A Wild Start to 2012

First and foremost, we’d like to say a VERY HAPPY NEW year to all our regular readers (and hopefully some new ones too) from everyone here at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary.

We launched into 2012 in spirited fashion, with a special Baden-Powell "Wild Weekend" to help encourage all our young scouts and brownies to get out and about after the Christmas Break and to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the death of Lord Baden-Powell in January 1941.

Baden-Powell was born in 1857 and served in the British Army from 1876 until 1910 in India and Africa. During his Africa years, Baden-Powell wrote several military books about reconnaissance and scout training, which were often read by boys and which then prompted him to write the publication ‘Scouting for Boys’, published in 1908. Whilst he was writing the book, Baden-Powell decided to test his ideas by organising a camping trip on Brownsea Island and it’s this that is now seen as the beginning of scouting.

Strangers in a strange land… two unusual guests visited S.O.S. for our Wild Weekend - a beautiful bird from the Ipswich Exotic Bird Rescue Team, and a very large python, here bravely worn by our good friend Gary who in
turn wore a rather worried look at times!

The S.O.S Wild Weekend was a two-day event packed with lots of hands-on activities and workshops provided by a coup of local organisations including the Mid-Suffolk Countryside Rangers and The Woodland Trust. In addition, Jamie Baker brought along his giant land snails and stick insects, we had visiting parrots and macaws brought by the Ipswich Exotic Bird Rescue team and the Close Encounters Roadshow also came along with some superb reptiles for visitors to handle. In addition we had some exciting illustrated talks by a scientist from the British Antarctic Survey Team and from an explorer who had made the incredible journey across the Canadian Arctic to the Magnetic North Pole.

Andy, Matt and our visitors braved the chilly weather for flying demonstrations featuring our Hawks and some 'up close & personal' time with the Owls as they discussed characteristics and conservation issues

On both days, birds from our own flying display team took to the skies in all their glorious magnificence and so a wonderful time was had by everyone in an event which we felt paid fitting tribute to Lord Baden-Powell and to all the tremendous work he did for the Scouting movement and, subsequently the Girl Guide movement as well.

Did You Know…
* The position of the Earth’s Magnetic North Pole was first determined in 1831, but hundreds of miles away from its current location.
* The Magnetic North Pole (not to be confused with the Geographic North Pole) is constantly moving, even from one day to the next. Apparently, at this point in time, it is drifting away from North America so fast that scientists think it could end up in Siberia within 50 years, meaning that Alaska’s northern lights would most likely be more visible in areas of Siberia and Europe.

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New Bird Hospital Opens

You may remember that back in October we wrote about the progress of our new raptor hospital, which was looking good and nearing completion.  At long last, it’s a pleasure to report that the hospital has finally been finished and furnished with all the necessary equipment to ensure that our future raptor patients have the best of care.

The main body of the hospital is equipped to deal with many emergencies

The examination area is light and spacious

In the foyer, our photo wall illustrates some of our past successes

ust to recap briefly, Chief Fundraiser Maz was the prime mover in raising support for our hospital project and it was fantastic when Ipswich Pets at Home donated the money for the main body of the hospital.  They were also kind enough to give us some squirrel toys for the new enclosure that Matt and the team have been building and some toys to go in the new ferret hut.
 
We also have to say a big thank you to a number of other people who have donated either equipment or time and muscle to the cause.  It wasn’t just the exterior hospital building that needed replacing, it was also desperately in need of replacement furniture, so we are indebted to Freecycle for the donation of a fridge and kitchen units, Ideal Interiors on the Stonham Barns site for a sink, Just Learning in Ipswich for tables and B&Q for a worktop.  All in all, the hospital now looks really smart both inside and out!

The girls from Pets At Home who did such a lotto raise funds for the main body of the building

Also we are very grateful as always for the help of our band of volunteers who have all been stalwart in offering their services for the construction, decoration and fitting out of the new hospital.  In particular we would like to say a big ‘cheers’ to Pete Ruddy and Paul Hunt who have put in a huge amount of hard work.
 
