Netty the lucky Tawny Owl

Earlier this week we received a call from a concerned member of the public who had found a Tawny Owl stuck in some netting, being used to keep chickens contained following the Bird Flu restrictions. Following our advice to carefully cut around the bird, they brought the Owl to us for further examination.

The female Tawny Owl was in good health and weight, but the netting was wrapped so tightly around her that it was an intricate procedure to cut away all of the remaining netting from her tail, legs and neck. Thankfully, her wings hadn’t been hampered by the netting and upon being freed of the net, she was able to flap both wings.

We gave her some fluids and pain relief and kept her in for observation to check for any longer term damage which may present itself after a few days. Thankfully, she appears to be in good condition and doesn’t seem to have any other injuries, so we hope that she will be released next week,

Netty, looking a bit bedraggled after being released from the netting.

The finder was deeply apologetic about causing the Owl so much stress, and was going home to remove the netting to avoid it happening again.

Another instance where netting is used is to protect fish in ponds. We received a call last weekend from a lady who was concerned about a Tawny Owl that had been caught in their pond netting. It's well known that Tawny Owls will opportunistically hunt for fish, and this individual was caught in the act. Fortunately, it was found and released from the netting without getting too tangled up. Unfortunately, Owls are not waterproof and in the brief time it had been over the pond, it's feathers had soaked up some water, which meant it wasn't able to fly off. The couple called us for advice and arranged to keep an eye on it and bring it in to us in the morning if needed. Thankfully, the warm weather meant the Owl quickly dried out and by the morning it had made its way back into the nearby copse.

This Tawny Owl regretted thinking it would have fish for dinner!

If you do use netting in the garden, to protect plants or keep pets in one place, please:

• Use a small mesh size to avoid wildlife from getting tangled up. Ideally the “holes” should be smaller than 1cm to prevent small birds from getting stuck.

• Keep it taut! Tight mesh means that birds will bounce off of it whereas floppy netting is likely to pocket the bird and make it much harder to free.

• Check! Ideally first thing in the morning and last thing at night as a minimum!

If you do find any wildlife stuck in netting, cut the netting around the animal, but ensure that it is contained so it can’t escape without being properly clear of netting, as this could lead to it getting tangled elsewhere.

Owl Babies

Baby season has well and truly started!

Tawny Owls are one of species we receive the most calls about on our helpline, especially young Owlets. This is because the chicks can be quite adventurous and like to leave the nest before their flight feathers have fully formed. This “branching” behaviour is essential to the growth and development of their muscles, as they learn how to balance and gives them space to stretch their wings, hopping from branch to branch in their favoured woodland habitat.

Unfortunately, humans are to blame for the majority of our Rescue cases, either directly or indirectly. In the case of our recent intake of Tawny Owlets, a lack of suitable nesting locations led to poor parenting choices which resulted in us having to step in.

The first chick was found at the base of a tree. While ordinarily Tawny Owlets that find themselves on the ground are able to climb back to their nest, this little one was too young and weak. It may have fallen out by itself or being pulled from the nest by a predator and dropped, but either way, it needed some help so we took it in.

Tawny Owls look like fluffy marshmallows!

The second chick arrived a few days later and was considerably larger, possibly a week or so older than the first. This Owlet was brought in by a couple who found it in their chimney. Tawny Owls usually nest in holes in trees, so an open chimney may look like a suitable place to raise a family. Although the couple had seen the adult Owls in the trees at the edge of their garden, there’s no way this Owlet could have flown that distance at this age. The couple were advised to keep an eye out for any other chicks which might fall from the chimney and to cover it up as soon as they’re sure that the adults have stopped visiting.

This larger Owlet not looking too impressed with the new living arrangements

NOT a suitable tree for a Tawny nest!

The third chick was found at the base of a tree in a garden. Jess was out checking a site for nest boxes in the area, so popped around to assess the situation. Upon arrival, it was clear that this little one would need to come back with her. The nest was in the top of a large, straight, branchless Poplar tree, in the middle of a garden with no other trees! The nearest trees was a small copse about 200m away, across a busy road!

Weighing the chick is important so we can monitor their growth

Ordinarily, we would advise that if you find a young Tawny Owlet on the ground, carefully pick it up and put it on a higher branch so that it can get back to the nest. But in all three of these cases, this wasn’t deemed appropriate so we now have an Owl creche in our Raptor Hospital.

As these are three Tawny Owlets, it was suggested by several people that they should be named Sarah, Percy and Bill, from our favourite story Owl Babies. Whilst we can’t sex them at this age, Sarah is the second chick, as this one is the biggest, Percy is the first chick and Bill is the third chick, as this is the smallest.

Sarah (l), Bill (m) and Percy (r), in their Owl Babies creche

We hope that we won’t have too many more Baby Owls to look after this year, but our doors are always open to help if needed.

If you’d like to help Tawny Owls by putting up a nest box for them, you can find more information, including how to build your own and where to put them here.

Busy first week following Hospital reopening!

Following the easing of Bird Flu restrictions across the country, we were pleased to be able to reopen our Raptor Hospital last week. Despite not shouting it from the rooftops, we had a very busy week, highlighting the importance of our facilities here at Stonham Barns. Here are our intakes in that first week!

Long-eared Owlet

Long-eared Owl chicks have characteristic fluffy “ears”

This Long-eared Owl chick was found at the base of a tree beside it’s two, sadly deceased, siblings. We think that the nest may have been predated and that the chicks had been knocked out of the nest. Although this bundle of fluff looks very cute and cuddly, she’s a fighter and made that known from the start! This bodes really well for her long-term survival and we will be arranging for her to be released from a hack pen near where she was found very soon.

