asking us to identify the subject of the photos we receive by email.  This week the task in hand was a bird photographed on the South Kent coast and it didn't take Andy long to pronounce that the bird in question was an immature Peregrine Falcon; obviously its youth had caused the uncertainty in identification.

This immature Peregrine Falcon was spotted on the Kent coast this week

We also received an email from slightly further afield - Rangoon in Burma - where Matthew had found a Spotted Owlet in his garden.  When he found it, it was on the ground being mobbed by crows and the overwhelmed bird seemed unphased when Matthew approached it. Concerned, Matthew picked the owl up and put it in a large box in his shed. Apparently there had been a big storm the previous night, which may have had something to do with the owl’s rather dazed condition.  Matthew was pretty certain the owl was uninjured and wanted some advice as to what he should do next - the only place within reach for him was a zoo, which he thought might be inappropriate.

A Spotted Owl like this one was found dazed & confused in a Burmese garden...Photo: G.M. Garg

Andy's advice to Matthew was first to look for any signs of obvious injury and, if there are none, to keep the bird quiet in its box for a couple of days.  It may well just need a period of recuperation if it was battered about a bit in the storm.  Feed it some raw meat and see how it seems in a couple of days.  If the bird appears to be OK, the best thing would then be to release it as close to where you found it as possible.
 
However, if there are concerns that the owl is injured and have no local vet to take it to, it would be advisable to take it to the zoo. as they will certainly have a vet who can assess its injuries and take the appropriate action.  Although the situation may be different depending on your global location, in England vets have a duty of care to look after wild animals without charge.  

Getting back to Burma, Matthew emailed us shortly after with some good news: "Many thanks for this information, Ashley. I’m happy to say the bird has upped and flown. It was perched on a window ledge in the shed when I arrived back home today; I opened the door and it flew strongly up into nearby trees. Simply dazed after the storm I think, as you mention, so good news all round!"

We all love a happy ending, so it was nice to know the outcome of this story!

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For Justin

Adopting an owl is one way in which our loyal supporters provide the Sanctuary with much needed assistance to help carry on the conservation, rehabilitation and education work that we do here, and maintain the bird hospital and many aviaries which house both our resident birds and those who recuperate here before being returned to the wild. People adopt a bird of prey for a wide variety of reasons and can come to see their chosen adoptee here at the Sanctuary throughout the year.

Recently we received an email from a couple that live in the Isle of Wight and were planning a visit to Suffolk.  They adopted Cobweb the Barn Owl in November 2009 and wondered if it would be possible to pop in to see him.  Adopting Cobweb is especially poignant for them, as they have done so in memory of their son Justin, who bred Barn Owls in Northumberland and, sadly, died of cystic fibrosis in 2006.  Unperturbed by the bitter northerly wind that was whipping around the Centre this week, Alison & John duly arrived to see how Cobweb is getting on and to take a look at the other resident raptors we have  here at the Sanctuary.

At this time of year most of our owls, including Cobweb, are safely tucked up in their aviaries, having a well earned rest if they are members of the flying display team, or getting ready for a much needed winter moult.  We do, however, still have Cecil our young Spectacled Owl in a weathering, getting used to his equipment and to the interested attention of our visitors, so we thought it would be a nice memento for our visitors to have a picture taken with him on the fist. 

Alison meets Cecil…

... who as you can see, has developed somewhat since he came to us just a few weeks ago

Cecil was born in May of this year and has been hand reared here at the Sanctuary, so consequently he’s a very friendly chap, well used to being handled.  He is, of course, a typically inquisitive youngster, wanting to have a good gawp at everything going on around him, but he did manage to stay still just long enough to show off just how stunningly photogenic he is!

We do hope Justin’s parents enjoyed visiting Cobweb and were suitably enchanted by Cecil’s boyish charms and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them and all our dedicated followers for their continued and much appreciated support.

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Andy dons his tutor hat

You might be forgiven for thinking that looking after a few birds of prey would be quite a simple job.  After all, even in the wild raptors spend most of their time sitting around contemplating not very much at all.  But of course here at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary we have well over 80 birds of prey, from all the five raptor groups and all have different requirements, depending on both their species and their temperament.

Then of course there’s the hospital, where the falconers see all kinds of ailments and injuries.  Knowing how to handle birds under a variety of circumstances can be crucial to their survival!

With this in mind, last week our General Manager Andy welcomed a group of student vet nurses and their tutor to the Sanctuary.  They came from a local veterinary surgery who support the Centre by looking after our resident birds and any injured birds that come in to the hospital.  The students came for the morning to learn about the care and general husbandry of birds of prey, which included aspects such as correct handling, how to hood a bird to keep it calm and how to hold a bird correctly for examination by a vet.

Andy illustrates the intricacies of crop tubing to our guest students

Andy showed the students the Sanctuary’s rehabilitation aviaries and explained about the housing of birds of prey under veterinary treatment. They also had a look at the raptor hospital, where birds are brought initially for examination by a falconer. The students were able to see the equipment necessary for treating injured birds and to learn about the preliminary care birds are given before any necessary trips to the vets. Andy explained about the way records are kept of each bird, which can help to provide an insight into local raptor population trends amongst other things. He also gave a demonstration of crop tubing (see our blog 23/02/09), describing the importance of executing this procedure correctly and clarifying the reasons for needing this treatment - for example, if a bird is extremely weak, it may not have enough energy to digest solid food, which can lead to a nasty and potentially fatal condition called ‘sour crop’.

