Work Experience - A Reader Writes!

My name is Harry Studd and I have just completed my two weeks of work experience at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary. 

When I arrived at the Sanctuary at the start of the project, the first thing I was taught to do was how to transfer some of the flying display birds who spend their nights in the mews room to the outdoor weatherings by one of the falconers, Matt. This was brilliant, just picking the birds up from their boxes and placing them on their perches for the day. 

This is me with my favourite owl, Cecil

Cleaning out the aviaries was an important job

To keep them from flying away the falconers tether the birds to their perches with a soft leash with what’s known as a falconers knot. The knot itself is very simple but difficult to perfect because you have to do it with one hand as you have a bird on your other wrist, so when I took the birds out for the first few times Matt helped me with my knot and taught me how to do it.

Every day at the centre I had a specific morning routine, which included getting the birds out of the mews room, followed by a cup of coffee, and then cleaning out and wiping down the birds' boxes in the mews room, followed by preparing the birds' food which included chopping up frozen chicks, rats and quail into pieces. At first I found this work quite gruesome but after a few days I got used to it.

Then I helped clean out the aviaries of some of the birds that fly in the displays, and some of the big aviaries which held Tawny Eagles, a Black Vulture and a Steppe Eagle. 

I made a good friend, Luke, at the centre

Another thing I did quite often during work experience was PAINTING!!! I painted the flying owl aviaries and the outside of the falconers hut, which took up a lot of time but was worth the hard work. Sometimes I got the paint onto the aviaries and buildings beside all over me.

I learnt a lot about all of the owls at the centre from the flying displays and also asking the falconers questions about the birds. I found out quite a lot I didn't know especially that there are many myths about owls - e.g. all owls are nocturnal and that owls are very smart - which are not true. Many owls are not nocturnal because they fly at dawn & dusk, and owls are not very bright, either. This is because their brains are proportionately quite small compared with the size of their head as they have big eyes and ears which leaves very little room for a brain. If we take Cecil as an example, when we look him we can only see about 30% of his eye because they are shaped like Cornetto’s - we can only see the 'ice cream' part at the top and the cone part is actually inside Cecil’s head. Also Cecil is a lot thinner than he looks - without all his feathers he would look a lot thinner!

Ash, the Common Buzzard on the glove of one of the falconers

Cecil is a Spectacled Owl which I flew three times whilst I was at the Sanctuary and that was the best part about my work experience. Also during the time I flew Auckland, a Little Owl and Cobweb, a Barn Owl.

My favourite bird at the centre has to be the Common Buzzard, Ash - this is because he is a great flyer and has a great personality.

It wasn’t just me on work experience as we had another boy from Thomas Mills High School whose name was Luke Mercer. We got on very well and enjoyed each other’s company and had a good laugh together. We did most of the jobs together like cleaning the aviaries and painting as well as flying the birds which he and I thoroughly enjoyed and want to do again.

I would just like to say thank you to everyone at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary who had to put up with me for two weeks and I can’t wait to come and help in the summer. See you then!

Words by Harry Studd (15)
Pictures by Luke Mercer & Harry Studd

Work Experience - A Reader Writes!

My name is Harry Studd and I have just completed my two weeks of work experience at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary. 

When I arrived at the Sanctuary at the start of the project, the first thing I was taught to do was how to transfer some of the flying display birds who spend their nights in the mews room to the outdoor weatherings by one of the falconers, Matt. This was brilliant, just picking the birds up from their boxes and placing them on their perches for the day. 

This is me with my favourite owl, Cecil

To keep them from flying away the falconers tether the birds to their perches with a soft leash with what’s known as a falconers knot. The knot itself is very simple but difficult to perfect because you have to do it with one hand as you have a bird on your other wrist, so when I took the birds out for the first few times Matt helped me with my knot and taught me how to do it.

Every day at the centre I had a specific morning routine, which included getting the birds out of the mews room, followed by a cup of coffee, and then cleaning out and wiping down the birds' boxes in the mews room, followed by preparing the birds' food which included chopping up frozen chicks, rats and quail into pieces. At first I found this work quite gruesome but after a few days I got used to it.

Then I helped clean out the aviaries of some of the birds that fly in the displays, and some of the big aviaries which held Tawny Eagles, a Black Vulture and a Steppe Eagle. 

Cleaning out the aviaries was an important job

Another thing I did quite often during work experience was PAINTING!!! I painted the flying owl aviaries and the outside of the falconers hut, which took up a lot of time but was worth the hard work. Sometimes I got the paint onto the aviaries and buildings beside all over me.

I learnt a lot about all of the owls at the centre from the flying displays and also asking the falconers questions about the birds. I found out quite a lot I didn't know especially that there are many myths about owls - e.g. all owls are nocturnal and that owls are very smart - which are not true. Many owls are not nocturnal because they fly at dawn & dusk, and owls are not very bright, either. This is because their brains are proportionately quite small compared with the size of their head as they have big eyes and ears which leaves very little room for a brain. If we take Cecil as an example, when we look him we can only see about 30% of his eye because they are shaped like Cornetto’s - we can only see the 'ice cream' part at the top and the cone part is actually inside Cecil’s head. Also Cecil is a lot thinner than he looks - without all his feathers he would look a lot thinner!

I made a good friend, Luke, at the centre

Cecil is a Spectacled Owl which I flew three times whilst I was at the Sanctuary and that was the best part about my work experience. Also during the time I flew Auckland, a Little Owl and Cobweb, a Barn Owl. 

My favourite bird at the centre has to be the Common Buzzard, Ash - this is because he is a great flyer and has a great personality.

Ash, the Common Buzzard on the glove of one of the falconers

It wasn’t just me on work experience as we had another boy from Thomas Mills High School whose name was Luke Mercer. We got on very well and enjoyed each other’s company and had a good laugh together. We did most of the jobs together like cleaning the aviaries and painting as well as flying the birds which he and I thoroughly enjoyed and want to do again. I would just like to say thank you to everyone at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary who had to put up with me for two weeks and I can’t wait to come and help in the summer. See you then!