This defensive behaviour is exactly what we want to see. In the wild, this would make any predator think twice about attacking them!

Soggy Kestrel

We received a call about a Kestrel which had been found in a livestock trough in a field. The finder took it home to dry off, but once dry, the bird was reluctant to fly off. We arranged to have it brought to us for a check and by coincidence, our vet was visiting so gave the Kestrel a thorough going over and declared it ok for release. We put it in an aviary with some food and it was apparent that it had probably just been exhausted from being in water for so long and just needed a bit longer to recover. The Kestrel was collected by the finder and released the day after it was brought in.

Fence Kestrel

This male Kestrel is recuperating after possible electrocution in a fence.

One of our Trustees was out walking and found this Kestrel on the ground, clearly needing help. He brought it in to us and upon investigation we discovered the male had a bald patch on his neck, suggesting he’d be caught up in some fencing. We gave some pain relief and put him in the small cages in our observation ward so we could keep an eye on him. After 24 hours, he was looking a bit better and was self feeding. However, when he was caught up to be checked over again, there was a distinctive clicking sound coming from the air sacs inside his body. This strongly suggests that he had been electrocuted, and that the bald patch on his neck was likely the contact point. We know that pig farms often use electric mesh fencing to keep their animals contained, but the Kestrel wasn’t found near any pig farms, so it’s a bit of a mystery. He will be checked over by a Vet for any other injuries and hopefully released once his missing feathers have started to regrow.

Wonk the Little Owl

“Wonk” the Little Owl is improving daily with treatment for their eye.

This juvenile Little Owl was found with an injured eye. At this age they are almost fully independent, however, due to it's injury the decision was made to bring it in for treatment. It was taken to a vets near Lakenheath and we were able to arrange for one of our Owlreach Volunteers to collect it and bring it to us for rehabilitation. Within a few days the eye had started to clear, and this young one is well on the road to recovery.

Tawny Owlets

The first Tawny Owlet of the year

This young Tawny Owl (around 2 weeks) was found at the base of a tree. Sadly it was too young to be out of the nest, and unable to make its way back up so a decision was taken to bring him in and lucky he was - as he was suffering from emaciation too. We always prefer for Tawny Owlets to be left in situ if it’s safe to do so, as there is always a risk that they might imprint on us when taken into care, especially when we have singles.

Thankfully, a couple of days later, we received a call from a couple who had found a Tawny Owl chick in their chimney. They think that the parents have used the chimney as a nest, and that this youngster had fallen from the ledge and was unable to climb back up. Probably a week older than the first Tawny, they will be kept together for company and comfort until we can find a suitable soft release site for them in a few weeks time.

Two’s company

Positive results from Trainee training

Over the past year our two trainees Dolly and Jade were tasked to research and utilise training and enrichment methods for a selection of birds that would benefit from the interaction. Part of our program at the Sanctuary is to positively encourage behaviours that allow us to safely monitor the health and weights of the birds, to encourage natural behaviour and to motivate the birds to enter a box for safe transportation. With the more intelligent species we have at the centre such as the Caracaras, this becomes a part of their daily routine and enrichment program which both benefits us and them long term.

Fred, our Crested Caracara was initially quite nervous of people, but has grown in confidence with the help of our Trainees, and loves posing for a camera!

Throughout the year, Dolly and Jade have been encouraging Fred, a very nervous Crested Caracara who was very fearful of human interaction, to willingly weigh and box himself, and interact with members of the falconry team. Over time his confidence grew, thanks to the dutiful work our trainees put in, and the willingness of Fred to learn and work alongside us has now led us all to start working on a routine for him to fly free in the shows, and undertake many tasks that demonstrate his natural foraging behaviour. The target training also allows whoever is working with birds to introduce them to new things that otherwise would be scary or unusual to them, and station them at an area for visual health checks.

Head Falconer Rufus adds “Box training is really important for the birds that don’t or can’t wear telemetry. It is one of the measures we have put in place to help us retrieve a bird if it gets lost, a requirement of our zoo license. A lost or spooked bird is far more likely to go into a box it recognises as safe that is separate from us rather than come to the glove. This positive training giving freedom of choice to the birds, rather than forcing them into a box and slamming the door, is based on trust that has been built between bird and handler over time.”

Not only has this given our trainees an opportunity to practice and progress their training knowledge, it has given birds such as Fred a new and exciting routine, which long term, will positively benefit their health and wellbeing.

Trainee Jade said “It's hard to put our love for Fred and his achievements into words! Fred’s like an independent young man now! He will now conquer any enrichment and will soon experience the joy of free flying within the shows. The journey of his training has been very exciting and rewarding for us all.”

Trainee Dolly said “I’ve absolutely loved working with Fred this past year; seeing him come out of his shell and develop so much in confidence has been a massive highlight. He absolutely loves the attention now, has excelled at his training, and really engages in any enrichment we give him, which is a world away from who he was just a year ago. I’m very proud of us for achieving this, and am excited to see him in shows any day now!”

Additional benefits to new aviaries

Last month we reported that our winter building project was nearing completion, with the creation of a new row of aviaries for our flying team.

Shortly after our birds moved in, we received news that our Flying Displays were grounded due to local cases of Avian Influenza. Having worked really hard to get all the birds back into fitness after the winter off to complete this building project, it looked like the effort had been wasted. However, we are pleased to report that the new aviaries have provided some great opportunities for us to continue working with our birds in a safe environment.

