Ipswich Guides turn Pellet Detectives

We recently welcomed a group from 7th Ipswich Guides for a visit to the Owl Sanctuary.

The day started with a guided walk led by our Education Officer Susan, who showed them some of our beautiful birds and told the group about some of the conservation stories behind the species in the wild. This included a look in our Raptor Hospital, meeting our rescued Jackdaw chicks and finding out about Barn Owls, Vultures and Golden Eagles. The group then enjoyed our Meerkat feed and talk before taking their seats for our morning Flying Display.

Auckland incoming during a Flying Display. Photo by Rock N Ryder Photography

After lunch the group undertook an important task, becoming Pellet Detectives. As regular readers will know already, we are fortunate to have a number of hack release pens located locally to provide our Raptor Hospital patients with a chance to learn some essential life skills and gain fitness and confidence in a “wild” environment before they are actually released. These hack pens are especially useful for the many young birds we take in every breeding season.

A young Tawny Owlet in the hack pen

On a recent visit to a hack pen, Senior Falconer and Head of Hospital Jess collected some pellets from the ground beneath the perches. We were all curious to find out whether the young Tawny Owls who had been residing in this pen had been able to catch any of their own food, as the pens are designed to be attractive for rodents to encourage our birds to display natural hunting instincts.

Susan explained this to the Guides and tasked them to identify what species these owls had been eating. Over the course of an hour, the group diligently pulled the pellets apart, collecting bones for identification. The hack pens are provisioned with domestic House Mouse for the duration of the birds stay, so we were specifically looking for anything different.

The easiest way to identify different rodents from their bones is to find the lower jaw bone. This bone has a distinctive shape which is different between the species, so using the Field Studies Council Guide to Owl Pellets, the group scrutinised all the jaw bones they had found. As expected, the majority of the bones belonged to House Mouse, however, we were thrilled to also discover a Wood Mouse and some Beetle carapaces (wing cases), proving that these birds have been hunting and catching their own food!

“I can’t wait to take the bones to school and show my teacher, she loves science and I think she will love this as much as I do.”

After a quick tidy up and break, the group had an informative Raptor Rescue session, where Susan explained what they should do if they ever find an injured bird of prey. They then watched the afternoon Flying Display before congregating to choose their favourite photos of the day.

Susan explaining what to do if you find an injured bird of prey.

Susan says “It’s so important for us to engage with the next generation, as they are the conservationists of the future. The girls did a fantastic job dissecting the pellets and were able to follow the instructions to identify everything they found. Even those who were a bit hesitant at the start wanted to take their findings home with them, knowing that what they had found directly contributed towards our rescue efforts.”

Guide Leader Debbie said, ”I just wanted to say how amazing the day was. On the Tuesday evening {after the visit} listening to the group all chatting about the day while they were making their photo scrapbooks was brilliant. Then having their grown up’s telling me all the information they had shared when they got home was great too.
You were amazing, the wealth of knowledge you were able to impart at just the right level for them was fab.
We loved it so much that we returned the following weekend as a family to celebrate a birthday and were then able to tell my hubby and other daughter everything we’d learned.”

Don't DIY, GET HELP!

This year, our Raptor Hospital has been incredibly busy, caring for a variety of species of raptors with all sorts of ailments. Whilst we are prepared and equipped to look after Owls, Buzzards, Kestrels, Hawks and Kites, time is always critical, and unfortunately, this year we’ve had to deal with an increasing number of cases which have not been looked after correctly from the outset.

We understand that everyone wants to help wildlife in trouble, however, this is not always in the animal/bird's best interest as all require experienced specialist care for a release to be successful. Often, we become a last resort when the care provided has not worked, or the bird has gone downhill to the point it requires critical support to survive. 

This year has seen a few specific cases where birds have been kept for prolonged periods in unsuitable environments which has either led to the bird being unfit for release or, worst case scenario, euthanized due to untreated or unrecognized injuries. This has led to a prolonged period in captivity which would have otherwise been unnecessary, thus leading to increased stress and loss of core fitness in extreme instances. Bird bones can heal incredibly quickly, and, if an injury goes untreated it can prolong the suffering of a bird that could otherwise be saved, or, cause massive deformities which will make the bird unable to survive in the wild without support. 

We have also seen patients brought in to us who have been fed unsuitable diets whilst in care. Birds of prey require whole foods to have a healthy and balanced diet. This means that feeding them processed pet food, even if it is meaty, will cause complications, especially in younger birds that require sufficient bone content in their diet to grow their own bones.
For birds that are starving, a sudden intake of food may overwhelm their digestive system and hasten their demise. When these birds are brought in to us, we use a special solution to give them an energy boost to hopefully enable them to start feeding. This is often administered via a crop tube, which requires skilful practice to ensure that it is placed into the stomach and not the lungs. Syringing liquid into the mouth could result in the bird drowning as the openings for the stomach and lungs are very close.
Overfeeding can also promote obesity which is just as critical to their fitness as an injury is. Birds carrying too much weight can suffer a multitude of long term health problems and can hinder a successful release. 

IF YOU FIND A BIRD OF PREY THAT REQUIRES HELP, PLEASE CALL US FOR ADVICE!

We are non-judgemental and will always do our best to support and educate wildlife rescues on the correct protocols and procedures for wild birds of prey. However, if you suspect that a bird’s welfare has been compromised, please contact us so we can endeavour to prevent further suffering.

And lastly, wild birds and animals should never be kept as pets or handled regularly. Any bird or animal that is taken from the wild must be given to a licensed specialist in wildlife rehabilitation for release, or a veterinarian for injury assessment. These animals do not want to be around us, and many show a stress response that can be mistaken for tameness. Please don't kill with kindness!

REMEMBER:

DO NOT give food or water
KEEP the injured bird in a suitable box in a quiet area
CALL US for advice - 03456 807 897

Silver linings

Last week, Jess and Susan were joined by Dr Hugh Hanmer from the BTO to do another check of some of our Barn Owl nest boxes.