Words by Harry Studd (15)
Pictures by Luke Mercer & Harry Studd

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Release Day

This being the time of year when fledgling Tawny Owls are finding their way around, during the last few weeks we have acquired a total of five babies who have either been brought into us as 'orphans' or have had to be rescued in various states of repair. We're pleased to report that we've been able to been able to release all five of them back to nature fit and well

The first owlet had wandered too far away from its nest to be put back and had obviously been absent-without-leave from home for quite a while as it was very hungry by the time it was brought into us.

The second and third owlets were lovingly picked up by a kind Labrador - yes, Labrador - whilst out with its owner. Again the babies could not be put back in or near their nest immediately as the lady dog-owner was walking in a wood and had no idea where exactly they had been retrieved from.

The fourth owlet was rescued in a very poor and extremely smelly state as it had fallen in a sceptic tank and was basically just a little lump of poop. At first it was actually difficult to see what type of owl it was until it had a bath… and guess who got that job? Several bowls of stinky water later, we had one very happy, poop-free Tawny Owl chick.

… and then the others get the idea!

And last but not least, the final Tawny baby was found all alone and very wet, too wet to be left where it was found* so after a good dry up and feed, owlet number five joined the other four in the recuperation aviaries awaiting release.

The first of the few… one Tawny Owlet takes flight…

A few weeks ago it was decided all the babies were ready to be taken to a safe & secluded site where they were placed in a Hack Box - basically a false nest where they are fed daily until willing and able to fend for themselves: while in the box the babies get used to the sights and sounds of the surrounding area where they will eventually be released. I am happy to say that day came around last week and in beautiful warm & sunny weather, we had the pleasure of watching them all fly off very happily into the surrounding woods, all 'as free as a bird'.

* P.S. We always suggest that 'found' baby Tawny Owls should never be picked up but whenever possible left where they are, as their parents usually know of their proximity and will still care for the youngsters even though they may be out of the nest. 

Release Day

This being the time of year when fledgling Tawny Owls are finding their way around, during the last few weeks we have acquired a total of five babies who have either been brought into us as 'orphans' or have had to be rescued in various states of repair. We're pleased to report that we've been able to been able to release all five of them back to nature fit and well

The first owlet had wandered too far away from its nest to be put back and had obviously been absent-without-leave from home for quite a while as it was very hungry by the time it was brought into us.

The second and third owlets were lovingly picked up by a kind Labrador - yes, Labrador - whilst out with its owner. Again the babies could not be put back in or near their nest immediately as the lady dog-owner was walking in a wood and had no idea where exactly they had been retrieved from.

The fourth owlet was rescued in a very poor and extremely smelly state as it had fallen in a sceptic tank and was basically just a little lump of poop. At first it was actually difficult to see what type of owl it was until it had a bath… and guess who got that job? Several bowls of stinky water later, we had one very happy, poop-free Tawny Owl chick.

And last but not least, the final Tawny baby (featured in a recent blog) was found all alone and very wet, too wet to be left where it was found* so after a good dry up and feed, owlet number five joined the other four in the recuperation aviaries awaiting release.

The first of the few… one Tawny Owlet takes flight…

… and then the others get the idea!

A few weeks ago it was decided all the babies were ready to be taken to a safe & secluded site where they were placed in a Hack Box - basically a false nest where they are fed daily until willing and able to fend for themselves: while in the box the babies get used to the sights and sounds of the surrounding area where they will eventually be released. I am happy to say that day came around last week and in beautiful warm & sunny weather, we had the pleasure of watching them all fly off very happily into the surrounding woods, all 'as free as a bird'.

* P.S. We always suggest that 'found' baby Tawny Owls should never be picked up but whenever possible left where they are, as their parents usually know of their proximity and will still care for the youngsters even though they may be out of the nest.

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Birds, Bees and other New Arrivals

Summer is gradually making its way here to the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary and as well as our passion for our native Birds of Prey, we also have a great interest in our Flora and Fauna we find and encourage into the Sanctuary. Here's a round-up of recent activity…

Butterflies & Bees
Our Butterfly and Bee garden is now in full bloom with Foxgloves, Lupins, Lavender and the Delphiniums which have been specially planted to attract and provide rich nectar for the native butterfly & bee species which play such a very important part in our biodiversity.

A Bumble Bee taking advantage of the nectar on offer

A new Red Squirrel joins our colony
Last week we received a new addition to our colony - a young 16-week old female - courtesy of our friends at the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey. She is been housed in the new hexagonal squirrel enclosure purpose built by Matt over the winter and she is settling in well . Before long we will be introducing her to one of the males and all being well, the pair should be successful in raising kits which will eventually be donated to one of the controlled Red Squirrel re-habilitation programmes which are flourishing in the UK.

The distinctive bushy tail and tufty ears of the native Red Squirrel are shown to best advantage in this photograph taken for us by Paul Sawer, who runs some of our Photo Days

Woodland Walk Visitor

A recent visitor to the small woodland area behind the centre was this Goldfinch, showing off its colourful plumage

Meerkat Update
You may have read that we introduced a young pair of Meerkats to the centre earlier this year. Although unrelated, they settled in well - so well in fact that this week mum, called Bonnie, produced two bouncing youngsters - which was rather a surprise so early on in her relationship with her partner Bandit, bringing new relevance to the term "speed dating"! Watch this space for more news & pictures of the youngsters.

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Have at thee, varlet!

A couple of weekends ago, we stepped back in time here at the Sanctuary to host another popular Mediaeval weekend as we welcomed the Black Knights Historical group back to Stonham to work their magic. 

The Black Knight Historical Group girding their loins before the fray

Ian Pycroft and his team arrived on the Thursday afternoon to start setting up their extensive camp, whilst (once again) our typical English summer weather threatened to turn the brightly-coloured selection of tents & awnings into something that resembled a muddy Glastonbury campsite, but fortunately good luck prevailed and the weather turned in our favour, so a good and fairly dry weekend was enjoyed by all our visitors.

Battling Knights are always popular - here they are preparing to 'Have At Thee!'