Hopefully the students had a good and instructive morning – Andy was certainly very pleased with the "thank-you" chocs and a bag of goodies for the hospital that they dropped off later on in the day!

Raptor releases continue

Andy releases one of the two tawnies, one of which
pauses for a quick look round before departure

We have had another two successful releases this week, which is really heart-warming to report.  This time it was a couple of Tawny Owls that thankfully didn’t need to be with us for too long.  They were both victims of RTA’s, one probably having been caught in the slip stream of a car and just requiring some rest and TLC and the other having a damaged eye.  Both recovered fully under the falconers’ watchful care and were released at the edge of a a nearby wooded area.

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Buzzard Bliss

Back in February of this year, we wrote about a male Common Buzzard that was brought in to the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary hospital. It was found locally in the middle of a field and was clearly unable to fly. Veterinary investigations exposed old fractures of the ulna and radius bones in the left wing, which had healed but solidified in the process. For just over seven months, the Buzzard has been monitored and cared for by the falconers in one of the Sanctuary’s rehabilitation aviaries until, finally, on the fourth of this month Andy and Dean deemed it fit and ready to begin its journey back to the wild.

After a well-deserved moult and looking rather fine, the Buzzard was taken out by Andy and Dean for a flight test, to ensure that it was one hundred percent ready to fend and hunt for itself. The flight test was a success, so the Buzzard was boxed up and transported to a nearby country estate for release. Andy had previously contacted the owners of the estate to gain permission for the release, as the area offers the perfect habitat for this species: Common Buzzards like a varied environment, preferably with undulating countryside that provides natural updrafts and thermals for them to soar on. They also like woody areas, with mature trees to nest in and grassland where they can catch a good bounty of mammals and worms.

In the gathering gloom, the fully-recuperated buzzard was freed back to the wild on a local estate

As Andy poised ready to record the moment, Dean let the buzzard go. It immediately flew to the top of a tree to gain its bearings, then turned and flew right over the top of the falconers to a mature pine, followed by a rowdy rabble of crows and jackdaws shouting abuse, not best pleased at having a bird of prey in their midst. The Buzzard spent a couple of minutes perched on the top of the pine and then majestically took off and disappeared out of sight over the valley.

…and more releases pending

As mentioned in last week’s blog, the hospital has been very busy recently. Over the last two weeks alone, we have seen the arrival of two Tawny Owls and two Kestrels, one male and one female – all victims of road traffic accidents! They have all been receiving lots of TLC in the hospital’s rehab aviaries and it’s very heartening to be able to report that, without exception, all are very close to being fit for release. We’ll keep you updated, so watch this space!

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Back To The Wild

We have had yet another busy week at the raptor hospital and have some good news to report.  You may remember in a recent blog we informed you about a Barn Owl that came in to the hospital after an unfortunate encounter with a fox.  It’s sometimes tricky to tell initially with owls just how hurt they are, as they have a habit of keeping very, very still if they feel threatened.  It’s not a bad idea if, as an owl, you think moving could get you into more trouble, but it makes it a tad more difficult for us humans to always tell if an owl is in pain or distress.  

However, the falconers were able to establish with this particular young lady that her only real problem was a loss of feathers and no doubt some emotional upset caused by the incident. In reality, all she needed was time to recuperate from her ordeal and to grow back her missing feathers. She stayed with us in one of the Sanctuary’s rehabilitation aviaries for almost a month, to do just that.

Then, a couple of weeks ago we also had another Barn Owl brought in.  This time it was a male bird, which was found just off the main road near to us. It was actually spotted in the rut of a field and seemed unable to fly out of it.  We gave the owl a thorough examination and could find no signs of any physical injury; again, a period of TLC, rest and recuperation were exactly what the doctor ordered and after a fortnight the owl was ready to be released.

One of the released pair in one of the rather ignominious boxes which enable a stress-free journey to the release site

As we had one male and one female Barn Owl ready to go back to the wild, Andy thought it would be the ideal opportunity to do a little match making so he took them both to a local farm which is involved in our owl nest box scheme and offers pastureland, hedgerows and grass margins along the edges of the fields - ideal habitat for Barn Owls to live and hunt - and released them there.  With a little luck this pair may just settle down in time to produce a brood of youngsters next year.

…in a flurry of feathers, off one of them goes…

Onwards & upwards

But the work of the Sanctuary is never done and this week, we had two calls from members of the public who had found injured birds of prey and wanted advice about what to do for them.  Our guidance is always to wrap an injured bird carefully in a towel and either bring it to us if possible, or alternatively take it to one of any number of animal rescue places across the country, where the bird can be assessed and given the requisite care. Failing that, we suggest that an injured bird be taken straight to the nearest veterinary surgery.  This should be free, as vets have a duty of care to injured wild animals.  Once a bird has be treated, then very often the vet will pass it on to places such as the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary to continue the rehabilitation and eventual release.  More about our new patients in our next blog!

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All in a Day’s work

Being a charity, we are always very grateful for the help we get from our loyal supporters. Whether it’s someone kindly leaving the Sanctuary a bequest or offering a helping hand with maintenance work, it all helps us to give our resident birds and our hospital patients the best possible care.

Amongst our regular supporters is Eastern Concrete, sponsors of S.O.S. for the last three years. They have donated a considerable amount of gravel and also footings for new aviaries, not to mention taking time out of their busy schedule to deliver the afore-mentioned.

On the 4th September, Eastern Concrete hosted the grand opening of their new local yard and, as a special thank you for all their support over the years we thought it would be a nice gesture to take a few of the birds of prey along for a couple of hours to help make the day an extra special one.