We travelled up to the Waveney Valley where were knew of two nests which should have contained ringable chicks. The first was in a field with cows, so we had to wait for the farmer to escort us to the box. He said he’d popped round the night before and was concerned that he couldn’t hear any activity. Hugh placed the ladder against the tree, and out of the box flew a Stock Dove. Considering there should have been a large Barn Owl chick in the box, this didn’t bode well. When Hugh opened the box, he found 2 Stock Dove eggs in one corner, and the remains of a Barn Owl chick in the opposite. The chick had been dead for about a week, given the state of decomposition, but there was no evidence of predation. We suspect that it was a single parent who was struggling to find enough food to feed themselves plus the growing chick.

The next box we had previously checked a few weeks ago and found 4 eggs. This nest is being closely monitored using cameras and over the past few weeks we’ve had regular updates on the activity. In the past week or so, activity seemed to have tailed off, which was concerning as we expected the chicks to have hatched and be demanding food. Again, when Hugh positioned the ladder a Stock Dove flew out. In the box, Hugh found 3 of the Owl eggs in one corner and 2 Stock Dove eggs in another. This suggests that the eggs were not fertile. We know from the cameras that the female is wearing a ring and that she hatched on a nearby farm last year, so it could be that she needs a little more experience. If the weather holds, she may attempt to breed later in the summer. However, given the difficulties we’ve seen in our Raptor Hospital this year, concerning young birds in starving conditions, we don’t think there is much food available for them.

The team then headed south, checking boxes along the way. One of these contained a large Stock Dove chick, which gave Jess some experience ringing a non-raptor species.

Jess ringing a young Stock Dove - her first non-raptor.

Kestrel pellets and remains of breakfast

Another box looked very promising with several small pellets and a couple of dead juvenile voles on the ground beneath it. As we got the ladder into position, a female Kestrel flew from a neighbouring tree and flew across the field toward some telegraph poles opposite. With Hugh up the ladder, Jess spotted 3 young Kestrels on the telegraph posts, and Hugh confirmed that the box had been recently vacated. We suspect that the Kestrels fledged a short while ago but are still using the box to roost in.

Later in the afternoon, we’d made our way back down to near SOS to check one last box. This box is not in what we would consider an ideal location, as it is sandwiched between the main London- Norwich trainline and the busy A14 dual carriageway. Upon approach, we saw a Kestrel fly out of the tree, and a number of Jackdaws were also sitting in the upper branches. Given our track record for the day, we were feeling a little pessimistic. Jess approached the box with a net and placed it over the entrance, just in case anyone was home. Before Hugh and Susan had got the ladder in place, out flew a Barn Owl, which Jess expertly captured. Unfortunately, the net wasn’t big enough to catch the second Barn Owl which flew out a few seconds later! The Owl was carefully extracted from the net and placed into a bag while Hugh checked the box, which was empty. Jess had already seen that the bird was ringed, but as she read the number, we all looked at each-other - that sounded familiar! Hugh checked through his book where he keeps all ringing data before submitting, and discovered that this bird was one of a couple of Barn Owls that we had in our Raptor Hospital last year, as chicks. They had been ringed before moving to a hack pen locally.

Once we had all stopped grinning with excitement, Jess continued to take biometric measurements on the Owl, including a weight, wing length. She also had a brood patch, which tells us that she has definitely attempted to breed this year, and was starting to moult her feathers! We assume that the other Owl was her mate, who flew off into some large Willow trees near the river. After the female was returned to the box, we went on an exploratory hike to see if we could locate a couple of “missing” boxes on the other side of the river. We found one which had a large squirrel drey inside, but the other couldn’t be found. So wherever she was nesting must be in a natural hole!

This was a massive boost for the team after a disappointing start to the day. It confirms that the work we do in the Raptor Hospital and our Hack Pens works to support young birds after release. This female had flown about 5 miles from her release site, which is about average for Barn Owl dispersal, but had made it across the A14, which is an incredibly dangerous barrier for wildlife, and the cause of many of our Hospital intakes.

Through ringing our Raptor Hospital patients before release, we hope to find more Owls and Kestrels breeding locally in nest boxes monitored by ourselves, or other groups in the future!

Young Kestrels out to Hack

The three young Kestrels who have been with us for a while have now been moved to a hack pen.

Two of these Kestrels were found when they were only a few days old, and required hand rearing by our team. Despite our best efforts to avoid imprinting them, they became very used to being around people because of the 24/7 care they needed in their first week with us. As soon as we could, we moved them to one of our Hospital aviaries and adopted a hands off approach, dropping food into the aviary via a hatch and generally avoiding any further contact with them. However, they continued to call for food constantly when they heard certain members of the team in the area.

The two Kestrel chicks were found in the same nest as two Jackdaw chicks!

After a couple of days in this aviary, they were joined by a third young Kestrel, who was found starving. This bird was truly wild, and had the typical feisty Kestrel behaviour we expect, despite it’s young age. We hope that this will encourage the other two to be more wary of people.

Spot the one that wasn’t hand-reared!

All three were recently ringed and have now been moved to a remote location where they can adjust to life without people. They have been placed in a hack pen, which is a temporary aviary designed to give birds that have been with us for a period of time a chance to experience the sights and sounds of the area that they will be released into.

On the move

Senior Falconer Jess, who also runs our Raptor Hospital said “When we get youngsters in that need constant care for the first few days, it can be hard not to get attached. I must confess to having a tear in my eye as they were taken to the hack site, but now they have a chance to be wild and free thanks to the efforts of the whole team here at SOS.”

This particular hack pen has been placed in an area with a good layer of meadow grass, and when Jess moved some of the cut grass out of the way, about 20 rodents ran out, so this is really encouraging for these youngsters to hone their hunting skills before they are released. Even though we will continue to provision this hack pen with mice, we have installed trail cameras so we can remotely monitor the birds activity and hopefully see them catching their own dinner.

Not too impressed with the new accommodation!

We expect these birds to stay in the hack pen for a couple of weeks, but Jess had a bittersweet moment on her most recent visit to drop off food for them, when none of the birds showed any interest in her.

Exciting bird in our Hospital

Here at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, we are always prepared to assist with any bird of prey that needs our help. We recently received a call from another rescue in Cambridgeshire about a bird that they had taken in that needed specialist help.