Our original block of aviaries had a long safety corridor along the length, which provided a small covered area to exercise some of the smaller birds in wet weather. With the building of a new row of aviaries behind this, it was decided to create a larger corridor, furnished with some perches to allow some of our larger birds the chance to exercise in privacy.

As this corridor is netted to prevent wild birds from entering, it has allowed us to continue working with our birds during our lockdown.

Our falconers have also spent time creating enrichment for our birds so that they are still physically and mentally stimulated while not being flown outdoors.

Birds like Fred, our Crested Caracara are naturally curious and have proven themselves to be quick problem solvers. Owls, on the other hand, are not actually that intelligent (despite the saying of the Wise Old Owl), and most dislike new additions to their enclosures. However, with some tasty tidbits to tempt them, some of our Owls have enjoyed engaging with some balls stuffed with newspaper and pieces of chick. This not only keeps the brain cells active, but encourages them to move around aswell.

Fred enjoyed exploring his new aviary once it was furnished and planted with donations!

In addition to novel enrichment such as toys, we have been thankful to local businesses for donating items to furnish the new aviaries and make them more interesting for our birds. Special thanks to Suffolk Rural Solutions for donating a large number of tree stumps and branches which are perfect for creating perches, and to Botanica Nurseries for donating some shrubs which will help provide some cover for the birds.

Educating the world

Here at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, we love hearing how our work is reaching every part of the world.

We have delivered Virtual Sessions to groups and schools as far afield as the United Arab Emirates and Belgium, have attended Virtual conferences and webinars hosted by collections in the USA, New Zealand and across Europe, and reached out to field workers to get on-the-ground stories about some of the species we hold here in Suffolk.

Our Education Officer joined fellow Zoo Educators last year for an International Virtual Conference

We recently received an email from Ruth, who volunteers with a youth environmental club in the USA. One of the girls in the club found our website while researching their project on birds, and Grace “wanted to let you know how helpful the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary website was! It was an AWESOME find because she was able to get some wonderful info! We had fun learning about owls and the sanctuary, too.”

Grace also found a useful page all about Bald Eagles at - https://wizardpins.com/blogs/education/all-about-bald-eagles Grace was really interested to learn about eagles, owls and other birds of prey, and she had the idea to include this in her thank-you note as a way of returning the favour!

Massive thanks to Grace (and Ruth) for her kind words, and as a result of her suggestion, we will be adding an “Other useful websites” page to our own website over the next few weeks. If you have any suggestions, please let us know!

First Hedgehogs released

Thanks to the dedicated care provided by our staff and volunteers, quite a lot of food donated by our social media followers, and with support from Suffolk Prickles Hedgehog Rescue, “our” first group of Hedgehogs have been released!

Two of the five hoglets, ready for release!

This group of five Hoglets were taken to Suffolk Prickles in October 2021 after being found out during the daytime locally. Weighing between 120-150g each, they were clearly from the same family so it was important to keep them together throughout the rescue and rehab process. They were treated for lungworm and given a large indoor pen to wander around in at the Hedgehog Hospital.

Enrichment is just as important to wildlife rescue as it is to captive animals, and the Hoglets were provided with hay and dried leaves so that they could learn how to build a nest and forage for food, all very valuable lessons that they would learn with mum’s help in the wild.

Once they had put on some weight and the parasite burden had been treated, they were relocated to our own Hedgehog Hotel, where they had access to an outdoor pen. This allowed them to build up confidence and fitness, as well as giving them the opportunity to forage for natural food like insects. As the weather improved, we even captured them on camera having nocturnal wanderings in their outdoor run.

As the Hoglet’s continued growing bigger and reached a healthier weight, Paula came to check on them and decided that they were ready for release, back at their home range. Suffolk Prickles have a policy of soft release for hedgehogs that were very small when they arrive at the rescue. This is so that they can get the chance to explore their habitat safely, with juveniles supported with regular food and water in order to help them establish back into the wild.

Martin, who released the Hoglets reported “Safe to say these guys are not too institutionalised. They all left without so much as a by your leave! Only one came back and that was to gather some leaves, so obviously found somewhere nice to settle.”

A Trail Cam image of the Stanton Hoglets exploring their release area.

Jennie, one of our Keepers said “It was a pleasure to see Paula collect the five juveniles on 13th April, after an 8 week stay, now big and strong enough to be released back into the wild. We hope that a few more will be ready in the next few weeks to be released back where they came from. We will then be able to help Suffolk Prickles Hedgehog Rescue take in some more and assist with getting them ready for release.

A big thank you to our supporters for items of our wish list - believe me, they can eat a lot of food!”

Paula from Suffolk Prickles Hedgehog Rescue, checking the hoglets with Keeper Jennie before they were taken for release.

Spring is Sprung!

With lengthening days and warmer weather, the Easter break certainly felt like Spring was well and truly here!

The cherry blossom is alive with pollinators right now

A few weeks ago, staff discovered a resourceful Blackbird had built her nest inside one of our storage areas, high on a shelf next to some pots of paint! She laid 3 eggs and we tried to limit disturbance to give some peace to raise her brood. Her mate was often seen foraging for worms and other insects in the grassy areas in front of the aviaries, and he diligently provided her with some snacks while she incubated her eggs. The nest was checked mid April and we found three large chicks, being very demanding for food but still not fully feathered. Blackbird chicks are known to “explode” out of the nest before ready if disturbed, so we avoided the area for a few days. The following week, alerted by hungry chick noises in the trees, and both parents busily flying around carrying food, the nest was found to be empty, suggesting that the young successfully fledged. This nest was monitored as part of the BTO Nest Records Scheme, which helps collect data from across the UK on breeding birds.