Maz explains about the various birds we took along to the Eastern Concrete event, to a couple of the young visitors

After work, our fundraiser Maz and head falconer Matt set off with Comet the Peregrine Falcon, Pungu the Bateleur Eagle, Josh the Harris Hawk and Samba, Maz’s European Eagle Owl in tow. The birds were all impeccably behaved and proved to be a great attraction. As well as being a thank you to our hosts, the occasion also provided an opportunity for Maz and Matt to talk to other business people, further helping to raise awareness of the Sanctuary and the work that goes on here.

At the event, Maz met with a gentleman called Barry Fender, who is the General Manager of Bardon Concrete. He was extremely interested in the rehabilitation work that the hospital achieves and was keen to know what he could do to help. Our travel boxes have begun to look somewhat tired and worn of late, so he agreed to donate three boxes of varying sizes, so that the falconers can transport birds in comfort and safety to the vets and back.

The boxes arrived a couple of days ago and very smart they are too! So thank you Barry, we are really chuffed with them and they are certainly much lighter to carry than the old wooden ones!

Inside & out - these splendid new travel boxes will make for safe & secure travelling when our display birds go off-site

Prevention rather than Cure

Meanwhile, back at base, our conservation officer Dean has been hard at work changing the astro-turf on the perches in some of the aviaries. Unfortunately, it needs replacing regularly, so the falconers were chuffed when the Sanctuary was an recent recipient of an anonymous donation of some astro-turf - a timely present! You might think that as long as birds have somewhere to perch, they would be quite happy. If only life were that simple: in captivity, different birds have to have different kinds of perches and the material the perch is made of can be important too. Lack of adequate perching can cause all kinds of problems, one of the grimmest of which is a condition called ‘bumblefoot’.

Dean spent a happy morning replacing astro-turf strips to the perches of thems that needs it.

Bumblefoot is a serious lesion affecting either the ball of the foot or one or more of the toes and it can have potentially devastating consequences. It can be caused by pressure on the foot, rather like a bed sore, where the blood flow has been restricted leading to infection and swelling. In some birds it’s almost impossible to cure, with the bacteria in the tissue simply not responding to treatment, so it really is a case of prevention - in this case, sufficient astro-turf covered perches for those birds to which it is best suited - is better than cure!

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In The Frame

A visitor called Mark contacted us recently and sent us one of the pictures he took at S.O.S. on a visit during the summer. It was such a good picture that we asked for more information about him and how he took it. This was his reply:

"Having recently finished an evening course in digital photography at Suffolk College I wanted to keep practising with different camera set ups and subjects. I find with having two young sons that Suffolk Owl Sanctuary is a great place to spend an afternoon with them and being able to get up close and personal with the birds is an added bonus.

We've been visiting on a regular basis this year and I always bring my camera just in case I'm able to grab a reasonable picture of some of your birds.

The picture I've sent was shot using my Canon EOS400D with a 75-300mm lens. Shutter speed was 1/800th sec to capture the bird in flight although panning the camera had added some motion blur to the wings which I feel adds to the sense of speed rather than catching the bird dead still. Depth of field was set at F5.6 to keep the clouds blurred out and the focus on the subject. 

A small amount of post processing was done to remove the jesses the bird wears and to crop the bird to the centre of the picture."

It all sounds very technical but the end result is a great shot, so congratulations Mark and thanks for 'keeping us in the picture'!

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Raptor Rewards

It’s so rewarding when a potential disaster story turns into a happy ending and this week has been a particularly satisfying one on the hospital front. 

Over the last couple of weeks, the falconers have been taking care of two little owls, which have now been successfully rehabilitated and were released this week.  We also a Kestrel come in to the hospital recently, which again was fit enough for release back to the environs from whence it came during the last few days.  

In addition, you may well remember our long running saga of the male Marsh Harrier, which began back in August of 2009.  The poor bird, despite the very best care and numerous trips to the vet, seemed to have one problem after another.  Well, you’ll be glad to learn that, finally, after a whole year of TLC, treatment and recuperation, the Marsh Harrier was finally released back into the wild last week at a suitably marsh-rich habitat offered by stretches of the mid-Essex coastline

A peaceful stretch of habitat just away from the Essex coastline should provide some happy hunting grounds for the fully recuperated Marsh Harrier similar to the one shown in the picture above.

And Positive Vibes

The hospital has actually been pretty busy over the last couple of weeks and on the first of this month a Barn Owl was admitted, which came to the Sanctuary from Woodbridge. A farmer had found the bird on the edge of one of his fields, surrounded by its own feathers.  After close inspection, there appeared to be no physical injuries, but the all pervading odour of fox suggested that this Barn Owl had been the victim of a predator attack. The likelihood is that a young fox, probably just playing with the bird, attacked it when it was disturbed by the farmer. This chap will now stay with us and hopefully make a full recovery so that it can be released at a later stage.

Both these birds were brought into us in a pretty dilapidated state but thankfully are now well on the way to full recovery

Another recent patient is a Tawny Owl that came to us in mid-August was sadly a victim of the all too familiar RTA!  It had a closed left eye, probably as a result of a bang on the head. A visit to the vets was required where eye-drops were prescribed: they seem to have done the trick as the eye is now open and working, so things are looking good.  The bird is currently in one of our rehab aviaries and we look forward to releasing it soon.