This Marsh Harrier was brought in to us after it was found next to a road near Wicken Fen. Marsh Harriers, as the name suggests, are typically found in wetlands, so it was a very unusual bird to find on a road. The bird had a limp wing, suggesting that she had been clipped by a vehicle.

Upon arrival with us, Jess couldn’t feel any obvious breaks, but just to be sure, we arranged for an X-ray at our local vets. This confirmed that there was no break, so we’re relieved that she just has soft tissue damage.

She has been placed in our indoor aviary for close observation and whilst not able to fully fly around just yet, she is managing to get onto the lower perches so we are keeping everything crossed that she continues to improve.

Busy ringing session

Earlier this week, we invited Dr Hugh Hanmer to ring some of our Hospital patients before they were released.

We hope that by ringing as many of our patients as possible before they are released, we can get a better idea that our efforts work. Each bird is fitted with a ring which is inscribed with an individual alpha-numeric code. This means that if this bird is found again in the future, we can find out where it’s moved to and how it was doing after release. We always hope that one day we will find one of our released Raptor Hospital patients breeding in a nest box. We also take biometric measurements to add to the national database, held by the British Trust for Ornithology.

Here are the stories about the most recent birds to be ringed and what the ringing process told us about them.

Cloud Barn Owls

These two very young Barn Owls were brought to us after their nest box collapsed in bad weather. The mother flew off so we stepped in to rear them. Thankfully, they were uninjured and were very lucky to have been found and brought to us, as they would not have survived by themselves.

These two were too young to sex, but as they’ll be with us for a little while longer, we may check them again before they are moved to a hack pen.

Fledging Barn Owls

These two older Barn Owlets were being monitored by a bird ringer, when he found three chicks on the ground outside the box. One of the chicks flew off, but these two were very weak so they were brought to us for assessment. They were both very thin but after 24 hours and some good food, they both perked right up! Being a bit older, we were able to sex them, with the larger bird identified as a female from the spots on her breast feathers, and the smaller one a male, as he was spotless.

These two will be returned to near where they were found over the next week or so, and will go into a hack pen so we can assess their hunting ability before release.

Big Buzzard

This large Buzzard was brought in with a tear on her wing, we suspect from an altercation with another bird. She was treated with pain relief and the wound has healed nicely. When we caught her up for ringing, she put up quite a fight, suggesting that she had a bit of life experience. By looking at the feathers in her wings, we were able to age her as a third year bird, as Buzzards only replace a few feathers each year. We also weighed and measured her wing, which put her at the top end of the scale for biometric measurements.

She will be released soon near where she was found.

Young Buzzard

This recently fledged Buzzard was found grounded. During the initial assessment, the team found that he had a bacterial infection which was treated with antibiotics. Now that he has made a full recovery, he was ready to be ringed. Based on his size, we are confident that he is a male, and typical of young Buzzards, when approached, he just freezes and doesn’t really put up much of a fight (unlike the older female). He has been moved to an outdoor aviary to build up some fitness before going to a hack pen.

Little Owls

We’ve had a very busy season of Little Owlets, and a new one arrived just before Hugh got to us. This Owlet was found……………(road/ stables???)

It was ringed alongside another which has been with us for a short time having been found weak.

Both these Little Owlets have been added to the remaining group, and will likely go out all together to a hack site soon.

Kestrels

We’ve had two young Kestrels in recently. The first one is a female who came in unable to fly. She was very overweight for her size, and has been on a strict diet since arriving. Her fitness is improving as we encourage her to fly in the aviary to find her food.

She was ringed alongside a young male, identified by his blue-grey tail covets that are growing through. He was found very weak but has now improved and it’s likely that these two might be released together from a hack pen when they are ready.

Singleton Barn Owl

We also took the opportunity to visit a local Barn Owl box that was checked a few weeks ago with a single very young Barn Owl chick. This box was installed two years ago by local farmer Sam Broughton, who manages his land with wildlife in mind. The box was paid for by a kind donation from one of our long-standing volunteers Linda, so we were very pleased to find it occupied.

On our most recent check, the single chick was alone in the box, which is perfectly normal, as the parents often opt for a quieter life and as soon as the chicks start becoming a bit too demanding for food, the parents will find an alternative roost nearby to spend the daytime. This chick was a decent size and Jess was able to ring it, under the supervision of Hugh who holds the necessary licences to monitor and disturb this protected species. She also had an audience, as Sam had his young family come out to watch, as it’s not every day you get to see a young Barn Owl being ringed! The Owlet was quickly returned to the box and will likely stay there for at least another 3-4 weeks before venturing out to hunt in the field margins. A true farmers friend!

Many hands to help with big jobs this week

This week we’ve been very grateful to two corporate groups of volunteers, who have assisted our teams with a couple of big jobs!

The team from SUEZ, Great Blakenham were tasked with moving our new fencing panels from our compound where they have been stored, into the Woodland Walk, where work is currently ongoing. Steve, Dave, Chris and John spent the day moving the timber, which was a huge help as it meant that our maintenance team could crack on with installing the new fencing.

Moving timber can be hard work, but these guys made it look easy!

The team of 14 from Dervico Sports software department then came in to clear our old composting area. Due to the huge task ahead of them, we agreed to take a larger than normal group, and between them the area was transformed in just one day!

A mountain of a task to clear this area

Job done!

During the clearing, one of the team uncovered a sleepy Hedgehog curled up in a pile of leaves. Thanks to our training from Suffolk Prickles Hedgehog Rescue, we were able to safely move the Hedgehog temporarily while the work was carried out. Named Stig, the male was accommodated in one of our indoor Hedgehog pens for the day, and during this time we know that he had a good wander around before finding a cosy spot in the box to continue snoozing.

At the end of the day, we took Stig, and his box back to the area for release, as there were no health concerns. He was provided with some biscuits for a snack and we hope that he will continue to provide us with a free pest control service by munching on the abundant slugs and snails that live in that area. Even though most of the vegetation has been removed, the team left some around the edges to give Stig some cover, and now that we know he’s there, we will keep an eye open for him before starting any further work in this area.

No vacancies in the Hedgehog Hotel

Just like our Raptor Hospital, Suffolk Prickles Hedgehog Rescue have had an incredibly busy season so far, taking in many sick, injured and orphaned Hedgehogs.