Three baby Blackbirds in a nest

Our Woodland Walk has burst into colour, with a variety of wildlife friendly flowers now in bloom. Swathes of blue Forget-Me-Nots mingle with yellow Cowslips and pink Campion flowers, while the Bluebells are just starting to come out. Over the next few weeks, keep your eyes open for Bees and Butterflies, which will appreciate these beautiful blooms.

Lastly, a few days after Easter we discovered that the Easter Bunny had left us a special surprise, in the form of some baby bunnies! These little cuties are very good at darting under cover when people are around, but if you stay quiet and still, they might just come out to nibble on the grass.

Baby Bunny

Talk to Stowmarket Lions

We were recently invited to join Stowmarket Lions as their dinner guest, in return for delivering a talk about our work.
Keeper Nick attended and gave an entertaining talk about our work, past, present and future.

Peter Elford from Stowmarket Lions said “The evening was enjoyed by all and Nick was an engaging and knowledgeable speaker, and this proved to be the case with a very extensive Q & A session at the end of the talk. Overall excellent and I am sure that Suffolk Owl Sanctuary will have several visitors/ volunteers over the coming months as a result.”

If you are responsible for planning a group programme of talks, we have some availability to deliver talks about our work over the coming months. For more information, please visit our webpage here.

Big thanks to Hurren and Hope

Here at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, we are always happy to receive requests for corporate volunteer days. Last week the Ipswich office of Hurren and Hope recruitment consultants joined us for a full day of aviary improvements.

Two of the team scrubbing down the perches before some repair work is carried out.

The team helped by stripping out some of the smaller aviaries at SOS2, scrubbing the mesh and repainting the walls. This has freshened up the aviaries ready for our season to start in the next few weeks, and the good weather meant that the residents were returned to their living quarters the next day, as the paint had dried.

Repainting some of the boards in the aviaries

Volunteer Co-ordinatior Beckie Baradell said “It’s great to have groups join us for these volunteer days, as it allows us to carry out bigger tasks which ordinarily we would struggle to do in a short period of time. The team from Hurren and Hope did a fantastic job refurbishing our aviaries, and we would like to extend our thanks once again to them for their hard work.”

Scrubbing down the mesh from the inside is a regular task but made easier with a group of people.

If you are a business looking for a team building or corporate volunteering day, please get in touch with Beckie: beckie@owlbarn.co.uk

New Flying Team Aviaries

We are pleased that our new block of aviaries are now finished!

The new aviary block is now finished

Visitors will have noticed that we have fewer birds tethered when they first arrive at our weatherings than we did previously. Following guidance from avian experts, we have made the decision to not restrict the birds, and move away from the practice of tethering birds to perches for great lengths of time.

In order for us to do this, we have built a new block of aviaries which opens onto our Flying Ground. Each bird will have it’s own aviary, furnished with a window, perches and planting to give them plenty of enrichment. Each aviary has a hatch, which can be opened to allow the birds to fly out and join in with our displays.

Lady, our Merlin being let out from her new aviary. Some of the birds need a little coaxing as they adjust to their new surroundings.

We have already been doing this with our Owls, Vultures and Red Kites for a few years, and it has certainly had a positive impact on the birds welfare, as well as the popularity of the flying displays.

The process is not as simple as just taking a bird that is used to be tethered and releasing it into an aviary. Many of our birds are imprinted on their handlers, and as such are very keen to get to them when they pass as they are excited for what the handlers bring! Over time, young birds learn that sitting patiently on a perch will grant them that contact, food or freedom to fly (a training process called positive reinforcement which is used across species). Adjusting to life in an aviary can take time, as the birds now have the choice of sitting where they want and moving around freely.

The freedom to move can pose a risk in itself, as many people believe that bigger is better in terms of aviary size. However, some species can cause themselves injuries if provided with enough space to get up speed and crash into the enclosure walls. Whilst we do everything we can to prevent this, it is a risk and as such, the process of moving birds into their new aviaries will be taken slowly to ensure that their welfare and wellbeing are our priority.

Some of our birds will still be tethered for short periods of time before flying, as this is their routine. However, we hope that any new members to the Flying Team will be able to fly directly from and to their aviaries, which will no doubt enhance the experience for visitors, as well as demonstrating the highest standards of bird welfare.

The addition of this new aviary block has also created an opportunity for us to have a sheltered flying area where we can still train and exercise our birds in inclement weather. Whilst this area will not be accessible to general visitors, it may be used for pre-booked group activities.

Titch our Tawny Owl flying down the corridor

World Book Day 2022

To celebrate World Book Day 2022, our Education Officer has gathered some book recommendations from staff and volunteers, linked with Owls, Falconry and Birds of Prey, or native UK wildlife and conservation. Over the coming months, we will post book reviews on some of these books, and any new books which our followers may be interested in.

For all readers

Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris

For young readers

Some of our favourite books to read during our Storytime sessions.