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Wings 'n' Things

Falconry is an ancient pastime, which has been enjoyed by princes and knaves alike across the centuries.  Back in the 1400's, the type of bird you were allowed to fly was dependent on your station in life.  If you were fortunate enough to be a king, for example, your bird of choice would undoubtedly be an eagle or a vulture.  For a servant, however, the humble kestrel would have to suffice.

These days, thankfully, it’s more about making an informed choice as people remain interested in natural history, with many choosing to keep birds of prey for a variety of reasons.

This being the case at S.O.S. we strongly believe that a good understanding of handling raptors and knowing the requirements for their care is paramount before embarking on acquiring one, which is why we offer a range of courses for this very purpose.

It’s also very encouraging that so many youngsters are interested in falconry, so our junior half-day experiences and six-day courses (spread out a day a week for six weeks) are ideal for giving them a comprehensive start on the road to owning a bird of prey.

On our courses, youngsters receive a basic grounding in the care of raptors at home, emphasising aspects of general health care, weight management, feeding and cleaning that are a necessary part of keeping a captive bird of prey humanely and with consideration.  We aim to make our junior courses fun as well as informative, including lots of hands-on opportunities with some of the world’s most stunning birds of prey.

A typical day early on in a six-part course includes learning to hold a bird on the fist, hooding a model bird, feeding a bird on the fist and practicing how to tie the tricky falconer’s knot (the latter is fiddly enough when you’ve only got a perch on the other end of your leash – factor in a glove and a live bird and that’s when confusion really sets in!) As the course progresses, there are all sorts of other important & interesting things to learn about diets, feeding, husbandry - for example, ‘imping’, a process whereby a moulted feather can be re-attached in place of a broken one, plus other essentials like what should be the contents of a raptor first aid box. As the course draws to a close, young participants are given the opportunity to experience at first hand the thrill of having hawks and owls flying free to and from the fist.

Details of our junior and adult courses can be obtained here on our website or you can call us and one of our team will be happy to give you more information.

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Red Kite Rapture

The breeding season is always an exciting time for us here at the Sanctuary and 2010 has proved to be a very successful year. You might think that once you’ve seen a few fluffy chicks the novelty would wear off, but each new little life brings its own sense of awe and wonder each time. And this year has been even more special than usual due to the unexpected arrival of two raptor species that we have never bred here before.

Our two exciting ‘firsts’ this year were our Tawny Owl and Red Kite chicks. Tawny Owls of course are now doing much better in their natural environment, thanks to various conservation and nest-box schemes, including our own. Being night hunters, however, they are not always easy to spot in the wild, so our resident Tawnies do provide a rare opportunity for visitors to see this elusive bird up close and to learn about their lives, habits and requirements in the wild.

The handsome profile of Elfin, father of our two new Red Kite chicks

Our two Red Kite youngsters were hatched in May and - having since been carefully hand reared by general manager Andy Hulme & the falconry team to give them the very best start in life - are now in full plumage and beginning to participate in flying demonstrations.

The father, Elfin originally came to the Sanctuary ten years ago. The mother - a wild, disabled bird - was sent to the Sanctuary in 2008 having been found with a broken wing under a power line. The falconer she came from wanted her to have the company of a male, in the hope that they may breed. Having been given special sanction for this by the licensing authority, DEFRA, the result is very pleasing!

Soon you will be able to observe these magnificent raptors in flight over Stonham

The arrival of these two new chicks is especially exciting since, although the species is doing well in the wild in areas such as the Cotswolds, Yorkshire, Scotland and of course Wales, it is still rare in this area. If the Sanctuary is able to successfully develop a breeding core at Stonham and with the correct permissions & conditions to effect a release programme, it may not be too long before the distinctive fork-tailed silhouette of the Red Kite is seen flying free in the skies of East Anglia, too.

Meanwhile the two new arrivals, named Nessa & Bryn, are a fantastic addition to the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary raptor family and will afford the Centre a tremendous opportunity to help educate visitors about the revival of this once near-extinct species. They will also provide a wonderful addition to the Sanctuary’s Education team, offering a great chance for kids to see this magnificent bird up close and to learn about the importance of its conservation.

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Rumbustuous Reds

A couple of weeks ago, we reported on a rather special and unexpected surprise, when our female squirrel gave birth to four rusty coloured little bundles. The youngsters have since been doing really well, and in the last few days have left the comfort of their mother’s drey to explore their new home. They have been seen playing tag, climbing the fir trees and generally having a wonderful time.

A pause for breath...

Now you see me....

... and off we go again!

Trying to record their exploits, as they flit frenziedly from place to place, has proved no simple feat, but Head Falconer Matt has demonstrated endless patience in his quest to document these most beguiling of creatures.

To go or not to go… that is the question for one recovered Kestrel!

Successful rehabilitation stories are the ones we like best here at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary and we are chuffed to announce the release of a young female kestrel, which came to us at the Sanctuary in June this year. She was found locally after her nest had been destroyed by crows.

Unfortunately, the nest was then abandoned by the parents and the poor chick was on the ground, still being harassed by the crows when she was discovered. Luckily, apart from being too young to fend for herself, the Kestrel had suffered no physical injuries and so it was just a question of monitoring her, feeding her and giving her a safe, calm environment to grow up in.

In the meantime Andy set to, to make a hack box in preparation for the time when the Kestrel could be released.

Local farmer Bob Kruz does the honours once again as he helps us with the release of injured birds back to the wild

She was placed in the hack box ten days previous to being released and, once she had settled down in her environment, local landowner Bob Kruz was on hand to open the meshed front of the box, so that the young bird could fly free.