Our Hedgehog Hotel was established and funded by Suffolk Owl Sanctuary in order to support Prickles with their regular overspill of recuperating injured hedgehogs. Suffolk Prickles Hedgehog Rescue relies entirely on donations from members of the public and have no other means of funding their work, so where we can assist by taking care of those Hogs that are almost ready for release, we do.

Over the past few weeks, we have only had one guest in our Hotel. Puddles, who has an old leg injury cause by being caught up in netting, has been receiving daily hydrotherapy sessions to improve her fitness and encourage use of all four of her legs again.

Last week, Keeper Jennie received a call from Paula, asking if we had space to take in a few extra guests. Jennie returned with a car full of hedgehogs! Here is a little bit about them all.

Brian

Brian is a single male who was found with a serious head injury, we suspect from being hit by a car. He has spent some time with Paula to make sure that he had made a good recovery. Although he has been doing really well, he still walks with a bit of a lopsided action, making him look a little like he’s headbanging to a famous rock band! Since moving into the Hotel, he’s been exploring his outdoor pen and we hope that he will be ready for release soon.

Alvin, Theodore and Simon

These three Hoglets were found wandering in the daytime, with no sign of mum. We suspect that something must have happened to mum, as they were too young to have been left. Paula cared for these three but it’s now time for these Hoglets to gain some life skills before release. They’ve been placed into one of our pens with plenty of enrichment for them to explore, including a leaf and log pile and tunnels. These will help them gain confidence and learn how to be a Hedgehog by foraging in the vegetation for insects.

Giovanna and her Hoglets Carlos, Nikita and Katya

Giovanna is a blind hedgehog who was brought into Paula while pregnant. Her Hoglets were born at Prickles and have done really well in the indoor pens. With mum being blind, she won’t be released back into the wild proper, but will be given a safe home in a secure garden, where she can spend her evenings foraging without any of the threats that she might face through her disability. Her offspring will be released to a monitored site where they will be supported so that they can slowly gain confidence in their natural abilities to forage and nest.

When they were first arrived and were placed into their pen, one of the youngsters went straight outside for an adventure. After a short while, we were concerned that they couldn’t find their way back inside, so we assisted, and placed mum in the entrance tunnel to the box. Overnight the babies were definitely outside as we found plenty of small poops, but we think Giovanna will take a bit of time to get used to her new surroundings. Hedgehog’s mostly rely on their sense of smell and hearing, so we hope that she will adapt to life with us over time.

All these extra mouths require quite a bit of feeding, so if you would like to contribute, we welcome any donations of meat based loaf dog food or meat based puppy food in jelly, which can be dropped off to our shop between 9-5, 7 days a week. Alternatively, we also have items for the Hedgehogs on our Amazon Wishlist, which you can find here. Any surplus to our requirements we will make available for Prickles to use in their Hospital.

New Red Kite Longevity Record!

A few months ago, news broke of a Red Kite rescued in Oxfordshire which was one of the original reintroduction birds brought over from Spain and released into the UK. This bird was found on a path with injuries after being attacked by other birds and taken in by a local rescue, but unfortunately didn’t recover from his injuries. From the ring on his leg, the rescue discovered that he was ringed as a chick in 1994 before being released into the Thames Valley.

Last week, we received news of another elderly Red Kite being found, although a bit further away. Bev Forbes found the remains of a Red Kite on a road near her home in Dingwall, Scottish Highlands. The bird had been run over by several vehicles before Bev found it, and only the tail was identifiable. Bev saw that the bird had a ring on its leg, so reported it to the Natural History Museum, who coordinate ringing recoveries on behalf of the British Trust for Ornithology.

The Red Kite was found at the side of the road with a ring on it’s leg.

The report she received back told her that this bird was ringed as a nestling in 1993, by Roy Dennis in the Black Isle of the Scottish Highlands. Roy Dennis has been involved with many successful raptor reintroductions over the years, include White Tailed Eagles to West Scotland in the 90s, and more recently to the Isle of White, and establishing the first breeding Ospreys in England for

This bird was 30 years old when it died, which makes it the oldest wild Red Kite in the UK!

Susan, our Education Officer says “This is an amazing ringing recovery, highlighting how little we know about these amazing birds and the importance of the ringing scheme!” We will make contact with the Roy Dennis Foundation to try and determine whether this Scottish bird was part of the release programme in Scotland, or whether it was one of the first Scottish “born” Red Kites since their reintroduction.

Babies ringed ready for release

With patients coming and going in our Raptor Hospital, we are continuing to ring as many as we can before they are released, in order to monitor the effectiveness of their rehabilitation with us.

We invited Dr Hugh Hanmer from the BTO to come and supervise our team while they train to ring Raptors themselves. Our Education Officer, Susan, has been a bird ringer for years, but isn’t yet licenced to ring Raptors, whereas Jess only started her training in the last year or so but has the advantage of years of handling these feisty birds.

Barn Kestrels

Jess and Susan with the two young Kestrels

These two Kestrels came in at only a few days old, after a farmer disturbed their nest in the hay barn. We were concerned that they might imprint on us, as they required 24/7 care for the first week or so. Thankfully, as soon as they were able to feed themselves, we moved them into one of our smaller Hospital aviaries and adopted a hands off approach, and we’re pleased to report that they have since become rather wild! These two appear to be a male and female, as the smaller individual already has some blue-grey feathers coming through on his rump.

Extra Kestrel

A very fluffy and grumpy Kestrel, now ringed.

This Kestrel arrived in the morning, and once it had had a good feed, was deemed to be well enough to ring and be put in the aviary with the other Kestrels. Although a bit younger than the other two, it has a wilder temperament which should help our two learn how to behave, and stand this one in good stead once released.

Little Owls

This Little Owl was very well behaved receiving a ring.

We have had several young Little Owls this year, all found in a starving condition (likely caused by the extremely dry weather we’re experiencing). Hugh and Susan ringed 3 Little Owls on a previous visit, so the remaining Owlets were ringed on this occasion and they’ve all been put into an aviary to build confidence and fitness before moving to a hack pen.