The weekend entailed many activities and aspects of Mediaeval life, including archery displays, battle re-enactments & yeomanry tactics, minstrels, dancing and cooking-and-tasting demonstrations, whilst the in-camp workshops included coin striking and learning how to make chain mail armour. As falconry was an important part of life in the Middle Ages, what we do here at the centre slotted in nicely with the other activities over the weekend and our flying displays and commentary rounded out the event in a meaningful way.

The importance & ongoing relevance of heraldry was explained to all

This year, for the first time we held a separate Mediaeval "Schools" day on the Friday, and two local schools turned up in force to experience and learn about life in the Middle Ages. Various special workshops were constructed for them to take part in, including forming a troop of yeomen and judging by the sounds of the words “awesome” and “excellent” as the children made their way out of the centre, a good day was had by all!

Knead a hand? The culinary arts were demonstrated with gusto!

One of the teachers accompanying a group had these kind words to say about the event: “We were delighted with the Mediaeval Day and with the birds of prey demonstration. The pupils had a great time. The Black Knight people were superb and really captured the interest of the students. Most importantly all of our students left having learned and seen things they had not known or experienced before”

We'll be holding the event again next year, so watch this space and don't miss out on a very interesting day. And thanks, Black Knights, for your creative work and involvement with our visitors - much appreciated!

Mediaeval Fact of the Day…
The Dukes of St Albans have held the title of Hereditary Grand Falconer since 1684, which is a title which is still held by the incumbent today as it passes down the male line of the family.

Have at thee, varlet!

A couple of weekends ago, we stepped back in time here at the Sanctuary to host another popular Mediaeval weekend as we welcomed the Black Knights Historical group back to Stonham to work their magic. 

The Black Knight Historical Group girding their loins before the fray

Ian Pycroft and his team arrived on the Thursday afternoon to start setting up their extensive camp, whilst (once again) our typical English summer weather threatened to turn the brightly-coloured selection of tents & awnings into something that resembled a muddy Glastonbury campsite, but fortunately good luck prevailed and the weather turned in our favour, so a good and fairly dry weekend was enjoyed by all our visitors.

Battling Knights are always popular - here they are preparing to ‘Have At Thee!’

The weekend entailed many activities and aspects of Mediaeval life, including archery displays, battle re-enactments & yeomanry tactics, minstrels, dancing and cooking-and-tasting demonstrations, whilst the in-camp workshops included coin striking and learning how to make chain mail armour. As falconry was an important part of life in the Middle Ages, what we do here at the centre slotted in nicely with the other activities over the weekend and our flying displays and commentary rounded out the event in a meaningful way.

The importance & ongoing relevance of heraldry was explained to all

This year, for the first time we held a separate Mediaeval "Schools" day on the Friday, and two local schools turned up in force to experience and learn about life in the Middle Ages. Various special workshops were constructed for them to take part in, including forming a troop of yeomen and judging by the sounds of the words “awesome” and “excellent” as the children made their way out of the centre, a good day was had by all!

Knead a hand? The culinary arts were demonstrated with gusto!

One of the teachers accompanying a group had these kind words to say about the event: “We were delighted with the Mediaeval Day and with the birds of prey demonstration. The pupils had a great time. The Black Knight people were superb and really captured the interest of the students. Most importantly all of our students left having learned and seen things they had not known or experienced before”

We'll be holding the event again next year, so watch this space and don't miss out on a very interesting day. And thanks, Black Knights, for your creative work and involvement with our visitors - much appreciated!

Mediaeval Fact of the Day…
The Dukes of St Albans have held the title of Hereditary Grand Falconer since 1684, which is a title which is still held by the incumbent today as it passes down the male line of the family.

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Making The Grade

We have a lot of students coming to the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, not just to visit, but also often for work experience.  We offer photo days for school pupils and courses for youngsters who take a keen and serious interest in learning how to look after and handle birds of prey.  Recently, we were contacted by some students from Ravensbourne College in London, asking whether our falconers could donate some time to talk about the Sanctuary and the work we do here for the purpose of a documentary film they wanted to make.

Filming gets under way with Maz and a camera-shy Cecil being interviewed by Georgina

The students in question, Sean, Georgina, Jade, Nathalie, Stephen, Scott and Aiste were keen to visit on two dates, 19th April and 17th May.  The objective was to find out all about the Sanctuary’s Education, Conservation and Rehabilitation projects and to film around the Sanctuary.  Matt and Maz were on hand to welcome the students and give them a guided tour and then the students were able to film Maz and Matt talking about various aspects of the Sanctuary, including Matt’s conservation project for rearing and releasing Red Squirrels. 

Cecil learning his lines

One of our visiting Tawny Eagles looks on… 

Maz showed them around the hospital, explaining the equipment and medication the falconers use and going through the procedure of what happens when an injured raptor is brought in to the Sanctuary.  The hospital was actually empty, but quite by coincidence, the students were on hand when a very poorly young Tawny Owl was brought in (that’s another story) so they were able to see the process for themselves.
 
At this time of year, the flying display birds are also in their prime and the students were able to film the raptors in all their aerial magnificence. 
 
The information and footage collected will be used to help Sean, Georgina, Jade, Nathalie, Stephen, Scott and Aiste to complete a final major project for their degrees in production and hopefully we will be able to attach the film footage to our website for everyone to see.  Matt and Maz were very happy to give their time and expertise to help the youngsters and of course we wish them all great success with their project.

UPDATE

Click here to see the film made by the students of Ravensbourne College on You Tube - well done, gang, and thanks for choosing us as the subject for your project!

Birds, Bees & other New Arrivals

Summer is gradually making its way here to the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary and as well as our passion for our native Birds of Prey, we also have a great interest in our Flora and Fauna we find and encourage into the Sanctuary. Here's a round-up of recent activity…

Butterflies & Bees

Our Butterfly and Bee garden is now in full bloom with Foxgloves, Lupins, Lavender and the Delphiniums which have been specially planted to attract and provide rich nectar for the native butterfly & bee species which play such a very important part in our biodiversity.