For several years Bob has allowed us to release a number of birds of prey and owls from his land, so we thought it would be a nice gesture to ask Bob to let the Kestrel go. Surprisingly, she had other thoughts and was quite happy to sit there in her box for a while, surveying the world beyond. When we checked later that afternoon, however, she had gone.

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What a Beauty!

The more different species of birds of prey we are able to show our visitors, the more we are able to enthuse people about their incredible beauty and explain about the importance of raptor conservation. Until now, we have never had a Spectacled Owl at the Sanctuary, but this week saw the arrival of a new chap (or chapess, it’s difficult to tell at this stage) at the tender age of three weeks old.

At just three weeks old, this young Spectacled Owl is an impressive bundle of fluff!

This particular bird will be one of an intended pair, but as captive-bred Spectacled Owl chicks are few and far between and progeny this year are thin on the ground, we will have to wait until next year before we can team our new resident with a mate.

It has to be said that we are extremely lucky to acquire such a beautiful and relatively rare species, but both the examples come to us as the direct result of a donation of the son of a past supporter, who wanted us to establish a poignant tribute to his late mother with us. For this we are very grateful.

The Spectacled Owlis a resident breeder from southern Mexico and Trinidad, southern Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina. They generally grow to around 46 cm long, weigh about 850 g and are fully grown at 8-9 weeks. They are a nocturnal species, inhabiting mature forests. They have bright yellow eyes, attractive brown upperparts, white facial markings and buff underparts. Spectacled Owls will prey on mammals, even the much larger three-toed sloth, large insects and birds, including smaller owls. For more information on this beautiful species, please click here

A Mir Trifle

Visitors to the Sanctuary often ask why some of the birds sometimes have hoods on. Well, if you’ve ever heard the phrase ‘out of sight, out of mind’, this is where it stems from - when a raptor has a hood on, what it can’t see doesn’t worry it, so hooding a bird to keep it quiet, relaxed and can easily calm any potentially stressful situation.

Different birds have different head sizes of course and it’s important to have a hood that fits correctly, otherwise it can be easily shaken off. Recently, Head Falconer Matt had to measure Mir, our Steppe Eagle for a new hood. A mere trifle you might think, but not when your measuring tool looks like it might be a tempting snack. Luckily, Mir has bonded very closely with Matt – in fact he’s her favourite human in the whole world, so after a token flap of disapproval, she soon settled down and allowed him to do the necessary. A new hood should be winging its way to you shortly, Mir…

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A Phabulous Photo Day

All year round, we have a number of people who like to come and take photos of our stunning raptors here at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary. For some, it might mean taking a few snaps on their mobile phones, but for others the Sanctuary presents an opportunity to photographically record all aspects of birds of prey, from a Common Buzzard perching serenely on a fence to the spectacular flight of a Red Kite.

Up Close & Personal - the photo days allow great opportunities to grab some unfettered photos of some of the birds

During the summer months our friends Paul & Brian host these extremely popular wildlife photo days. During these events, they are on hand to offer practical hints and tips on how to get the best from a digital camera as well as the benefits of their in-depth experience in exposure, framing and digital manipulation to enhance each shot.

The results can be stunning, as in one of these photos by partcipant Sandie Jardine

Last week five budding David Baileys joined Brian to brave our typical English summer weather for the chance to capture that perfect wildlife shot. Despite some heavy rain showers in the morning, no-one’s spirits were dampened and one of our guests was not even perturbed by the longest of wet grass in his attempts to get up close and personal with the birds!

Sandie also captured the majesty of a Red Kit in full flight

S.O.S Office Administrator Jennie went out to do her own bit of ‘snapping’ to capture the scene and one of our participants, Sandie, kindly sent us some of the fantastic images captured during the day.

Paul Sawer will be back on the August 15th & September 12th to host the two remaining SOS Photo Days this year - they are pretty booked up but if you would like to participate, please see our events page by clicking here, or telephone / e-mail us for more details or to make a booking.

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Red Hot News

We are delighted to announce the arrival of four very unexpected young ‘uns here at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary. Not, as you may expect, bird of prey chicks, but tiny Red Squirrel kittens.

They are now about five weeks old and we’re pretty sure there are four youngsters, although it’s difficult to tell for certain. Head Falconer Matt Lott is being very careful to monitor them from a distance and not to cause any disturbance or distress to mum or her babies.

Three of the Red Squirrel Kittens in their nestbox

Mum came to the Sanctuary from Pensthorpe Wildlife Park in Norfolk, which hosts the BBC Springwatch series. We are tremendously excited by the arrival of the kittens as, although now a year old and at an age when she could begin to breed, we thought mum’s youth and new surroundings would make it unlikely this year.

You may be wondering, ‘Why Red Squirrels at an Owl Sanctuary?’ Well, the Conservation of birds of prey is of vital importance to us here at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, but we are also passionate about animal conservation in general. Working with ‘The Friends of Anglesey Red Squirrels’, we are hoping to build up our small colony and help their project to re-introduce more Red Squirrels across the island of Anglesey.

Mum has now moved the youngsters into their drey

The babies are doing well and mum has now moved them from the nesting box to the drey she’s prepared for them. It shouldn’t be long before they’re skittering about their new home, playing tag and by the time they’re a mere 13 weeks old they will be more or less fully grown and ready to be independent from mum.

Proud Father - his offspring should grow to be the spitting image...!

and a Happy Hackback

It’s always great to report on good news, so this week’s blog has been an especially satisfying one to write. Not only have we had the advent of the Red Squirrel kittens, but also a happy ending to a story that we’ve been following for the last couple of months.