Tawny Owl

This adult Tawny Owl was hit by a car and had concussion. It is now ready to release so was ringed before being returned to the area near where it was found. We were able to age it as a second year bird (hatched last year) but noted that there was a distinct lack of markings on the tail.

First nest box babies ringed as project relaunches

Over the weekend, some of our team visited nest boxes as part of our long-term monitoring project, run previously under the Thornham Owl Project.

Jess, who runs our Raptor Hospital, and Susan, our Education Officer, were joined by Dr Hugh Hanmer from the BTO, who holds the necessary licences to enable us to monitor these boxes.

Remote camera image showing the pair of Barn Owls at the box, and a brave rabbit in the grass!

The team opted to revisit boxes in the Waveney Valley, which had been initially checked earlier in the year to assess any maintenance requirements. The first Barn Owl box is located on a private nature reserve, and we met one of the land-managers who gave us access to the field. We set up the ladder against the tree, but just before the net could be placed over the hole to catch any adults, a Barn Owl flew out! Hugh climbed the ladder and discovered 4 eggs inside the box. We quickly retreated to give mum a chance to return to her eggs. According to those who are keeping an eye on the nest using remote cameras, she is ringed and is regularly seen with her mate flying across the fields. We will return to this box in a few weeks time to ring any chicks that hatch.

Four Barn Owl eggs in a well lined box.

The next box to check was a Kestrel box. Upon our arrival, we noticed some fresh looking poo stains on the edge of the box and on the vegetation below. Given the recent rain, this led us to believe that the box was occupied. Once again, Hugh climbed the ladder and at the top proclaimed “Hello, you!” Inside the nest were three young Kestrels, which he quickly bagged up to bring down for ringing. Whilst Jess has ringed a number of Kestrels in the Hospital, these were the first proper in-the-wild ones that she had handled, and only the second brood that Susan had ringed. The young were ringed quickly and efficiently by the team, and we noted that they all had very round tummies - clearly there is plenty of food in this area. While Hugh returned the chicks to the box, Jess spotted a female Kestrel flying over the field, so once again, we quickly retreated.

The next few Barn Owl boxes didn’t have any birds present, although had clearly been used by Jackdaws as they were filled with sticks and twigs.

The last box in this area to check was a Barn Owl box on a field edge. As Hugh climbed the ladder, he heard hissing coming from the box, which resulted in two very excited members of staff on the ground below!

Inside the box were two young Barn Owls. These were ringed and we were able to determine that the larger one was a female, as she already had some spotty feathers growing on her flank. The smaller one we suspect was a male, but couldn’t be sure as it was a bit younger than the other one so the feathers weren’t as developed. After a quick

After a successful morning, the team stopped for some lunch and admired the variety of insect pollinators visiting the wild flowers in the field. They then decided to check an accessible Barn Owl box at Thornham before visiting some boxes local to Stonham.

The Thornham box was active due to the increased level of pellets deposited in it, but there were no signs of any nesting. It is likely that any birds may be using a natural cavity and that this could be used as a roost by the male when he’s not hunting. We will return and check this box later in the summer as Barn Owls can lay a second clutch in a nearby box.

Jess and Hugh positioning the ladder

The team then visited a local farm which has four accessible boxes. Unfortunately two of these required maintenance and were unused, although one was full of fresh leaves, suggesting a squirrel may be thinking of using it. The Little Owl box also contained a squirrel drey, which was evicted, although the box will be relocated over the winter to a more suitable location.

The final box on this farm is located in a large oak tree which is part of the field margin. In previous years, we have used this area as a hack release site, as the field has been sown with cover crop and full of voles! This year, the crop is wheat, and there is less cover for rodents. We were not hopeful, but when Hugh climbed the ladder, he heard movement from within the box. We use a block of wood to cover the hole and prevent any birds from escaping, to ensure that we are able to assess the population accurately by monitoring adults as well as juveniles. While Hugh was trying to safely secure the female from within the box, while up a ladder, she knocked the blocker and escaped! Hugh was able to see that she was unringed though, so not one of the birds we’ve released. With mum out of the way, Hugh found a very small Barn Owlet in the box, which we’ll return to ring in a week or two’s time.

A single Barn Owl chick, too small to ring on this visit.

The last box to check for the day was installed just a few months ago and built by students from Suffolk Rural College. When Hugh put the ladder against the tree, a Stock Dove flew out, and inside the box were two eggs. Whilst Stock Doves are not a species we ordinarily get involved with, if Hugh is down in a couple of weeks time, then we may go and ring these chicks, as it’s all good practice and Stock Doves are an under-recorded species. While we were tidying our things away, we were alerted by a Kestrel to a Buzzard flying over the field , while mummy Stock Dove sat tight in a large Willow about 200m away waiting for us to leave.

It would appear that the Barn Owls in our area seem to be a bit all over the place this breeding season, with some large chicks and some still on eggs. This could be indicative of an early failure and relaying, but we will wait until the end of the season to draw any conclusions. In the meantime, the team will continue to monitor any boxes we have access to over the coming months to build a picture of how Barn Owls, and other Raptor species are doing locally.

Once again, we are grateful to Hugh for giving his time to enable us to relaunch this project, and to all the land owners who give us access to check these boxes. If you have a nest box under the Thornham Owl Project and would like us to monitor it, please get in touch.

Introducing Nancy...

Nancy the White Backed Vulture is the newest member of the flying team here at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, and has settled in really well so far. She’s getting the hang of some of the training we’ve been doing with her, including encouraging her to enter a travel box, or wait on a station. 

It’s during this training that we’ve really got to know her, and as we felt she was quite sophisticated in nature - gently taking food from us and generally being quite lady-like - we thought the name Nancy suited her well. 

We’re learning lots of other things about her too, and lately Nancy has been showing us that she’s not much of an early bird! She definitely prefers to engage with training in the afternoons, which isn’t unlike her wild counterparts; vultures often don’t get out and about looking for food until a few hours after the sun has risen in order to make use of the thermals to soar with minimal effort. 