Finally, we also have to say thank you to our local vet Paul Cannon from Stowe Vets.  Paul has looked after all the injured raptors that have come to us needing veterinary care for nearly four years.  He was extremely kind in donating an opthalmoscope for checking an injured bird’s eyes.  It is especially important for those that have had head injuries to check to see what is going on behind the eye.  An opthalmoscope gives a clear picture of the ‘Fundus’ of the eye, which is the interior surface of the eye opposite the lens.  This means that the falconer assessing an injured bird of prey can determine the health of the retina and the ‘vitreous humour’ (the clear gel that fills the space between the lens and the retina) and whether there has been any trauma caused by injury.

Our local vet Paul, from Stowe Vets, cut the ribbon and generously donated an opthalmoscope to the hospital equipment: meanwhile the local press lined up the guilty parties to have their photos taken!

Having had so much and such varied support, it seemed apposite to have a Grand Opening of the hospital once it was completed, hence on Friday 2nd December we asked the ladies from Pets at Home if they would attend and Paul Cannon if he would do the deed and cut the ribbon.  Fortunately it was a lovely sunny day and General Manager Andy Hulme gave a welcome speech to some of the residents of the Stonham Barns site and some of the local press, who had gathered to celebrate the occasion.  There were hot drinks, sandwiches and mince pies to be had after the Grand Opening, which was a great success.

New Bird Hospital Opens

You may remember that back in October we wrote about the progress of our new raptor hospital, which was looking good and nearing completion.  At long last, it’s a pleasure to report that the hospital has finally been finished and furnished with all the necessary equipment to ensure that our future raptor patients have the best of care.

The main body of the hospital is equipped to deal with many emergencies

The examination area is light and spacious

In the foyer, our photo wall illustrates some of our past successes

Just to recap briefly, Chief Fundraiser Maz was the prime mover in raising support for our hospital project and it was fantastic when Ipswich Pets at Home donated the money for the main body of the hospital.  They were also kind enough to give us some squirrel toys for the new enclosure that Matt and the team have been building and some toys to go in the new ferret hut. 

We also have to say a big thank you to a number of other people who have donated either equipment or time and muscle to the cause.  It wasn’t just the exterior hospital building that needed replacing, it was also desperately in need of replacement furniture, so we are indebted to Freecycle for the donation of a fridge and kitchen units, Ideal Interiors on the Stonham Barns site for a sink, Just Learning in Ipswich for tables and B&Q for a worktop.  All in all, the hospital now looks really smart both inside and out!

The girls from Pets At Home who did such a lot to raise funds for the main body of the building

Also we are very grateful as always for the help of our band of volunteers who have all been stalwart in offering their services for the construction, decoration and fitting out of the new hospital.  In particular we would like to say a big ‘cheers’ to Pete Ruddy and Paul Hunt who have put in a huge amount of hard work. 

Finally, we also have to say thank you to our local vet Paul Cannon from Stowe Vets.  Paul has looked after all the injured raptors that have come to us needing veterinary care for nearly four years.  He was extremely kind in donating an opthalmoscope for checking an injured bird’s eyes.  It is especially important for those that have had head injuries to check to see what is going on behind the eye.  An opthalmoscope gives a clear picture of the ‘Fundus’ of the eye, which is the interior surface of the eye opposite the lens.  This means that the falconer assessing an injured bird of prey can determine the health of the retina and the ‘vitreous humour’ (the clear gel that fills the space between the lens and the retina) and whether there has been any trauma caused by injury.

Our local vet Paul, from Stowe Vets, cut the ribbon and generously donated an opthalmoscope to the hospital equipment: meanwhile the local press lined up the guilty parties to have their photos taken!

Having had so much and such varied support, it seemed apposite to have a Grand Opening of the hospital once it was completed, hence on Friday 2nd December we asked the ladies from Pets at Home if they would attend and Paul Cannon if he would do the deed and cut the ribbon.  Fortunately it was a lovely sunny day and General Manager Andy Hulme gave a welcome speech to some of the residents of the Stonham Barns site and some of the local press, who had gathered to celebrate the occasion.  There were hot drinks, sandwiches and mince pies to be had after the Grand Opening, which was a great success.