A Bumble Bee taking advantage of the nectar on offer

A new Red Squirrel joins our colony

Last week we received a new addition to our colony - a young 16-week old female - courtesy of our friends at the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey. She is been housed in the new hexagonal squirrel enclosure purpose built by Matt over the winter and she is settling in well . Before long we will be introducing her to one of the males and all being well, the pair should be successful in raising kits which will eventually be donated to one of the controlled Red Squirrel re-habilitation programmes which are flourishing in the UK.

The distinctive bushy tail and tufty ears of the native Red Squirrel are shown to best advantage in this photograph taken for us by Paul Sawer, who runs some of our Photo Days

Woodland Walk Visitor

A recent visitor to the small woodland area behind the centre was this Goldfinch, showing off its colourful plumage

Meerkat Update

You may have read that we introduced a young pair of Meerkats to the centre earlier this year. Although unrelated, they settled in well - so well in fact that this week mum, called Bonnie, produced two bouncing youngsters - which was rather a surprise so early on in her relationship with her partner Bandit, bringing new relevance to the term "speed dating"! Watch this space for more news & pictures of the youngsters.

Making The Grade

We have a lot of students coming to the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, not just to visit, but also often for work experience. We offer photo days for school pupils and courses for youngsters who take a keen and serious interest in learning how to look after and handle birds of prey. Recently, we were contacted by some students from Ravensbourne College in London, asking whether our falconers could donate some time to talk about the Sanctuary and the work we do here for the purpose of a documentary film they wanted to make.

Filming gets under way with Maz and a camera-shy Cecil being interviewed by Georgina

The students in question, Sean, Georgina, Jade, Nathalie, Stephen, Scott and Aiste were keen to visit on two dates, 19th April and 17th May. The objective was to find out all about the Sanctuary’s Education, Conservation and Rehabilitation projects and to film around the Sanctuary. Matt and Maz were on hand to welcome the students and give them a guided tour and then the students were able to film Maz and Matt talking about various aspects of the Sanctuary, including Matt’s conservation project for rearing and releasing Red Squirrels (read more at here).

Cecil learning his lines

Maz showed them around the hospital, explaining the equipment and medication the falconers use and going through the procedure of what happens when an injured raptor is brought in to the Sanctuary. The hospital was actually empty, but quite by coincidence, the students were on hand when a very poorly young Tawny Owl was brought in (that’s another story) so they were able to see the process for themselves.

At this time of year, the flying display birds are also in their prime and the students were able to film the raptors in all their aerial magnificence.

The information and footage collected will be used to help Sean, Georgina, Jade, Nathalie, Stephen, Scott and Aiste to complete a final major project for their degrees in production and hopefully we will be able to attach the film footage to our website for everyone to see. Matt and Maz were very happy to give their time and expertise to help the youngsters and of course we wish them all great success with their project.

One of our visiting Tawny Eagles looks on…

UPDATE

Click here to see the film made by the students of Ravensbourne College on You Tube - well done, gang, and thanks for choosing us as the subject for your project!

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Far From Home

At this time of year, when our native wild owls are a-courtin’, we try to spread the message that seemingly abandoned chicks are usually better left where they are, because mum and dad are most likely not far away, keeping a weather eye on them.

However, there’s always the exception to the rule and sometimes a youngster clearly hasn’t just taken a bit of a tumble from its nest. A case in point was when one of our falconers received a concerned email from a gentleman, saying that there was a rather bedraggled baby owl in his garden that had been there for some hours. In this instance, the poor bird had obviously strayed rather too far from its nest and had finally taken refuge beside a flowerpot. Head Falconer Matt duly went to assess the situation on his way home from work and was certain that the chick, a young Tawny, had either lost or been abandoned by its parents. Not only was the Tawny Owlet somewhat dishevelled and soaking wet, but was also very thin, which suggested that it wasn’t being fed.

The bewildered Tawny owlet was found nestling behind a flowerpot

Having taken the chick home and put it somewhere warm and quiet, Matt then brought it in to the raptor hospital here at the Sanctuary, where it was given plenty of TLC and much needed food to help build it back up to full health and strength. The Tawny owlet has now been put into one of our special rehab aviaries with three other abandoned young Tawnies of similar age for company. One of the most important things about rearing wild young owls, with a view to releasing them, is minimal human contact, so that they don’t imprint or become attached to a handler. Everything possible is done to allow them as natural an upbringing as possible so that the transition back into the wild is easy.

In around a week or so the four Tawny chicks will be taken to a nearby farm area where we have very kindly been allowed to erect a permanent hack box. Here we provide & replace food on a daily basis so that the youngsters will be fed every day while they adapt to their new surroundings. Once the chicks are ready to go exploring, the front of the hack box will be opened and the process of integrating into the wild will begin. The chicks will continue to be fed for as long as they reappear at the hack box looking for food, but gradually, as they become accustomed to hunting, they will need to be supported less and less. Just like Tawny owlets raised in a nest together, they will naturally disperse and find their own territory. Once the chicks are put out in the hack box, we’ll keep you posted and let you know how they get on.

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Spring Has Sprung (almost)

We all know that spring has finally arrived when we see the first animated signs of material being collected for nest building.  Spring 2012 certainly seems to have been a little tardy weather-wise, but our resident birds at the Sanctuary aren’t fooled and have been busy making preparations and settling down to do what comes naturally at this time of year.

Our first 2012 chick was produced by our well-established pair of Lanner Falcons, Jem and Flint.  Jem is now twelve years old and Flint is fourteen and they have been very successful parents over the years.  Their progeny includes April and Lock who are both valuable and inspiring members of the Sanctuary’s flying display team.  Lanner Falcons can live into their mid twenties in captivity, but obviously mid teens is a good age to still be breeding, so it’s especially encouraging that Jem and Flint have been successful again this year.

Not quite "There Once Was An Ugly Duckling…" - but you get the idea! This young European Eagle Owlet will soon develop into as impressive an adult as its mother, Rheia (resident at the centre for 18 years now).

On the 13th and 17th April respectively, Rheia our European Eagle Owl hatched two youngsters, which are now being hand reared and are doing really well.  They are already destined for new homes, one in Essex and one in York and will be ready to make their respective journeys in a couple of weeks when they are around five weeks old.  This may seem a little young but, in the wild, European Eagle Owlets are ready to leave the nest at about   5 – 7 weeks old.  They are still looked after by both parents for around 20 – 24 weeks and of course will be well cared for in their new homes.