It began at the beginning of June with the arrival of some Little Owl Chicks at the Sanctuary. They suddenly found themselves without a tree to keep their nest in – not the best of situations – and needed a little help and TLC until they were old enough to start their journey back to where they belong.

One of the perky young Little Owls prior to their trip back to the wild, and the hack box which will be their temporary home until they’re ready to fend for themselves

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how they were put in a hack box, the next stage in the process of rehabilitation. Finally, it’s wonderful to be able to report that the sturdy little youngsters are fit and ready to start making their own way in the world, so Conservation Officer Dean went to open the front of the hack box to observe their first attempts at fledging. Of course, they won’t be abandoned! Dean will continue to monitor their progress and leave them food for as long as they need it, but the chances are it won’t be long at all before they can stand on their own eight talons. Great job guys!

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On the road...

Educating people about birds of prey and the importance of their conservation is right at the heart of what we do here at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary. We are especially keen to invest time in today’s youngsters, as they have such an important role to play in the future.

In our blog a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how we aim to enthuse school children about birds of prey, when they visit us at the Centre. Sometimes however, it isn’t possible for schools to come and visit us, so we take our Wise Owl Road Show out to the schools.

Each school has different requirements; the children may be studying a particular period in history, or the day may have a more science-based focus, or it could be simply a day for getting to know all about owls. Whatever the theme, we aim to tailor a visit to what each individual school needs.

At this time of year we can often take young owls along to see the children, which always causes delight

As a general rule, a school visit includes a talk from one of our fully trained education and falconry staff about birds of prey and about the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary’s three key aims: Conservation, Education and Rehabilitation. Most sessions with a class or group last about an hour to an hour and a half, which allows plenty of time for a quiz or drawing competition, or a more topic-related activity. The most exciting aspect of our visits of course is the chance for children to see one of our striking birds of prey, as it will be the first time many of them will have seen a raptor so close.

We have several birds who are absolute gems when it comes to school visits and each has their own personal charm. Auckland our Boobook Owl (whom you may have seen mentioned in previous blogs) is a seasoned pro and his diminutive size and cute looks always provoke oohs and aahs of admiration. Sometimes we may take Bali our Asian Brown Wood Owl along with us; or Baloo, our Indian eagle Owl - both of whom have stunning looks and are a perfect foil size-wise for Auckland. At other times, we also take Josh the Harris Hawk, to demonstrate to the children some of the differences between owls and other species of raptor.

Josh, one of our Harris’ Hawks, is often used to show youngsters the difference between owls and other types of raptor

Just recently, Andrew and I visited Dickleburgh Primary School in Norfolk, where the children were having a special Eco-Day. They were all wearing green and were split into their house groups to take part in a carousel of eco-friendly activities, of which we were one. The focus of our visit was mostly concentrated on conservation and we took Bali and Josh along with us to help explain to the children about different birds of prey and about the work we do at the Sanctuary. The children were full of questions and enthusiasm and genuinely enthralled when we took the birds out of their travelling boxes. This time of year also brings a special bonus, as we have lots of fluffy young owl chicks at the centre and we were able to take along a young Wood Owl and Barn Owl, much to the children’s delight.

The highlight of the day was at the very end, when all the children assembled in the hall and sat in two rows with a gap between them. We hadn’t told them that we were going to fly one of the birds, so it came as a real surprise and a treat for them when Andrew put Bali on his perch and walked to the other end of the hall. Despite never having flown in a school environment before, Bali took it all in his stride and wowed his audience with his gorgeous looks and superb, gliding flight. A brilliant day, which both the children and we thoroughly enjoyed.

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On the Road (Part Deux)

This is a very busy time at the Sanctuary, with lots of school visits, our daily spectacular flying displays and the numerous events that we have planned for our visitors this summer holiday.  We also like to take time out to attend events elsewhere whenever we have the chance - this gives us the opportunity to spread the word about the work that we do here at the Sanctuary.

Last weekend presented one such occasion, as we were invited to attend the Westwood Park Summer Fair.  It was a large affair, with around 5,000 people attending over the two days.  Set in magnificent surroundings, there was everything from Walk on Water Balls and goats-milk ice-cream to heavy horses and live bands and of course the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary.

Talking the talk, Ashley-style. It’s true about about Mad Dogs & Englishmen ... but our visit to the Westwood Park Summer Fair proved very worthwhile

The weekend was spent handing out leaflets and talking to members of the public about the Sanctuary, the raptor hospital and our resident birds of prey.  We were asked a whole range of questions, from people wanting to know about siting nest boxes to a chap who wanted to know about the proposed release of the White Tailed Sea Eagle in Suffolk.  Along with us for the weekend, we had Auckland our little Boobook star, Nightshade our Barn Owl chick and a Malaysian Brown Wood Owl chick, both around 5 weeks old at the time. The sun shone all day so we made sure our young charges were well protected and though a bit tiring for us ‘umans, the event was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

The next day we had another opportunity to spread our wings for a totally different occasion - a talk to the local Rotary Club. The members had been told that we would be giving a talk about the Sanctuary. We used a visual display to illustrate our presentation which featured pictures of the falconry team, the Sanctuary and some of our raptor residents plus information about the key aims of our Charity.