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Remembrance Weekend

On Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th November, with past and present troops in mind, the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary hosted a special remembrance weekend.  With serving troops and veterans as our guests, we staged some special events and Jenny’s Ark paid us a special visit with her entourage of weird and wonderful beasties in tow for the youngsters.

Our special guest over Remembrance Weekend was Shelby, a young Bald Headed Eagle. Yet to acquire the distinctive white plumage of his elders, Shelby nevertheless is a proficient flyer and entertained our guests with a majestic aerial display

Another very special and apposite guest - given the association with the American Armed Forces - was Shelby the Bald Eagle. Courtesy of Trevor Fowles, one of our erstwhile colleagues, young Shelby was brought along from the Warren Hill Raptor Unit.  Although our demonstration birds are now generally resting over the winter months, the falconers staged an exclusive flying display for the event.  The participants were Taiga the Great Grey Owl, who started the flying season late because he was moulting early on, Henry the Harris Hawk, who at this time of year is one of the hunting day birds and Phyllis the Spectacled Owl, who joined us during the summer and only had her flying debut towards the end of the season.  Then came the stunning finale as Trevor flew Shelby in all her vast and glorious splendour. 
 
With a wingspan of up to 2.3m (or 7.5 feet if you prefer proper measurements - no indicator of the writers age at all) the Bald Eagle is a truly awe-inspiring sight in flight and with a possible mass of 7 kilograms (or 15lbs – that’s over a stone) is no lightweight to handle.  As Shelby hurtled towards Trevor’s awaiting glove, it seemed he must be bracing himself against the full force of such speed and weight and yet at the last moment, graceful as a swan, Shelby slowed and alighted, soft as a feather onto Trevor’s arm.  Dramatic stuff!  A big thank you to Trevor and Shelby for their wonderful contribution.
 
Our thanks also go to Scotty’s Little Soldiers, with their charity stall to support the Children of the Fallen, and K&P catering, who provided a much welcome barbecue, for helping to support our event.
 
To cap it all, it’s not often we have a Green Goddess and an American Jeep parked outside the Sanctuary and we’d like to thank Harry Reynolds and his fellow Military Vehicle Historian for bringing the vehicles to add atmosphere to the event and for the wealth of enthusiasm and knowledge they imparted to visitors.

Green Goddess and Blonde Bombshell - above, four military stalwarts (2 human, 2 mechanical!) from times past, and below our Chief Fundraiser Maz about to take a look under the hood of a visiting Jeep

A Busy Hospital Week

Over the last few weeks, several raptors have been brought in to our hospital.  On the 1st of October, a Tawny Owl found in Flempton came in with a bruised wing.  It had clearly been the victim of an RTA as is sadly so often the case, but made a good recovery and was released where it was found on the 29th October. 

On the 17th October we also received a fledgling Barn Owl that was still unable to fly.  Fortunately, it only took a week in a rehab aviary for the little fellow to gain the strength and skills to make his own way in the world and he was duly released on the 30th October. 

Unfortunately, another victim of an RTA, a Tawny Owl was less fortunate and after a week of treatment it was clear the kindest thing would be not to prolong it.  We also had a very thin Kestrel brought in that had become too emaciated for treatment to be effective.  Such cases are never easy to deal with, but as always, the falconry team have the best interests of their charges at heart.

Remembrance Weekend

On Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th November, with past and present troops in mind, the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary hosted a special remembrance weekend. With serving troops and veterans as our guests, we staged some special events and Jenny’s Ark paid us a special visit with her entourage of weird and wonderful beasties in tow for the youngsters.