The Owl Who Was Afraid Of The Dark by Jill Tomlinson
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter
Mrs Tiggywinkle by Beatrix Potter
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
Becca’s Butterflies by Nicola and Rebecca Bailey
Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett
The Hodgeheg by Dick King-Smith
Owl in the Office by Lucy Daniels
Top Gun of the Sky by Martin Bradley

For teen readers

Birds of Prey feature in several coming-of-age books

Skydiver: Saving the Fastest Bird in the World by Celia Godkin
Owl Service by Alan Garner
Sky Dancer by Gill Lewis
A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines
Skellig by David Almond
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Dairy of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty

For older readers

H is for Hawk by Helen McDonald
Portrait of an Owl by Reg Snook
Owl Sense by Miriam Darlington
Birds and People by Mark Cocker
Red Tails in Love by Marie Winn
A Most Remarkable Creature by Jonathan Meiburg

For keeping birds

Understanding Owls by Jemima Parry-Jones
Understanding the Bird of Prey by Nick Fox
Falconry and Hawking by Philip Glazier

For naturalists

A Field Guide to Monitoring Nests by James Ferguson-Lees, Richards Castell and Dave Leech
The Observers Book of Bird’s Eggs
Tracks and Signs of the Birds of Britain and Europe by Roy Brown, John Ferguson, Michael Lawrence and Dave Lees
Owls by Mike Toms
Owls by Chris Mead
Barns Owls in Britain by Jeff Martin
Undiscovered Owls: A Sound Approach Guide by Magnus Robb and The Sound Approach

First guests at the Hedgehog Hotel

After a very long wait due to Covid, we finally have some guests in our Hedgehog Hotel, thanks to our collaboration with Suffolk Prickles Hedgehog Rescue.

Paula kindly wrote a little bit of history about the Hedgehogs we currently have staying with us. We are the last step in their Rehab, as the Hedgehogs we have received will all be released this spring.

If you would like to support our joint efforts, please consider checking out our Amazon Wishlist, which has many items to help the Hedgehogs, as well as our Raptor Hospital. If we have surplus items, we will share with Suffolk Prickles, as we have with our newspaper supply, kindly donated by Suffolk Libraries.

Adora and ‘friend’

Is the daughter of Big Foot and Wendy, two of our disabled hedgehogs. They accidently met one another in the summer and Adora was a  late Autumn baby as a result. She has not yet been out in the wild and Wendy is not well enough to be released with her at this point so SPHR wants her to get used to being away from mum and learn a little bit about the big wide world in a safe environment before she is fully released at a new site.

We have placed her with another female juvenile who was very young when she came in during the Autumn and has a home range in Colchester to be released to so that she can form a family bond with her and they can be released together at the same site.

Twins

The male twin had a dislocated front elbow when he was tiny and while at SPHR they have done well but we would like him to build his strength and exercise the front leg before his final release back to his home range with his sister.

Five Juveniles

These guys are all siblings but found at slightly different times on the same site. They were very young when they arrived at SPHR and we want them to have an outdoor experience before being released back to their own home range in the spring.

Three Juveniles

These juveniles were tiny hoglets when they arrived at SPHR and very unwell. They had to be hand fed every two hours and nursed back to health. As they grew older the youngest lost his spines due to a compromised immune system. He has been treated for his skin problems and hopefully his spines will begin to regrow in the next few months. They have had a large pen in our Hoggie Lodge to exercise and investigate in. They have been given log piles to explore and leaves to collect and use for bedding, but as they were so small when they arrived we wanted them to have some outdoor experience before their release back home, particularly as they have had no mum to show them around their home.

Introducing Rattus rattus

We have recently welcomed a group of Black Rats to our collection!

We have been looking to add some natural coloured rats to our collection for a while, and when the opportunity presented itself for us to have this group of six Black Rats from Wildwood in Kent, we jumped at the chance to house this interesting species.

Black Rats are sometimes known as Ships Rats or Roof Rats, due to their canny ability to get into hard-to-reach places. They are native to India and were introduced to Britain by the Romans, travelling on ships and in crates of cargo. During the Middle Ages, Crusaders returning from the Holy Land inadvertently brought new rats with them from the Middle East. The fleas on these rats carried a plague, which spread rapidly throughout Europe and resulted in over half the population of England dying over the course of a few years.

Black Rats are now restricted to ports and coastal areas in the UK, where they mostly feed on seeds and fruit under the cover of darkness. They can be social animals, living in groups of up to 60. Black Rats are smaller than their Brown Rat cousins, which enables them to access holes in ships, walls etc.

Keeper Beckie says “The Black Rats are a welcome addition to our collection. Whilst many people dislike them due to their reputation for being dirty animals, they are actually very clean and are constantly grooming eachother to build relationships. They are also very intelligent and excellent problem solvers. We hope that they can help to educate visitors about the important role that rodents play in ecosystems and dispel some of the myths surrounding them".”

Our Black Rats can be found at the back of the SOS2 building. Although they are on show for visitors, we will be limiting their handling initially due to quarantine rules of bringing new animals into the collection.

If you’d like to purchase any gifts for our new arrivals, please check out our WishList.

First babies of the season!

With the sun shining and the days getting longer, spring is definitely in the air. And the animals in our collection clearly think so too!

Over at SOS2, we’ve had a small collection of invertebrates since last year. Our Giant Prickly Stick Insect shares a tank with some Indian Stick Insects, while our Madagascan Hissing Cockroaches have a tank to themselves.

Keeper Nick has been keen to promote a bioactive habitat for these animals, using natural substrate and micro-organisms to keep the tank clean and healthy. We’ve even had mushrooms growing in there!

Recently, we were concerned about the temperature overnight in the building, and decided that our tropical Inverts would temporarily be moved off show into a room where we can better control the climate. As Nick was moving the Cockroaches, he noticed something small crawling underneath one of their favourite hiding logs. Initially, he thought it was an Isopod, which includes Woodlice, which may have been introduced in the fresh leaf litter. But having had a closer look, it turns out that our Cockroaches have been busy and started to breed!