A night out with the birds - this time our hosts were the local Rotary Club who were treated to the dulcet tones of Baloo and the vociferous Bali

It was a surprise, however, that we took along a couple of raptors with us as well - Baloo our Indian Eagle Owl & Bali our Malaysian Brown Wood Owl.  Both are very calm and relaxed in company and are extremely stunning to look at in their different ways, especially at an indoor venue but Bali the Talkative has a tremendously loud call, so both birds were kept safely in their travelling boxes until our presentation was over - otherwise he would have given the game away!

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Achieving Conservation Goals...

OK, we may not be scoring too highly on the soccer pitch at present, but there are some goals we are able to achieve on the conservation front!

We have often reported on the work that we do in our raptor hospital here at S.O.S., but our aim to aid the conservation of birds of prey also extends much further afield and part of our job is to be on hand to answer queries from members of the public who have seen a bird they can’t identify or need information or help with some kind of raptor dilemma.

We think our French friend was a Buzzard, who when mature will look something like our own Common Buzzard, Ash

One email we received recently came from a lady who lives in France. She and her husband had found a nest that had clearly not been visited for some time but had an abandoned young Buzzard in it. Having only been able to gain the most basic information for the bird’s care, the lady then emailed us asking what on earth she should do next, as she was worried that the bird would become dependent on her for food and would not learn to hunt for itself.

Andy phoned the lady and enquired about the age of the bird, which was only a youngster - probably around 6 or seven weeks old - and how she was caring for it, so that he could advise her of the steps to take next. As the bird was at that time being kept in a barn, Andy suggested that the lady and her husband build a 3 foot square, wooden hack box with a meshed, open front on hinges. The box would then need to be screwed to the side of the barn, where the buzzard would get the benefit of the early morning sun, but would be sheltered from the hot afternoon sun. He suggested that it be placed about 8 foot up, as this would make it a manageable height for feeding the bird and also be a suitable height for its first flight – not too far to fall!

The next step will be to keep the bird in the hack box and feed it in there for around ten to fourteen days, before opening the front of the box and allowing the Buzzard to practise its flying skills. It will be necessary then, to continue to feed the bird in the hack box, so that it has a focal place for food. Gradually, as the bird’s flying skills improve, it should start hunting for small prey, such as frogs, insects and small mammals and will gradually become less dependent on the food left for it in the barn. Over time, it should be evident that the bird is not coing back every day, until eventually it will become self sufficient and be able to fend for itself properly in its natural environment.

Hopefully our diagnosis and advice will prove successful and we’ll let you know how things progress when we receive further news.

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Little Treasures...

Somewhat unfortunately, this time of year is always a busy one where the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary hospital is concerned.  It's a tough old world out there, even for seasoned birds of prey, but life is fraught with danger if you're a nipper just starting out.  In the spring and early summer, as well as the usual quota of injured raptors, the hospital also receives a number of orphaned littl'uns, for a variety of reasons. 

Raring to go - two of the four Little Owls brought into us recently just before we took them off to the hack box - the first step in the release process

Dean checks on the little’uns safely installed in their hack box in a local barn - he will visit & feed them daily and then open up the front of the box as they learn to fend for themselves

You may remember in our blog of 2/6/10 that we saw the arrival of a brood of Little Owls, which unfortunately were still in a tree when it was cut down.  The Little Owls looked so tiny and vulnerable when they first came to us, it seemed incredible to think that they would one day be able to fend for themselves in the wild.  But it's amazing how fast they grow and after just a few short weeks they were robust enough and healthy enough to begin their journey back to their natural habitat.  The first step was to put the youngsters into a 'hack box' and Conservation Officer Dean took along volunteer Kate to record the event.  The hack box has been located on a farm local to the Sanctuary, so that Dean can keep an eye on the youngsters and feed them until they are ready to hunt for themselves and then finally be released.

Loving to Learn
This is also a busy season for us education-wise, as it's the time of year that many schools are looking to provided extra-special educational experiences for their pupils.  Educating youngsters about the care and conservation of birds of prey is one of the most important facilities we can offer here at the Sanctuary, as todays youngsters will be the prime movers in caring for our environment in years to come.

Weather permitting, every school visit to the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary includes one of our spectacular flying displays, where the children have the opportunity to see first hand the incredible beauty and majesty of some of stunning raptors in flight.  A guided tour of the centre also gives them the chance to learn all sorts of fascinating facts about birds of prey from all over the world and to see them close up.

Schools visiting S.O.S. experience a wide variety of education activities connected with the raptor world, from Arts & Crafts to Pellet Dissection!

Our education department offers a variety of activities, all aimed at being fun as well as informative, one of the most popular of which is 'pellet dissection'.  Kids are always surprised to learn that owls don't have teeth and as a consequence have to swallow their prey whole.  They are fascinated and horrified in equal measure to discover that the bits an owl can't digest, such as bones, feathers and fur are 'coughed up' a few hours after they've eaten, in the form of a pellet.  

Once we get to the part where the pellets can be soaked and then teased apart to see what's inside, kids and teachers alike are hooked.  It's incredibly exciting to find a perfectly formed leg bone, or even better the miniature skull of a bird or small mammal.  There is a great deal that can be learnt from observing what our top predators are consuming; the information gleaned can give us an important overview of what's happening in our environment, so we hope we're doing our bit to enthuse youngsters to look after their world in the future.

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Busy, busy...

Here at the S.O.S. we are always on the look out for ways that we can contribute to Britshh wildlife conservation issues, not only in terms of our native birds of prey, but also in other areas.