Our special guest over Remembrance Weekend was Shelby, a young Bald Headed Eagle. Yet to acquire the distinctive white plumage of his elders, Shelby nevertheless is a proficient flyer and entertained our guests with a majestic aerial display

Another very special and apposite guest - given the association with the American Armed Forces - was Shelby the Bald Eagle. Courtesy of Trevor Fowles, one of our erstwhile colleagues, young Shelby was brought along from the Warren Hill Raptor Unit. Although our demonstration birds are now generally resting over the winter months, the falconers staged an exclusive flying display for the event. The participants were Taiga the Great Grey Owl, who started the flying season late because he was moulting early on, Henry the Harris Hawk, who at this time of year is one of the hunting day birds and Phyllis the Spectacled Owl, who joined us during the summer and only had her flying debut towards the end of the season. Then came the stunning finale as Trevor flew Shelby in all her vast and glorious splendour.

With a wingspan of up to 2.3m (or 7.5 feet if you prefer proper measurements - no indicator of the writers age at all) the Bald Eagle is a truly awe-inspiring sight in flight and with a possible mass of 7 kilograms (or 15lbs – that’s over a stone) is no lightweight to handle. As Shelby hurtled towards Trevor’s awaiting glove, it seemed he must be bracing himself against the full force of such speed and weight and yet at the last moment, graceful as a swan, Shelby slowed and alighted, soft as a feather onto Trevor’s arm. Dramatic stuff! A big thank you to Trevor and Shelby for their wonderful contribution.

Our thanks also go to Scotty’s Little Soldiers, with their charity stall to support the Children of the Fallen, and K&P catering, who provided a much welcome barbecue, for helping to support our event.

To cap it all, it’s not often we have a Green Goddess and an American Jeep parked outside the Sanctuary and we’d like to thank Harry Reynolds and his fellow Military Vehicle Historian for bringing the vehicles to add atmosphere to the event and for the wealth of enthusiasm and knowledge they imparted to visitors.

reen Goddess and Blonde Bombshell - above, four military stalwarts
(2 human, 2 mechanical!) from times past, and below our Chief Fundraiser
Maz about to take a look under the hood of a visiting Jeep

A Busy Hospital Week
Over the last few weeks, several raptors have been brought in to our hospital. On the 1st of October, a Tawny Owl found in Flempton came in with a bruised wing. It had clearly been the victim of an RTA as is sadly so often the case, but made a good recovery and was released where it was found on the 29th October.

On the 17th October we also received a fledgling Barn Owl that was still unable to fly. Fortunately, it only took a week in a rehab aviary for the little fellow to gain the strength and skills to make his own way in the world and he was duly released on the 30th October.

Unfortunately, another victim of an RTA, a Tawny Owl was less fortunate and after a week of treatment it was clear the kindest thing would be not to prolong it. We also had a very thin Kestrel brought in that had become too emaciated for treatment to be effective. Such cases are never easy to deal with, but as always, the falconry team have the best interests of their charges at heart.

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Hospital Update

This year, one of our biggest refurbishment programmes has been the replacement of our Raptor Hospital. The hospital plays a key role here at the Sanctuary, allowing the falconers to care for and rehabilitate wild, injured birds of prey.

The original hospital was installed in 1995 and has withstood some really extreme Suffolk weather, including the last two bitter winters. As you can see from the pictures, it had finally given up the ghost and was suffering from a leaking roof and rotten flooring. Fortunately, Chief Fundraiser Maz was on the case and applied to Pets at Home for a grant to buy the necessary materials for a new building. We were all really chuffed when Maz won her application and Andy and the team duly set about demolishing the old building and clearing the site to make way for the modern log cabin destined to be our new hospital.

Rotting walls and roof structures have meant that our bird hospital was due for a major refurbishment

Now, a few months on, the shell has been completed and weather-proofed and the inside has been well insulated and painted, all fresh and ready for the final installations. The inner part of the new hospital is where injured birds are initially assessed by a falconer and will house an examination table for this purpose. Once a raptor has been thoroughly looked over, it is then housed in one of several specially designed convalescence containers, providing a quiet, stress-free environment for the bird until it can either be taken to our supporting vets or has recuperated enough to be transferred to one of the rehabilitation aviaries.