A tiny baby Madagascan Hissing Cockroach, which is about the size of a fingernail.

We counted 8 young Cockroaches during the move, but there are likely to be more hiding in the small crevices of the logs or in the substrate. This is exciting news as the female was only introduced to the males a few weeks ago!

One of the adults with some babies behind.

The Cockroaches will remain off-show for the time being, but over half term there will be opportunities to Meet our Minibeasts in special talks with the Keepers and our Education Team.

Big Hoot Artist revealed

We are proud to be part of the St Elizabeth Hospice Big Hoot in Ipswich this summer. We were asked to choose from almost 100 designs for our Big Hoot, and our chosen artist is Amy Bourbon with her design “Owl See You In My Dreams”.

Here’s what she’s written for us: 

It’s such a privilege to be involved with ‘The Big Hoot’ Wild in Art trail for St Elizabeth Hospice in Suffolk. I’m thrilled to be able to contribute even in just a small way to such an important charity. I’m so excited that the fantastic Suffolk Owl Sanctuary chose my sculpture design ‘Owl See You In My Dreams’ and I can’t wait to create him!

One of the Big Hoots has been with us since last summer.

I am a Fine Artist specialising in painting and drawing and specifically in oil painting. I have been awarded a PhD from Birmingham Institute of Art and Design. My artwork involves large-scale oil paintings inspired by the places that I have encountered. I have previously completed other projects for Wild in Art, taking part in the ‘Go Wild Gorillas’ project in Jersey. The trail was record breaking with the 44 gorilla sculptures raising over a million pounds for Jersey Zoo! My gorilla ‘Rotchi’ made £41,000 at auction! I have also completed 3 elephants for the ‘Big Trunk Trail’ in Luton and a sculpture for the ‘Worcester Big Parade’ in summer 2021. I also took part in the ‘Octopus Ahoy’ sculpture trail and will soon be decorating sculptures for ‘A Dog’s Trail’ in Cardiff, ‘Go Go Discover’ in Norwich, ‘The Big Splash’ in the Isle of Man and, of course, two owls for ‘The Big Hoot’!

The Wild in Art trails are always such a joy from start to finish. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the stages, from creating the design ideas, hearing that my designs have been shortlisted, learning that a design has been chosen, meeting my sponsors, having such memorable experiences in the painting spaces meeting the other fantastic artists and working alongside the trail teams. The projects then build in excitement in preparation for the trail to go live out on the streets! The sculptures then feature in a final farewell event where you can see them all together before they head off to the auction to raise vital funds for an amazing charity. Fingers crossed for a fantastic amount raised for St Elizabeth Hospice at the auction later in the year!

The sculpture trails are especially important as we try to manoeuvre our way out of the pandemic. They encourage people to spend time outside with family and friends, interacting with their towns and cities after such an unsettling time. The trails get people involved with art that is accessible to everyone whilst providing a exciting and colourful art trail! The events also provide awareness of both the charity and the fantastic sponsors, encouraging a further engagement with the companies, charities and amenities available in the local area.

An owl that used to sit in the huge Birch tree outside my bedroom window inspired my sculpture design. I used to lie in bed listening to it hooting in the dark and it always felt like a magical sound. I imagined it all ready for bed with a nightshirt, nightcap, book and teddy bear but I never thought I’d get the opportunity to recreate this sleepy owl in a giant owl sculpture! He is nicknamed ‘Billy’ and as I imagined all those years ago, he is carrying a book and a teddy bear! He might look sleepy but he still loves visitors!

I’m really looking forward to getting to Suffolk to paint my owl sculpture ‘Billy’ in the painting space in Ipswich. I’m especially excited as I used to live near Stowmarket for a short time when I was a child so it’ll be lovely to retrace my steps, not to mention painting a magnificent colourful owl character! I’m also hoping to visit the Owl Sanctuary, which will be a fantastic experience! The trail will be on the streets of Ipswich In June until the end of August so keep an eye out for more information!

Galleries of my artworks and further information can be found on my website, ‘amybourbon.com’. More current photographs of my sculptures can be found on my Instagram account, ‘@amybourbonart’.

Website – amybourbon.com

Instagram – @amybourbonart

Twitter - @amybourbon

Chris Astridge, our head of Trustees said “We liked the design because it was light-hearted and bold - a design that will be identified from afar and remembered, and also stand out from the crown in a busy street setting”

In addition to sponsoring an Owl for the trail, our Education Team has provided resources for the Big Hoot Education Pack. Education Officer Susan Jones says "This is a great opportunity to teach the people of Ipswich All About Owls, and we look forward to working with the Big Hoot Team and local schools over the summer to inspire everyone to care about our native Hoots."

Amy has promised to post some sneak peeks on her social media channels, which we will share on ours too. We can’t wait to meet Billy and see him join the other Hoots this summer in Ipswich.

“Snowy” with trainee Dolly, Boobook Owl Auckland and volunteers Sarah and Clara last summer

Education, education, education!

Education has always been one of our core aims here at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, but since hiring a dedicated Education Officer in 2020, this has been taken to a new level.

During the various lockdowns, Education Officer, Susan Jones, worked from home to create free resources and learning materials available from our website. She also launched our Virtual Sessions, which allowed us to deliver learning opportunities while we were closed to visitors.

Our All About Owls fact sheets are free to download from the website

Susan keeps diligent records of all of the sessions she delivers and events she attends on our behalf and having totted up the totals from 2021, can announce that we reached over 3000 individuals last year!