There has been a great deal of emphasis in the news lately about the worrying decline of the humble bumble bee, which is currently under serious threat. This is mainly due to how agricultural practices have changed over the last 70 years, with the use of pesticides and a decrease in the number of insect pollinated crops. Bees are so important to our food production that, the theory is, if they became extinct the human race would follow shortly after! Just one of a whole host of reasons for doing our bit to try to boost their population numbers and aid the recovery of this fascinating and incredible insect.

To this end, our Andy proposed the idea that we should use a small area at the Sanctuary and turn it into a bee and butterfly garden. It’s a lovely spot, overlooked by a beautiful, ornamental Maple tree and flanked by benches just adjacent to the Barclays Bank Sensory Garden which they so kindly installed for us a year or so back - so that visitors can sit and watch what we hope will be a variety of bees and butterflies, not to mention other insect life, once the garden has fully established itself.

Andy’s new Bee & Butterfly Garden took just a few days to install, thanks to some hard work on his behalf and the help of the rest of the staff & volunteers...now all we need is some SUN!!

With lots of help from volunteers and the S.O.S team, our new bee and butterfly garden was dug, fenced and planted in just a few days.  All we need now is some sun to encourage new residents to come and stay with us at the Sanctuary!

Essex Wildlife Trust Country Fair

It is essential to us at S.O.S. that we are able to promote our key aims – Conservation, Rehabilitation and Education - to as wide an audience as possible and so it is important that we take opportunities such as attending the Essex Wildlife and Country Fair to do just that.

The fair was held at Abberton Reservoir in the village of Layer-de-la-Haye and was attended by well over a thousand visitors. Andy dutifully discarded his hoe & trowel and went along on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th of June, taking with him a female Peregrine Falcon (which has only recently joined us at the Sanctuary) and Auckland our Boobook Owl who, as you may remember from previous blogs, is an old pro at this kind of thing.  It was the Peregrine’s first out-show, but she behaved impeccably and even had her picture taken with Colchester United football mascot, ‘Eddie the Eagle’!

It took us AGES to work out if Andy’s shorts were getting longer...or his legs were getting shorter....

Andy was particularly interested to be able to observe a bird ringing exhibition and had the opportunity for the first time to see a Nightingale being ringed. He was also chuffed to see a wild Hobby flying across the show ground – not something you see every day.

This is the fourth year the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary has been asked to attend the Essex Wildlife Trust Country Fair, the first time being after we were permitted to release a Short-Eared Owl at the Reservoir. The owl had come to the Sanctuary’s hospital totally exhausted after it had landed on an oil-rig platform, after migrating to England from Europe. This is the kind of rehabilitation story that epitomises what we aim to achieve here at S.O.S and so it’s great to be able to continue our association with the Abberton Reservoir.

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The Marsh Harrier Saga...

At the beginning of March, we reported on one of our long-term hospital residents, which has been with us since way back last August.

To recap briefly, the Marsh Harrier had two bits of shot in its wing and a swollen, infected foot. It has taken a long time and a great deal of care to tend the Harrier back to health and in March, with a mended wing and a healed foot, we were just waiting for its tail to moult properly before finally expecting to release it back into its natural habitat. Talk about ‘best laid plans…’ The Harrier’s tail is now absolutely fine, but for no explicable reason the toes on its right foot have suddenly all swollen up again.

Sneak peak - I grabbed a crafty photo of the basking Marsh Harrier in its recuperation aviary at feeding time, though we generally rely on ‘big brother’ in the corner to keep an eye on things, so keeping human contact to a minimum

So it was decided that another trip to the vet was required. Marsh Harriers are very sensitive birds with nervous, flighty dispositions and they have tendency to react quite wildly when unsure of a situation, so General Manager Andy wrapped our patient securely in a towel before putting it in the travelling box. This way it could be kept calm and quiet and not run the risk of thrashing about and causing damage to itself.

The vet examined the bird’s foot closely and decided that the best course of action was to put it on a course of antibiotics for a couple of weeks. If this doesn’t cure the condition, the next course of action will be to x-ray the Harrier’s foot, to see if an operation to remove the detritus in the affected area would be appropriate.
We are desperately hoping that the antibiotics will do the trick though, as the Harrier has been with us for a long time and the falconers would really like to see it returned to its natural habitat as soon as possible. I was concerned that the Harrier wouldn’t survive in the wild, having been in a rehabilitation aviary for so long, but I was assured that as it has had the absolute minimum of human contact necessary and will not have forgotten its natural hunting instincts, it would be absolutely fine again once released.

So for now, the Marsh Harrier is back in the rehabilitation aviary and we are keeping everything crossed that it will soon be fit and well to fly free once more. However this a case which illustrates perfectly that the care and rehabilitation of such wonderful creatures and others like them unfortunate enough to come a cropper, is often a lengthy process.

All Friends Together

Two Boobook owlets and two Tawny owlets shape up together in the crèche aviary

We are absolutely chuffed with the real baby boom we’ve had this year again and all our current chicks are in fine fettle and looking fat, fluffy & well fed. At the moment we have four Harris Hawk babies, five Little Owl chicks, two Tawny owlets, two Boobook babies and two Lanner chicks. The Boobooks and Tawnies are now in the crèche aviary, where they have lots of space to grow and to start finding out what their wings are for and exercising them.

The youngest of our babies are still being fed with tweezers every four hours, which means one of the S.O.S staff has to take them home and look after them after the Sanctuary closes for the day. For the first couple of feeds, Andy adds a supplement called Bioplus Pro-biotic, which helps to get the youngsters’ guts working properly and also has beneficial bacteria, minerals and pro-biotic herbs in, to give them the very best start in life.

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