Despite being hatched only 4 days apart, the obvious difference in size of these two month-old European Eagle Owlets illustrates their rapid rate of growth

It’s always nice to have a ‘first’ and this year it was the turn of our Harris Hawks Dewhurst and Muldoon.  Muldoon has never had a clutch before, but produced two youngsters, which hatched successfully on 27th April.
 
Another pair who have been very successful parents are Tamsin and Darwin, our Southern Boobook Owls.  They usually tend to have one or two chicks and were the proud parents of ‘Auckland’ a few years back, a friendly little fellow, not only a favourite during flying displays but also tremendously popular on school visits.  Tamsin and Darwin have definitely produced young again this year, but as yet it’s difficult to say how many. Whenever possible, the Sanctuary’s breeding pairs are left undisturbed, so that they can rear their young naturally.  At such a sensitive time, it can mean that their aviaries have to be left unattended for a while, until the chicks have grown enough so that the parents don’t feel threatened by a human presence.  Obviously the falconers keep a close, monitoring eye on proceedings, in case help is needed, but otherwise it’s exciting to wait and see what spring has brought with it this year.

Spring Has Sprung (almost)

We all know that spring has finally arrived when we see the first animated signs of material being collected for nest building. Spring 2012 certainly seems to have been a little tardy weather-wise, but our resident birds at the Sanctuary aren’t fooled and have been busy making preparations and settling down to do what comes naturally at this time of year.

Our first 2012 chick was produced by our well-established pair of Lanner Falcons, Jem and Flint. Jem is now twelve years old and Flint is fourteen and they have been very successful parents over the years. Their progeny includes April and Lock who are both valuable and inspiring members of the Sanctuary’s flying display team. Lanner Falcons can live into their mid twenties in captivity, but obviously mid teens is a good age to still be breeding, so it’s especially encouraging that Jem and Flint have been successful again this year.

Not quite "There Once Was An Ugly Duckling…" - but you get the idea! This young European Eagle Owlet will soon develop into as impressive an adult as its
mother, Rheia (resident at the centre for 18 years now).

On the 13th and 17th April respectively, Rheia our European Eagle Owl hatched two youngsters, which are now being hand reared and are doing really well. They are already destined for new homes, one in Essex and one in York and will be ready to make their respective journeys in a couple of weeks when they are around five weeks old. This may seem a little young but, in the wild, European Eagle Owlets are ready to leave the nest at about 5 – 7 weeks old. They are still looked after by both parents for around 20 – 24 weeks and of course will be well cared for in their new homes.

Despite being hatched only 4 days apart, the obvious difference in size of these two month-old European Eagle Owlets illustrates their rapid rate of growth

It’s always nice to have a ‘first’ and this year it was the turn of our Harris Hawks Dewhurst and Muldoon. Muldoon has never had a clutch before, but produced two youngsters, which hatched successfully on 27th April.

Another pair who have been very successful parents are Tamsin and Darwin, our Southern Boobook Owls. They usually tend to have one or two chicks and were the proud parents of ‘Auckland’ a few years back, a friendly little fellow, not only a favourite during flying displays but also tremendously popular on school visits. Tamsin and Darwin have definitely produced young again this year, but as yet it’s difficult to say how many. Whenever possible, the Sanctuary’s breeding pairs are left undisturbed, so that they can rear their young naturally. At such a sensitive time, it can mean that their aviaries have to be left unattended for a while, until the chicks have grown enough so that the parents don’t feel threatened by a human presence. Obviously the falconers keep a close, monitoring eye on proceedings, in case help is needed, but otherwise it’s exciting to wait and see what spring has brought with it this year.

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Raptors in Transit

Last weekend, a couple of our falconers took some birds to the East Anglian Game & Country Fair, which is a fair old drive to Norwich from Stonham Aspal, taking just under an hour and generally speaking is about as far as we like to transport our birds of prey.

You’d think it might be easy just to put a raptor in a box and away you go, but actually there are lots of factors that need to be taken into consideration.  As with all animals in cars, one very important aspect is how hot the weather is when you’re driving and it’s very important to ensure that birds don’t overheat whilst in transit.  Raptors generally don’t drink very much, instead deriving the moisture they need from their food, so it’s less easy to offer them a drink than you might, for example, with a dog.  Proper travelling boxes, purposely designed for birds of prey, are equipped with ventilation holes that allow plenty of air flow at all times.

Pungu, our Bateleur Eagle, visited the East Anglian Game & Country Fair last weekend

The size of travelling box is also extremely important: depending on the size of the bird, it’s vital that a travelling box offers enough room so that the bird isn’t bashed against the sides, but is not so big that it can jump around too much and damage itself.  Suitable perches are also a requirement, allowing birds to perch in a natural position with clear headroom and without allowing their tail feathers to touch the floor of the container.

Our birds are transported in specially-designed boxes to allow plenty of ventilation and accommodate varying tail lengths and wingspans

For example, one of the birds to make the journey last weekend was Pungu, the Sanctuary’s Bateleur Eagle.  Pungu is a big bird, being approximately 24 inches long, with a wingspan of 5'6" - 6 ft.  She is what’s commonly known as a ‘Serpent Eagle’, due to her natural preference for eating snakes.  Because of this she has, for a bird of prey, a very short tail, allowing her to jump backwards away from a striking snake.  For Pungu then, keeping her tail feathers intact isn’t a problem.  However, she has extremely long primary feathers (those at the tips of her wings) and they must be kept clearly off the ground when she’s in her travelling box, to prevent them being broken.

This picture of Pungu basking in the sun illustrates her impressive wingspan, the primary feathers of which must be carefully protected during transit

Some eagles are too big to even sit on a perch whilst travelling and are safest sitting on the ground.  Red Kites on the other hand have extremely long tails and need especially high perches to keep their tail feathers intact.
 
Even the way a bird box is positioned in a vehicle can give a raptor a more comfortable journey.  Planning the route beforehand really helps.  If you know you’re travelling on lots of straight roads, it’s best to have a bird box facing either directly forwards or directly backwards.  If the journey is likely to be fairly wiggly, then the birds can follow the movement more comfortably if their box is placed sideways to the wheels of the vehicle.
 