Of these, over 1300 were via Virtual Sessions to 25 different schools, colleges or groups. Most of these booked an All About Owls session, which covers fun facts about Owls and often features a live owl. Several also booked our Pellet Detectives session, where Susan demonstrated how to dissect a pellet and showed some of the things they might find. Some of these were done live, with the class dissecting their pellets during the session, which allowed them to ask questions about their findings during the session.
Although most of our Virtual Sessions were to schools known to us from the local area who were unable to arrange an in person visit due to Covid, we were able to reach several schools, groups and colleges from further afield, including a cluster of schools and youth groups in Oxfordshire, a college in the North West, a secondary school in London, an English School in Belgium and two youth groups in Oman!

Pellet Detectives proved to be a popular activity for our Virtual Sessions.

“Particularly enjoyed seeing the owl, learning new facts and the interaction between Susan and the children. You pitched the session at the right level and spoke slowly and clearly. Thank you!”

— ACE Brussels

Our Education Team attended 11 schools and youth groups locally to deliver engaging learning sessions as part of our Outreach Visits. In addition to these, we attended 2 events hosted by Suffolk Libraries over the summer holidays as part of their Summer Reading Challenge, as well as attending 3 local events to raise awareness about our work. We visited 3 local care homes with our Owls to provide some therapy for residents. Susan also delivered a presentation to a local interest group.

Susan and Bethany delivering an All About Owls session to a youth group

“The Sanctuary was asked to provide an activity throughout the day of special events for all groups on two separate days. Each activity was perfectly tailored to each age and ability group. The children loved hearing about the work of the Owl Sanctuary and enjoyed the practical and active nature of the sessions. The staff’s knowledge and enthusiasm for owl pellet dissection was clear to see and the older pupils were mesmerised by the hour spent pulling the pellets apart.”

— Littlegarth School

Our Education Team also organised a range of activities for schools and groups visiting us last year. 11 schools, 5 Home Education groups and 1 youth group visited us and enjoyed guided walks, flying displays, meerkat talks, trails and activities around the site.

Young visitors exploring the Centre, using our Safari Trail booklet to identify the birds they find

“We enjoyed everything! The children had a fabulous time!”

— Mendham Primary School

We also delivered our first All About Owls course for Home Educating families, which saw them learning about habitats, food chains, supersenses, conservation and having a go at becoming Pellet Detectives. These sessions were delivered through a variety of activities which suited the different learners, including discussions, crafts, practical work and group work.

Parents and children engaging with the activities in our All About Owls Course for home educating families

“What made it a success for my son was the combination of material he found really interesting with a no pressure approach.”

2022 is already looking more “normal” with several local schools and uniformed groups booking visits to us before Easter. In addition to school education sessions, we will be running two Home Education Courses before Easter.

We are pleased to be involved with the Big Hoot Trail in Ipswich and are looking forward to working with them over the summer to deliver activities at a variety of events. We will also be attending the Suffolk Farm and Country Fair in April.

We look forward to seeing the finished Hoots around Ipswich this summer

Susan has several ideas she’d like to work on this year, including more focus on our Hospital and Rescue work for educational groups, encouraging creativity on visits through art, photography and writing, as well as continuing to build relationships with local schools, groups and like-minded organisations.

Ringing Buzzards

Readers will have seen that we’ve recently had four Buzzards admitted to our Raptor Hospital. As they were all improving and set for release imminently, we invited Dr Hugh Hanmer from the British Trust for Ornithology to come and ring them under licence.

Ringing birds is the process whereby a small metal ring with a unique alpha-numeric code is attached to the birds leg. This is the equivalent to us wearing a bracelet or watch, so does not impact on the day to day lives of the birds once released. Should a bird be found with a ring (caught by another ringer, or found injured or dead), the finder can report it to the relevant scheme (in the UK, run by the British Trust for Ornithology) and find out more details about where the bird has come from, how old it is and any changes it its condition.

Not many Buzzards are ringed as part of the scheme, due to their large size and ability to escape most normal catching methods, so to be able to ring four on the same day gave us the chance to have a closer look and compare the individuals. We have provisionally sexed them during the ringing process, however there is so much overlap between male and female biometrics, that we won’t be entering this when we submit the ringing data. The only way to know for certain is during the breeding season, as females will develop a brood patch to help incubate the eggs.

The first Buzzard to be ringed was found starving but had been supplementary fed before being brought to us. From the size of her feet, we had a good guess she was a female. Biometric measurements taken as part of the ringing process showed that although her wing was a little short, her hind claw was at the top end of a female measurement. Checking her moult patterns, she turned out to be a third year bird (hatched in 2020), which was clearly shown by the new and old flight feathers.

The second Buzzard to be ringed was the young emaciated bird that we weren’t sure would survive. This bird was much smaller than the first and the measurements suggested he was a male. His wing feathers showed he was a second year bird (hatched 2021) but was probably the “runt” of the clutch, as there were stress lines in most of his flight feathers, showing a lack of nutrition while they were growing. He also had a juvenile tail with continuous barring to the tip, pale fringes on his wing feathers and the lovely heart shapes on his undertail feathers. This youngster still has a lot to learn but we are hopefully that with a soft release from a local hack site, he will make it.

The third Buzzard to be ringed was the one seen falling from a roof rack. This individual was very pale, and we joked that he may have been stuck in the roof rack all the way from Cornwall, where pale morphs are more common. Unfortunately, he didn’t already have a ring to tell us these details, so he was given a ring in the hope that if he finds his way “home” he may be found and we’ll have a better idea of where he may have come from. This bird was also aged as a second year male, and had a similar tail pattern and pale fringing as the previous Buzzard.