Vultures are a rather misunderstood bird, and people often think they’re dirty because they eat dead things, or ugly because they have bald heads. Vultures are in fact the most important species we house here at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary. In the wild they play a vital role in their ecosystem; They often eat the carcasses of animals that have died from disease such as rabies, cholera, anthrax and botulism, but vultures are able to digest these due to their strong stomach acids, completely removing them from the environment! Without vultures these diseases would instead be spread by wild or feral dogs. Sadly, vulture numbers are in great decline for many reasons, and because they’re not ‘pretty’ they often get overlooked. 

Head Falconers Jess said “We’re very happy with how Nancy has settled into life at SOS, and that she has taken a liking to Dolly. Dolly has made great progress in developing her skills as a bird trainer and handler since starting with us a couple of years ago, and we are all excited to see what she and Nancy can achieve together.”

Nancy will become part of our flying team, and will eventually fly alongside our other vultures in displays, in order to show the variety and differences between species. But most importantly, we hope she will capture the hearts of our guests and act as an ambassador for her species, highlighting their importance and changing negative perceptions of these amazing birds. 

Hedgehog Hydrotherapy

We have two Hedgehogs currently staying in our Hedgehog Hotel who are having special hydrotherapy sessions to help with their rehabilitation.

Puddles was taken to Suffolk Prickles Hedgehog Rescue after being found with an injured front leg. Following veterinary investigation which found no obvious breaks, we suspect that she got tangled up in pea netting and in her struggle to escape, caused soft tissue damage, meaning that she walks on her elbow rather than her foot.

Sonic was found at the side of a road, dragging his hind end after a serious back injury. Whilst he has made a good recovery so far, one back leg seems to be paralysed.

Not having four fully-functioning legs compromises the Hedgehogs survival chances as they’ll find it difficult to forage, so both Puddles and Sonic have joined us for a stay, which includes access to a pool!

Both the Hogs are getting a short hydrotherapy session every day to encourage them to move their injured legs, which will hopefully help to strengthen them over time and enable the Hedgehogs to walk properly again. Whilst staying in our Hedgehog Hotel, they also has access to an outdoor run, which they explore every evening as their mobility improves.

Although Hedgehogs can swim, it is important that any water in your garden has a ramp or shallow beach area so that they can climb out easily. All hydrotherapy sessions are supervised by our staff who recognise when the Hedgehogs are getting tired to lift them out.

Red Kite Rescue

Over the years, we have stepped in to assist other rescues with the care and rehabilitation of wild birds of prey. We recently received a call from concerned member of the public regarding a Red Kite with a broken wing.

X-ray showing the broken wing

This Red Kite was ringed and wing tagged, and was part of a study population near the Chilterns. It had been held by another rescue for a period of time after seeking advice from their own veterinarian. The broken tibia (wing) healed itself, but was misaligned. When we received the bird, we immediately called Dr Elliott Simpson-Brown for advice, as to whether the break was fixable and what the long-term implications were for the bird.

Elliot and Jess checking the wing.

Elliott was able to pay us a visit and watched the Kite flying in the largest of our Hospital aviaries. It seemed able to get around, but we needed a better assessment. Thankfully the Sanctuary was quiet for the day, so the team attached temporary falconry equipment to the bird and were able to release it on our Flying Ground with a creance (long thin line) to allow the bird to demonstrate it’s flying ability.

Red Kites are aerial acrobats as they frequently steal food from other birds in mid-air and it’s important that the bird has full mobility before released. Elliott was pleased to see the bird seemed able to fly, but was a little concerned about lack of fitness. After a thorough examination at SOS with our own vet, it was decided that surgery was not the best option as the bird was able to maintain vertical flight well, and access high perches. The bone had already callused which also added complications.

Fortunately, we have good relationships with other rescues, and reached out to another rescue who have a large flight aviary which is useful for larger birds such as Kites to build up fitness after a period of rehabilitation.

The Red Kite is able to get around in the aviary

This Red Kite will be transferred to a large flight aviary to assess and build fitness before its imminent release.

No Mow May might be over, but...

No Mow May is a fantastic initiative to encourage everyone to leave a little patch of wild in your garden or community space. It has grown massively over the years as more and more people realise the biodiversity crisis we face. Allowing grass to grow long and for wildflowers to flower and set seed not only looks far more attractive than a mono-culture short cut lawn but is also a HUGE benefit to wildlife! Insects attracted to the bright flowers and heady scents help to pollinate future generations of flowers, as well as any fruit or vegetable crops that are around. These in turn attract predators such as small birds like Sparrows, Robins and Blackbirds, who all have plenty of hungry mouths to feed in their nests at this time of year. In turn, these may be on the menu for a Sparrowhawk, and thus, supporting local raptor populations.

Thick-legged Flower Beetles are important pollinators for wildflowers, such as this Yellow Rattle.

Many people participate in No Mow May, but then on the 1st of June the strimmers and mowers come out and everything is returned to green. This can be devestating for wildlife as different species will breed at different times, so you may inadvertently remove an important food source for insects, or cut the flower heads before they seed, remove that particular species from the area. Let It Bloom June is now growing in popularity, as more people leave their wild areas for even longer, much to the advantage of wildlife.

An urban garden showing mown paths with wilder areas

By all means, you can keep pathways and some areas “tidy” but consider leaving some untidy areas for wildlife. And if you must strim or cut back, please check the area thoroughly first for wildlife such as hedgehogs or young birds.

Through our continued work with Suffolk Prickles Hedgehog Rescue, we were recently able to offer lodgings in our Hedgehog Hotel to Decker.

Decker was found by a gardener with his nose stuck in a rat trap and a severe strimmer wound to the back of his neck, which required veterinary attention. He was stitched up and once his medication ended, Paula asked us if we could look after him.

When he first arrived, he was quite shy, and we were concerned when the next day we found he hadn’t eaten any food. However, he clearly just needed some time to settle in, as the following day most of his food was gone, and his weight had increased to more than when he first arrived with us.

Due to his injury, Decker is finding it hard to curl into a tight ball, which is the Hedgehogs main defence against predators such as foxes. He will be with us for some time while the stitches help to heal his wounds, then we can assess when he’ll be ready for release.

The day after Decker arrived, Keeper Nick was clearing the area outside the Hedgehog Hotel, and discovered this beautifully intricate Hedgehog nest!