The base and building itself are completely new but the fitting out inside needed careful planning and has taken time to complete

In addition, the new hospital will also contain basic first aid equipment, such as crop tubing apparatus, disinfectant, flat fly spray and rehydration food/fluids, all things that might be needed at a moments notice if a sick or injured raptor is brought in to us. Another very important piece of equipment is the intense care unit. Although the entire hospital has air conditioning and is kept at a carefully maintained temperature, the intensive care unit has a much more specific temperature range, so that it can be regulated for a particular bird’s needs, then monitored and altered as required. The other essential facet of this equipment is that it is especially designed so that the falconers can administer drugs directly into the unit for birds with respiratory problems.

The exterior is now finished and within the next few weeks, we hope the new hospital will be fully operational

The outer area of the hospital will house CCTV for the rehab aviaries, so that the falconers can monitor the raptors in this area carefully. It will also have information and pictures for visitors about injured birds of prey and their rehabilitation. We’re very much looking forward to the hospital being completed and will keep you updated as to its progress.

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Special Guests

In recent times we have been extremely fortunate to add some stunning species to our bird of prey family.  This week we were indeed tremendously proud to become home for a while to two striking Tawny Eagles.  They have come to us from Chris O’Donnell at Hawk Experience in North Yorkshire and will stay with us on indefinite loan.  General Manager Andy worked with Chris over twenty years ago and still keeps close links with his Yorkshire roots. 

The pair of Tawny Eagles have settled in quickly amongstthe evergreens in their spacious aviary

The two fully mature Tawny Eagles - as yet nameless (answers on a postcard please) - will stay with us until hopefully they breed, at which point we will then be able to rear some of the chicks here at the Sanctuary.  Eventually, Andy hopes to be able to include our own Tawny Eagles in our spectacular, educational flying displays, giving visitors a chance to see the splendour of this truly magnificent raptor.

The female of the species has a downy-coloured appearance

The Tawny Eagle is a sizeable bird, with a wingspan of between 165-185 cm in length, that’s an impressive 5 ½ to 6 foot.  It can also weigh up to around 2.4 kilograms, which for those of us who still function in old money is just over 5 pounds in weight.  That’s a good couple of bags of sugar or more to have sitting on your wrist! 
 
Tawny Eagles belong to the family ‘Accipitridae’, one of the largest avian families, which encompasses many of the diurnal birds of prey including familiar hawks and eagles.  With a territory ranging across most of Africa and across tropical southwestern Asia to India, this is a well-established raptor that favours open, dry habitats such as desert and open grassland. 

The handsome male sports the hooded eyes common to most eagles

Tawny Eagles tend to have quite a varied diet and will eat large, fresh carrion of all kinds, including reptiles and birds the size of guinea fowl.  They’re also not averse to a bit of scavenging and have been spotted alongside other large raptors and vultures partaking of a bit of carcass.  In fact they’re actually quite happy to steal food from smaller raptors, which apparently puts them in the category of birds known as ‘kleptoparasites’!
 
This species might live to around 45 years of age and will generally mate for life, breeding once a year to produce one to three offspring. Chicks become fledglings at around 84 days, although they can remain dependent on their parents for another six weeks and may even remain with them until the following breeding season. The young are fed mainly by the male and then by both parents once they fledge.
 
Did You Know…
Tawny Eagles are ‘endothermic’, which means they absorb energy from surrounding heat.

Hospital Update

This year, one of our biggest refurbishment programmes has been the replacement of our Raptor Hospital.  The hospital plays a key role here at the Sanctuary, allowing the falconers to care for and rehabilitate wild, injured birds of prey.

The original hospital was installed in 1995 and has withstood some really extreme Suffolk weather, including the last two bitter winters.  As you can see from the pictures, it had finally given up the ghost and was suffering from a leaking roof and rotten flooring.  Fortunately, Chief Fundraiser Maz was on the case and applied to Pets at Home for a grant to buy the necessary materials for a new building.  We were all really chuffed when Maz won her application and Andy and the team duly set about demolishing the old building and clearing the site to make way for the modern log cabin destined to be our new hospital.