As with all animals, different birds react differently to travel; some get travel sick and others can get quite distressed, so it’s wise to try a short journey first.  As always, the needs of our birds come first here at the Sanctuary, so the falconers only travel with the birds they know are happy to take it all in their stride!

Raptors in Transit

Last weekend, a couple of our falconers took some birds to the East Anglian Game & Country Fair, which is a fair old drive to Norwich from Stonham Aspal, taking just under an hour and generally speaking is about as far as we like to transport our birds of prey.

You’d think it might be easy just to put a raptor in a box and away you go, but actually there are lots of factors that need to be taken into consideration. As with all animals in cars, one very important aspect is how hot the weather is when you’re driving and it’s very important to ensure that birds don’t overheat whilst in transit. Raptors generally don’t drink very much, instead deriving the moisture they need from their food, so it’s less easy to offer them a drink than you might, for example, with a dog. Proper travelling boxes, purposely designed for birds of prey, are equipped with ventilation holes that allow plenty of air flow at all times.

Pungu, our Bateleur Eagle, visited the East Anglian Game & Country Fair last weekend

The size of travelling box is also extremely important: depending on the size of the bird, it’s vital that a travelling box offers enough room so that the bird isn’t bashed against the sides, but is not so big that it can jump around too much and damage itself. Suitable perches are also a requirement, allowing birds to perch in a natural position with clear headroom and without allowing their tail feathers to touch the floor of the container.

Our birds are transported in specially-designed boxes to allow plenty of ventilation and accommodate varying tail lengths and wingspans

For example, one of the birds to make the journey last weekend was Pungu, the Sanctuary’s Bateleur Eagle. Pungu is a big bird, being approximately 24 inches long, with a wingspan of 5'6" - 6 ft. She is what’s commonly known as a ‘Serpent Eagle’, due to her natural preference for eating snakes. Because of this she has, for a bird of prey, a very short tail, allowing her to jump backwards away from a striking snake. For Pungu then, keeping her tail feathers intact isn’t a problem. However, she has extremely long primary feathers (those at the tips of her wings) and they must be kept clearly off the ground when she’s in her travelling box, to prevent them being broken.

This picture of Pungu basking in the sun illustrates her impressive wingspan, the primary feathers of which must be carefully protected during transit

Some eagles are too big to even sit on a perch whilst travelling and are safest sitting on the ground. Red Kites on the other hand have extremely long tails and need especially high perches to keep their tail feathers intact.

Even the way a bird box is positioned in a vehicle can give a raptor a more comfortable journey. Planning the route beforehand really helps. If you know you’re travelling on lots of straight roads, it’s best to have a bird box facing either directly forwards or directly backwards. If the journey is likely to be fairly wiggly, then the birds can follow the movement more comfortably if their box is placed sideways to the wheels of the vehicle.

As with all animals, different birds react differently to travel; some get travel sick and others can get quite distressed, so it’s wise to try a short journey first. As always, the needs of our birds come first here at the Sanctuary, so the falconers only travel with the birds they know are happy to take it all in their stride!

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Wild Owl Nestbox Projects Join Forces

Established by S.O.S. in 2000, the East Anglian Nest Box Scheme for wild owls and other birds of prey has progressively surveyed and then built, sited, erected and monitored a network of wild owl nesting boxes to replace the diminishing number of derelict barns, outbuildings and natural nesting cavities favoured by raptors in our Mid-Suffolk vicinity.

One of the Thornham Owl Project volunteers cleans out the detritus of last years nesting activity

This has proved a substantially worthwhile exercise to date, so we are very pleased to now be amalgamating our efforts with another long-standing regional group - The Thornham Owl Project - in order to strengthen, consolidate & extend the important work of providing safe & secure lodgings for wild birds of prey, especially those species which are under threat.

The Thornham Owl Project was started in 1997 with the aim of achieving a very similar set of objectives further north in the county and into South Norfolk along the Waveney & Gipping Valleys and on the Thornham Estate, especially recognising that the advent of Dutch Elm disease coupled with the damage caused by severe gales in the 1960s & ‘70s had destroyed a great many of the natural cavity nesting sites favoured particularly by endangered Barn Owls in the flatlands of East Anglia. 

Box 247, for a Barn Owl, is sited high in a tree

A more modern placing for this box, under the eaves of a large grain silo

The work of this volunteer group has flourished over the years to the point where it has erected over 250 boxes, maintains a programme of seasonally repairing and cleaning boxes and methodically records details of occupation & breeding success, in the event of which progeny are expertly ringed for census purposes.

But as the modern age of austerity has dawned, so a shadow has been cast across the survival of the Thornham Owl Project as the local authority has been forced to review and trim its budget and curtail many of the facilities which it has provided for the scheme and on which the scheme has hitherto been dependent.

So saying, it seemed logical that our two organisations pool resources in order to effect to continuance of both our programmes as a single venture, which is now under way. The arrangement is that S.O.S. will provide the vehicle, tools, materials and workshop facilities that we, together with the two principals of the Thornham Owl Project, Roger Buxton and Kevin Boyce, will continue to factor into a hands-on project which will positively benefit wildlife in general and owls in particular over the years to come.

Recently, our Conservation Officer Dean went with a couple of the Thornham Owl Project guys to commence the annual survey of existing nest boxes in preparation for the start of the new breeding season. Each box inspected was carefully examined for debris left over from last year’s nesting period and for signs of any unwanted visitors who might deter this year’s breeding pairs from nesting there, and also tested to ensure that the boxes were still secure after a year out in all kinds of unpredictable British weather.

Our combined scheme includes nest boxes for Little and Tawny Owls, but reacting to news of recent sightings of Barn Owls in the specific area being surveyed, a Barn Owl nest box was also sited in the vicinity.  Once erected, the new box was numbered for record keeping purposes and a ‘do not disturb’ sign put up, with the explanation that there may be owls nesting there.