At this time of year, non-breeding Hedgehogs will create a little nest to rest up in during the day time. They usually have several within their home range, so if you find one, the chances are there may be others. This one was safely hidden under a broken pot, and the creator wasn’t home, but it’s heart-warming to know that our resident wild Hedgehogs may be visiting the temporary residents in the Hedgehog Hotel while we’re not around.

If you took part in No Mow May or Let It Bloom June, why not share your photos with us on social media. We’d love to see what wildlife has been attracted to your garden as a result of you letting nature do its thing!

Group Volunteers working hard

Earlier this month, we welcomed a group from AXA XL back to SOS for another corporate volunteer day. The group worked hard to make the final preparations to our new Meerkat enclosure, including a lot of moving sand, planting and watering the grasses and trees and clearing away bits from the building process.

They also made a start weeding an area beside the new enclosure, which we’re dedicating to an old volunteer named Laurie, who sadly passed away a couple of years ago.

The following week, a group from IJYI Software Development and Data Experts came in to lend us a hand. Unfortunately, there were major traffic issues locally due to an overturned lorry, with many of our staff and regular volunteers held up in the tailbacks. The group made it to us though, and got to work weeding our extra seating area of the Flying Ground, before moving a mound of bark chippings to create a level surface for visitors. They enjoyed watching the Flying Displays from this area while waiting for the roads to clear for their return journey home.

We are also pleased to be continuing to work with Suffolk Rural College Supported Learning Group. Over the course of six weeks they have been helping with various projects on site. They have topped up sand at the back of our Raptor Hospital to improve the drainage, added top soil to Laurie’s Garden ready for planting, and worked super hard to clear the tangle of weeds in the Woodland Walk. This work is part of their Employability Course, which aims to give work skills to students to prepare them for employment after college.

Volunteer Co-ordiantor Beckie says “Having groups choose to spend a day volunteering with us enables larger jobs to progress very quickly! Moving substrates such as sand and bark chipping can take our staff several days to complete due to other tasks such as caring for our animals, but these groups just get on with the task at hand and get it done in a few hours! We are so grateful to all the group and corporate volunteers who support us throughout the year! Thank you!”

Tangle the Little Owl

Our first baby Little Owl of the season was a little less straight forward than usual.

Tangle the Little Owl

This very recently fledged Little Owl was brought in after being found in garden, tangled in some sort of threading. It took our team a while to remove the thread from the birds feet and from around the neck, but once removed, they were placed into one of our smaller hospital cages for observation.

The chick was also very thin, so enjoyed a few good meals of mouse, which the team were happy to provide.

A couple of days later, while doing a morning check, more thread was discovered, this time around the wing. However, the team were unable to see where the thread was coming from. With some careful investigation, we were shocked to discover that the thread appeared to be embedded in the wing! Dolly held the patient still while Matt gently pulled the thread out.

Unfortunately, with Little Owls frequently nesting in areas around humans, our litter often causes them issues. We suspect that the thread may have been used in the nest, and the chick must have gotten tangled up in it. As the bird grew, the thread got embedded in the skin, which if left would have caused an infection and almost certain death. After another thorough check for any more thread, an antiseptic was applied to the area to reduce the risk of infection.

The two pieces of thread removed from around the wing, about 1cm of the shorter piece was embedded in the skin!

This little Little Owl has been nicknamed Tangle by the team. They will join the two other Little Owlets that we have in at the moment and once they are all ready, they will be released at one of our hack sites together. All three were ringed in preparation for their release. This painless process involves attaching a small metal ring to the birds leg, with a unique alpha-numeric code. Should a ringed bird be found, it can be reported to the British Trust for Ornithology, who will send the finder and the original ringer a report of the details, such as location, date, condition etc.

Tangle being ringed as part of our post-release monitoring.

Pin Wing and Ticky ready for release

Our long-term Barn Owl patients in the Raptor Hospital have now been relocated to their release site.

Pin Wing was found in a holly hedge with a broken wing. Thankfully, the next day our vet Dr Elliott Simpson-Brown was visiting, and he was able to operate and installed a pin and bridge to stabilise the wing while the bone healed. After a few weeks, the bridge was removed and within 24 hours, Pin Wing was flying around her aviary.

Ticky was brought in after being found next to a road. Although he has mild concussion, he was also covered in ticks, which partially paralysed his face. We were very concerned about his ability to survive in the wild, so knew that a hack release would need to be considered for him too.

These two birds were placed in one of our outdoor aviaries together, as the finder of Pin Wing had offered us some space to build a hack pen on his farm. This was an ideal situation as Ben was happy to monitor the pair and support them with food for as long as is required.

Jay and Garry recently spent a couple of days installing the hack pen around an old stump. This is ideal for giving the birds some experience of the wild, and the hack pen is designed to allow small rodents access, so we may see the residents hunting before they are released. They also placed a Jay’s special nest box in the hack pen so that the pair have some shelter, and a few perches for them to use.

Pin Wing and Ticky have become firm favourites for the team, so they had a bit of an entourage on moving day. The hack pen was given a final check by Jess, who has been caring for these owls with the rest of the team for the past few months, before a trail camera was installed to give optimum views of the space.

Pin Wing was the first out of the box and took a moment to realise that she was in a larger space, before doing a short lap of the pen and landing on top of the box. She seemed to recognise the area as she tried to see through the pen walls, which bodes really well for her actual release in a few weeks time.

Ticky almost took off before Jess could place him on the stump, and did the same short lap then landed on the ground. We retreated to observe them for a few minutes outside the pen before leaving them to settle into their new home.

The team then went on to check the six nest boxes that Ben has on his land, with Dr Hugh Hanmer from the British Trust for Ornithology present. Hugh holds the required Schedule 1 licence and ringing permits to check Barn Owl boxes, so under his guidance the team are being trained to enable them to carry out these checks in the future.

There are three in the barns within a short distance from the hack pen, and upon approaching the first one, a Tawny Owl was flushed from the roof apex and flew out into another area where the other box is. The first box was empty, and as we approached the second box, two Tawny Owls flew out, over the hack pen and disappeared into the trees, where they were mobbed by Blackbirds, Finches and Tits. This box was also empty, so we suspect that the pair may have bred in the trees and were probably enjoying some peace and quiet in the Barn away from their chicks during the daytime. The third box in the Barns was also empty.