The fourth Buzzard to be ringed was the darker one which came in starving due to an infection. We had already put her down as a female, due to her size, and knew she was an adult because of her behaviour - she would posture and hold her wings out in a threat display whenever she saw us, even when delivering food. This is good, as it shows that they are not habituated with humans and means that they are more likely to avoid humans when released. After being given a ring, we confirmed that she was a third year bird, although she had a different moult pattern to the first.

The two adult Buzzards will be released over the next week or so near where they were found. The two youngsters are awaiting construction of their release pens but they will also be released in the near future. In the meantime, they are getting a free stay in our Hospital with plenty of food and space in the aviaries to start building up muscle condition in preparation for their release back to the wild.

Starving Buzzards

Over the Christmas and New Year period, we have taken in four Buzzards, all in various states of starvation.

The first was a young bird (hatched last year) which was severely emaciated and was found grubbing in a field. Grubbing is where Buzzards will “hunt” for invertebrates on the ground, and is often associated with weakened birds who don’t have the energy to fly. Thankfully, this youngster still had an appetite and devoured all the food we gave him. Thanks to our dedicated team providing round the clock care, he pulled through and is now gaining weight. This suggests that he hasn’t learnt how to hunt properly, so once he’s gained sufficient weight we will find a suitable hack release site for him.

This young bird still displays juvenile behaviours

The second Buzzard to come in was an older female. She was also underweight, and upon arrival, we discovered that she had a healed broken wing. But after a flight assessment, it appears that this has healed and was not affecting her flight, so we suspect she had a bacterial infection. She received treatment for this and has put on weight. This girl is clearly experienced and is showing us that she is quite capable of looking after herself, so we will be releasing her soon.

This darker female is older and more experienced.

The third Buzzard was another youngster who we suspect had also not had much experience hunting for his own food. This bird had been found locally in a starving condition but was being supplementary fed by well meaning people. This is not recommended as the birds become reliant on people for food rather than going to find it for themselves, and can sometimes lead to aggressive behaviours if you forget to feed them one day. It also makes the birds lazy, and this bird was actually a good weight when it came in, although had no muscle condition. After a quick assessment, he was placed in an aviary and is now building up fitness before release. This youngster will also be ideal for a hack release if we can find a suitable location.

This youngster is being monitored after being found starving.

The fourth Buzzard was brought in after being witnessed falling from a roofrack of a travelling vehicle. Thankfully, the people driving behind stopped to pick it up and brought it straight to us. We have no idea how far it had travelled before becoming loose and escaping, but it was very lucky not to have any serious injuries. After a couple of days under observation, it was moved to one of our larger aviaries where we’ll continue to monitor it for any lasting damage.

A pale morph Buzzard that was seen falling from a travelling vehicle

To have so many Buzzards in at the same time is rather unusual, and certainly we have seen more Buzzards brought into the Raptor Hospital in the past 12 months than in previous years. This suggests that the local population is experiencing a boom, which has certainly been noted by staff and volunteers driving to and from work.

The weather can play a part in hunting success of raptors, and the mild and relatively dry winter should have made life easier. However, this might also have allowed weaker individuals to survive when otherwise they would have perished in the damp weather and first frosts we usually get in October and November. Whilst it’s never nice to think about death, natural selection and survival of the fittest do have an important role to play. If every chick survives, there would not be enough food to sustain the population, and we fear that this may be the cause of our increased admissions.

The British Trust for Ornithology produces a BirdTrends report each year. In 2020 they noted that Buzzards number between 67-85,000 pairs across the UK and have shown a rapid increase in population in the last few decades. This is believed to be linked with reduced persecution and increased food availability (with rabbit population recovering from myxomatosis).

These four Buzzards will be ringed before release as part of the BTO ringing scheme.

Kickstart Volunteers lend a hand

Over the winter months, we have had a new building project happening at the back of our flying ground. The creation of new aviary space for our flying team takes us one step closer to free-lofting all of our birds and reducing the need to tether them for prolonged periods, as per best practice guidelines.

Although from the outside, the work looks complete, internally there is still a lot to be done to make this area safe for our birds.

So when the Museum of East Anglian Rural Life got in touch to ask if we had any volunteer opportunities for their Kickstart group, we jumped at the chance to have some extra help.

Kickstart is a Government scheme to provide new job placements for under 24s at this time of high youth unemployment. It gives young people a chance to gain work experience in a variety of interesting roles. The Museum for East Anglian Rural Life offers roles for in Collections Conservation Assistants, Exhibitions Assistants and Digitisation and Library Assistants, each playing an valuable part to the Museums work.

On a sunny but chilly morning in January, the group arrived to help us move gravel into the new aviaries. This is an ideal substrate for aviaries as it is easy to keep clean, doesn’t get waterlogged and allows for plant to be grown inside the aviaries as enrichment for the birds.

Tom, from the Museum said:
”It’s been great getting my hands dirty and I wish I didn’t have to go back to office work this afternoon! I’ve really enjoyed myself!”

Beckie, our Volunteer Co-ordinators says:
”We are very grateful to the Kickstart volunteers for offering to spend the day helping us work on our new aviaries. They worked really hard to move the gravel and make sure that there was a good covering inside the aviaries ready for the birds to move in. Supporting young people to get work skills such as time-keeping, communication, team work and practical skills such as using tools is really important for the future of the workforce, no matter what career or industry they choose to pursue.”