Nest box schemes like this are an extremely important part of the Suffolk owl Sanctuary's “Saving Britain’s Owls” conservation initiative as they encourage wild raptors to breed and offer safe environments for them to nest in. We are especially pleased about the opportunity to join forces with The Thornham group on this project and thank our sponsors & donors for the support they have have given us through our "Adopt-An-Owl" scheme, which make it all possible.

Buzzard Update

Volunteer Pete does the honours of releasing the Buzzard...

… who soon settled back into his new environment

You may remember, back at the beginning of March, that we described how a Common Buzzard had been brought into the Sanctuary after having been shot.  It’s great to be able to report that the buzzard was finally released back into the wild after just a month of treatment, rest & recuperation at the Centre.  It was released into a lovely, quiet wooded area with plenty of ideal hunting ground and the land is owned by a farmer who thankfully has a great deal of respect for our native birds of prey.  We are really hopeful that the buzzard will thrive here and, who knows, even settle well enough in the future to raise a family!

Osprey Re-location

Readers may be interest in the short news piece which appeared on CNN recently telling of how an attempt has been made to re-locate a pair of Ospreys who had nested dangerously on a set of power lines. You can view the story here.

Wild Owl Nestbox Projects Join Forces

Established by S.O.S. in 2000, the East Anglian Nest Box Scheme for wild owls and other birds of prey has progressively surveyed and then built, sited, erected and monitored a network of wild owl nesting boxes to replace the diminishing number of derelict barns, outbuildings and natural nesting cavities favoured by raptors in our Mid-Suffolk vicinity.

This has proved a substantially worthwhile exercise to date, so we are very pleased to now be amalgamating our efforts with another long-standing regional group - The Thornham Owl Project - in order to strengthen, consolidate & extend the important work of providing safe & secure lodgings for wild birds of prey, especially those species which are under threat.

The Thornham Owl Project was started in 1997 with the aim of achieving a very similar set of objectives further north in the county and into South Norfolk along the Waveney & Gipping Valleys and on the Thornham Estate, especially recognising that the advent of Dutch Elm disease coupled with the damage caused by severe gales in the 1960s & ‘70s had destroyed a great many of the natural cavity nesting sites favoured particularly by endangered Barn Owls in the flatlands of East Anglia.

Box 247, for a Barn Owl, is sited high in a tree

A more modern placing for this box, under the eaves of a large grain silo

The work of this volunteer group has flourished over the years to the point where it has erected over 250 boxes, maintains a programme of seasonally repairing and cleaning boxes and methodically records details of occupation & breeding success, in the event of which progeny are expertly ringed for census purposes.

But as the modern age of austerity has dawned, so a shadow has been cast across the survival of the Thornham Owl Project as the local authority has been forced to review and trim its budget and curtail many of the facilities which it has provided for the scheme and on which the scheme has hitherto been dependent.

So saying, it seemed logical that our two organisations pool resources in order to effect to continuance of both our programmes as a single venture, which is now under way. The arrangement is that S.O.S. will provide the vehicle, tools, materials and workshop facilities that we, together with the two principals of the Thornham Owl Project, Roger Buxton and Kevin Boyce, will continue to factor into a hands-on project which will positively benefit wildlife in general and owls in particular over the years to come.

Recently, our Conservation Officer Dean went with a couple of the Thornham Owl Project guys to commence the annual survey of existing nest boxes in preparation for the start of the new breeding season. Each box inspected was carefully examined for debris left over from last year’s nesting period and for signs of any unwanted visitors who might deter this year’s breeding pairs from nesting there, and also tested to ensure that the boxes were still secure after a year out in all kinds of unpredictable British weather.

Our combined scheme includes nest boxes for Little and Tawny Owls, but reacting to news of recent sightings of Barn Owls in the specific area being surveyed, a Barn Owl nest box was also sited in the vicinity. Once erected, the new box was numbered for record keeping purposes and a ‘do not disturb’ sign put up, with the explanation that there may be owls nesting there.

Nest box schemes like this are an extremely important part of the Suffolk owl Sanctuary's “Saving Britain’s Owls” conservation initiative as they encourage wild raptors to breed and offer safe environments for them to nest in. We are especially pleased about the opportunity to join forces with The Thornham group on this project and thank our sponsors & donors for the support they have have given us through our "Adopt-An-Owl" scheme, which make it all possible.

Buzzard Update

Volunteer Pete does the honours of releasing the Buzzard...

… who soon settled back into his new environment

You may remember, back at the beginning of March, that we described how a Common Buzzard had been brought into the Sanctuary after having been shot. It’s great to be able to report that the buzzard was finally released back into the wild after just a month of treatment, rest & recuperation at the Centre. It was released into a lovely, quiet wooded area with plenty of ideal hunting ground and the land is owned by a farmer who thankfully has a great deal of respect for our native birds of prey. We are really hopeful that the buzzard will thrive here and, who knows, even settle well enough in the future to raise a family!

Osprey Re-location

Readers may be interest in the short news piece which appeared on CNN recently telling of how an attempt has been made to re-locate a pair of Ospreys who had nested dangerously on a set of power lines. You can view the story here.

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Mother’s Day Magic

It might be a tad fallacious to say that Sunday 18th March dawned bright and fair, in fact it was slightly dull and drizzly, but the weather did nothing to dampen the spirit of a fun packed Mother’s Day here at the Sanctuary.

Special attractions on Sunday included the Willowmead Alpacas, which are based a few miles north of Ipswich in Suffolk.  Three of the Alpacas came to visit and enthral visitors with their gentle expressions and amazingly thick fleece coats.  Visitors had the opportunity to go for ‘Alpaca walks’, leading them around the flying ground and even, once the Alpacas became more used to their environment, into the woodland walk. Alpacas look very similar to and are closely related to Llamas and tend to have a bit of a reputation for spitting, but actually they are only likely to spit at each other on occasion and, when handled properly as youngsters, are very good around people.

Alpacas & Macaws joined us for Mothering Sunday celebrations

We were also visited by Cleo and Bo the Macaws, who came with their owner, Simon, from Ipswich Macaw & Parrot Rescue.  Cleo and Bo are both very friendly and were quite happy to be stroked and have a fuss made of them.  Visitors were able to ask questions and Simon gave them lots of information about how to look after Parrots and Macaws.
 