The team then checked a box within sight of the house, and just a few meters away from the hedge where Pin Wing was found. When the team had previously checked this box in February, just a short time after Pin Wing came to us, a Barn Owl had flown out, so we were hopeful of activity. Unfortunately, the activity was not what we were looking for, as the box contained the remains of a Jackdaw nest, with several of these birds observing us from the field.

The team then started the long walk across some of Ben’s land to visit the furthest nest box. Thankfully, on this occasion Ben was cutting the paths to this part of the farm, so he was able to transport the ladder for us, which made for a much more enjoyable walk past the mere. The last 50m or so to this box involved wading through a jungle of bracken and stinging nettles, which made everyone regret their clothing choice of shorts for the day!

Although we try to approach quietly so as not to disturb any birds that may be present in the box, the difficult terrain meant that the resident Barn Owl heard us coming and flew off into a nearby tree as we got closer to the box. This box had previously housed a huge (dead) hornet nest, so we were pleased to see that the box was being used by its intended residents! Inside, we found fresh pellets, but no obvious nesting activity.

We had disregarded the final box, as on our previous visit we had unintentionally caught two grey squirrels in the net, and the box was in need of repairs. However, not having to carry the ladders gave us an incentive to check this box, as birds will frequently nest in very unlikely places! On this occasion though, the box was still resided in by squirrels, though thankfully they exited through the hole in the back rather than jumping out the front!

We were also of a mind to check a natural hole in a large oak tree in the field, but upon our approach, a squirrel stuck its head out and chak-chakked at us to warn us to stay clear!

Whilst it was disappointing not to find any active raptor nests on this visit, it does give Pin Wing and Ticky plenty of options for setting up their own territory once released in a few weeks time. We will return later in the summer to check the boxes again, in case Pin Wing has laid some eggs, or if the resident owl down by the mere has found a mate and started a family.

Meerkats have MOVED!

Visitors over the last few months may have discovered building work taking place over at SOS2, our smaller nature centre across the road from our main site. This building work was recently completed ready for our mob of mischievous Meerkats to relocate to their new home.

Last week, the Meerkats enjoyed a last morning in their original Meerkat Kastle, with a Home Education group visiting them to learn more about habitats and why enrichment is so important to captive animals. The mob had some tasty treats hidden in some of the papier mache creations, decorated by our regular Home Ed families, before relaxing in the warm sunshine.

In the afternoon, Keepers Beckie, Jennie and Nick took on the task of catching up all ten to transport them the short distance to their new home. They were confined into their indoor area, with Beckie distracting them with food while Nick swiftly got hold of them and placed them into their secure transport box, with Jennie in charge of door security!

On the move!

With all Meerkats safely in their transport box, the team wheeled it over to SOS2 and placed it into their new enclosure. They had already transferred some of the sand from their old enclosure into the new one, to make them feel more comfortable with familiar smells, so once the box was opened, it didn’t take the Meerkats long to come out and explore!

They spent the first hour fully investigating their new home, which has tunnels to replicate burrows, rock piles and live grass plants. Within a few minutes, they discovered a large ants nest under one of the grasses, so this was quickly dug up in search of tasty natural food, much to the Keepers disappointment!

Exploring their new home, with rock piles and plants!

They also investigated the indoor area of their home, which is inside the new Kastle tower. This is linked to the second tower by a tunnel, and the Meerkats have discovered that this is a great vantage point to adopt for their look out duties.

The best look-out post?

The Meerkats were slightly concerned by being able to see birds, particularly when our pair of Golden Eagles started flying around their aviary at feeding time! However, they soon realised that the Eagles couldn’t get to them, and settled in really quickly.

Over the coming days and weeks we will continue to monitor their behaviour, and that of our birds, to ensure that this move doesn't cause any unnecessary stress. In fact, our flying team have already been over to investigate the new furry critters which have appeared!

The new Meerkat enclosure has four large windows which will allow close up views for visitors in pushchairs, wheelchairs, or just those who haven’t grown up yet. There is also an indoor encounter area which is fully wheelchair accessible, so that our Meerkat encounters are accessible for all.

Visitors can get face to face with our mischievous mob.

A mystery to solve...

Last week we received a call from a concerned farmer. He was moving some bales from his barn and discovered a nest of what he believed were Barn Owls. Jess asked him to take a photo and was surprised to see two Kestrels with two other non-raptor birds! The farmer brought the chicks to us and told Jess that there had been two other Kestrel chicks that were dead in the nest.

Raptors hatch covered in down, while passerines (which includes Jackdaws) hatch naked and develop down after a few days.

Jess took the “family” home with her and reached out to her contacts to determine what the non-raptors might be. The general consensus is that they are Jackdaws, which leaves us with a bit of a mystery! Did the Kestrels take over a Jackdaw nest, or did the Jackdaws take over a Kestrel nest? Both cases have been recorded, but to our knowledge, if the first scenario happens then the Kestrels would eat the Jackdaw chicks upon hatching. We suspect that both sets of chicks were only a day or two old when they were found.

We don’t normally care for non-raptors, but in this case, as they were together, the family have been cared for by our dedicated team at SOS and at home!

The Kestrels are now doing very well on four feeds a day. Raptor chicks can be sensitive to overfeeding, so we are monitoring their food intake very carefully and providing them with a similar diet to what they would get in the wild - bits of rodent and quail (to replicate wild birds).

Sleepy little Kestrel after having some food.

The Jackdaws, by contrast, are a bottomless pit of hunger! They demand food every time they wake up with an insistent squeaks and squawks! They are being fed a chicken and insect mixed mince (purchased as a treat for our Ravens!), with added hard boiled egg. But just like their wild counterparts - they will seemingly eat anything!

These two are constantly hungry!

We are being very careful not to imprint these very young birds, as this would be detrimental to their chances of a successful release back into the wild.

We hope that once the Kestrels are strong enough to tear at food themselves, we can move them to a hack pen where we’ll be more hands off in their care. We did attempt to see if our female American Kestrel might adopt them, and while this showed promise initially, she soon lost interest in them.