At one o’clock, the falconers put on an exclusive pre-season flying display as a particular treat for Mother’s Day.  The flying team consisted of Auckland, Phyllis, Pungu the Bateleur Eagle and Nell the Falcon.  As usual they gave their audience a wonderful demonstration of their grace and beauty when in flight.

Young Phyllis took part in the pre-season flying demonstration

There was plenty for the kids to do, including having their faces decorated by our visiting face painting artist John and a special ‘pot-a-plant’ workshop, where kids could plant their own cornflowers and decorate the flowerpot to give to mum as a lovely Mother’s Day gift.  Visiting mums also had the opportunity to have their photo taken with either Phyllis our gorgeous Spectacled Owl, or Auckland our diminutive Southern Boobook Owl.

Of course, our beautiful Mums were the stars of the day and Phyllis was happy having her photograph taken with them. To mix our avian 'metaphors', she took to it like duck to water!

In addition, we were very lucky to have two of Heart Radio’s Angels with us to share the day.  They came armed with goodies and were kept very busy handing out daffodils, sweets and flags to all our guests.  We would like to say a big thank you to them and to all our other visiting attractions for helping to make the day such a wonderful one.

The girls from Heart Radio joined us for the day, dispensing daffodils and goodwill to visiting Mums

Mother’s Day Magic

It might be a tad fallacious to say that Sunday 18th March dawned bright and fair, in fact it was slightly dull and drizzly, but the weather did nothing to dampen the spirit of a fun packed Mother’s Day here at the Sanctuary.

Special attractions on Sunday included the Willowmead Alpacas, which are based a few miles north of Ipswich in Suffolk. Three of the Alpacas came to visit and enthral visitors with their gentle expressions and amazingly thick fleece coats. Visitors had the opportunity to go for ‘Alpaca walks’, leading them around the flying ground and even, once the Alpacas became more used to their environment, into the woodland walk. Alpacas look very similar to and are closely related to Llamas and tend to have a bit of a reputation for spitting, but actually they are only likely to spit at each other on occasion and, when handled properly as youngsters, are very good around people.

Alpacas & Macaws joined us for Mothering Sunday celebrations

We were also visited by Cleo and Bo the Macaws, who came with their owner, Simon, from Ipswich Macaw & Parrot Rescue. Cleo and Bo are both very friendly and were quite happy to be stroked and have a fuss made of them. Visitors were able to ask questions and Simon gave them lots of information about how to look after Parrots and Macaws.

At one o’clock, the falconers put on an exclusive pre-season flying display as a particular treat for Mother’s Day. The flying team consisted of Auckland, Phyllis, Pungu the Bateleur Eagle and Nell the Falcon. As usual they gave their audience a wonderful demonstration of their grace and beauty when in flight.

Young Phyllis took part in the pre-season flying demonstration

There was plenty for the kids to do, including having their faces decorated by our visiting face painting artist John and a special ‘pot-a-plant’ workshop, where kids could plant their own cornflowers and decorate the flowerpot to give to mum as a lovely Mother’s Day gift. Visiting mums also had the opportunity to have their photo taken with either Phyllis our gorgeous Spectacled Owl, or Auckland our diminutive Southern Boobook Owl.

Of course, our beautiful Mums were the stars of the day and Phyllis
was happy having her photograph taken with them.
To mix our avian 'metaphors', she took to it like duck to water!

In addition, we were very lucky to have two of Heart Radio’s Angels with us to share the day. They came armed with goodies and were kept very busy handing out daffodils, sweets and flags to all our guests. We would like to say a big thank you to them and to all our other visiting attractions for helping to make the day such a wonderful one.

The girls from Heart Radio joined us for the day, dispensing daffodils and goodwill to visiting Mums

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Second Time Lucky!

Sometimes life really isn’t fair.

Last Friday a very sorry looking Barn Owl was brought brought in to the raptor hospital. It was only about two years old, but talk about an ill-fated start in life! On this occasion, a van driver saw the owl flying straight towards his van and, as is so often the case, had no chance of avoiding it. Thinking it must have been killed outright, he continued with his journey to work but imagine his surprise when, on reaching his destination, he found that not only was the owl still very much alive but that it had shared his entire journey wedged in his roof rack.

A not-uncommon occurrence at dusk in the countryside, a Barn Owl approaching you head-on unfortunately cannot always be avoided…

Amazingly, apart from being obviously rather traumatised by his experience the owl appeared to be totally uninjured, a fact that was confirmed by a thorough examination when he arrived here. However, the poor creature was on the thin side and had maybe been struggling to feed itself, so it was given plenty of fluids to ensure it was properly hydrated, plus lots of TLC and space in a rehab aviary to recuperate in peace and quiet.

Nevertheless this chap has lived to tell the tale (and not for the first time, it turned out!)

So, good – a nice success story in the making, but not the end of it.

Our guest had a ring on it, which meant that for some reason it had been caught before and the ring gave the falconers the information they needed to find out when and where. It turned out that this same Barn Owl had been rescued and released before, by Colchester Owl Rescue in circumstances equally as horrifying. On the original occasion the owl had been caught in a fire and taken in at Colchester in a terrible state, including burned feet and the loss of two talons. Nevertheless, the young chap was nursed back to health and released, only to turn up on our doorstep again a few months later with his rather ruffled feathers!

Thankfully, this time it didn’t take the Barn Owl long to recover and it has now gone back to Colchester so that they can release it once again in the same area from where it was originally found, where it will by now have established a territory. It’s to be hoped that this is the last of the dramatic escapades to be endured by this one accident-prone Barn Owl.

From the our point of view, this is not the first time we have seen injuries involving roof racks and owls caught in them, which unfortunately often end up with broken wings as a result: in that respect, our Barn Owl was actually very lucky. But if you have a roof rack, don't use it often and spend many of your motoring miles traversing byways rather than highways, perhaps you could give a thought to taking it off your car when not in use and thereby help prevent other untoward ‘owly’ accidents of this nature. As the saying goes - every little bit helps.

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