Rotting walls and roof structures have meant that our bird hospital was due for a major refurbishment

Now, a few months on, the shell has been completed and weather-proofed and the inside has been well insulated and painted, all fresh and ready for the final installations.  The inner part of the new hospital is where injured birds are initially assessed by a falconer and will house an examination table for this purpose.  Once a raptor has been thoroughly looked over, it is then housed in one of several specially designed convalescence containers, providing a quiet, stress-free environment for the bird until it can either be taken to our supporting vets or has recuperated enough to be transferred to one of the rehabilitation aviaries.

The base and building itself are completely new but the fitting out insideneeded careful planning and has taken time to complete

In addition, the new hospital will also contain basic first aid equipment, such as crop tubing apparatus, disinfectant, flat fly spray and rehydration food/fluids, all things that might be needed at a moments notice if a sick or injured raptor is brought in to us.  Another very important piece of equipment is the intense care unit.  Although the entire hospital has air conditioning and is kept at a carefully maintained temperature, the intensive care unit has a much more specific temperature range, so that it can be regulated for a particular bird’s needs, then monitored and altered as required.  The other essential facet of this equipment is that it is especially designed so that the falconers can administer drugs directly into the unit for birds with respiratory problems.

The exterior is now finished and within the next few weeks, we hope the new hospital will be fully operational

The outer area of the hospital will house CCTV for the rehab aviaries, so that the falconers can monitor the raptors in this area carefully.  It will also have information and pictures for visitors about injured birds of prey and their rehabilitation.  We’re very much looking forward to the hospital being completed and will keep you updated as to its progress.

Special Guests

In recent times we have been extremely fortunate to add some stunning species to our bird of prey family. This week we were indeed tremendously proud to become home for a while to two striking Tawny Eagles. They have come to us from Chris O’Donnell at Hawk Experience in North Yorkshire and will stay with us on indefinite loan. General Manager Andy worked with Chris over twenty years ago and still keeps close links with his Yorkshire roots.

The pair of Tawny Eagles have settled in quickly amongst the evergreens in their spacious aviary

The two fully mature Tawny Eagles - as yet nameless (answers on a postcard please) - will stay with us until hopefully they breed, at which point we will then be able to rear some of the chicks here at the Sanctuary. Eventually, Andy hopes to be able to include our own Tawny Eagles in our spectacular, educational flying displays, giving visitors a chance to see the splendour of this truly magnificent raptor.

The female of the species has a downy-coloured appearance

The Tawny Eagle is a sizeable bird, with a wingspan of between 165-185 cm in length, that’s an impressive 5 ½ to 6 foot. It can also weigh up to around 2.4 kilograms, which for those of us who still function in old money is just over 5 pounds in weight. That’s a good couple of bags of sugar or more to have sitting on your wrist!

Tawny Eagles belong to the family ‘Accipitridae’, one of the largest avian families, which encompasses many of the diurnal birds of prey including familiar hawks and eagles. With a territory ranging across most of Africa and across tropical southwestern Asia to India, this is a well-established raptor that favours open, dry habitats such as desert and open grassland.

The handsome male sports the hooded eyes common to most eagles

Tawny Eagles tend to have quite a varied diet and will eat large, fresh carrion of all kinds, including reptiles and birds the size of guinea fowl. They’re also not averse to a bit of scavenging and have been spotted alongside other large raptors and vultures partaking of a bit of carcass. In fact they’re actually quite happy to steal food from smaller raptors, which apparently puts them in the category of birds known as ‘kleptoparasites’!

This species might live to around 45 years of age and will generally mate for life, breeding once a year to produce one to three offspring. Chicks become fledglings at around 84 days, although they can remain dependent on their parents for another six weeks and may even remain with them until the following breeding season. The young are fed mainly by the male and then by both parents once they fledge.

Did You Know…
Tawny Eagles are ‘endothermic’, which means they absorb energy from surrounding heat.

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More Ups & Downs

In our last but one blog, I reported on two Tawny Owls and a Sparrowhawk that came in to our hospital.  One of the Tawnies was a juvenile that had been involved in an RTA, but since there were no obvious injuries, it seemed most likely that it had been buffeted by the slipstream of a vehicle rather than actually colliding with one.  The other Tawny was found in a kitchen, having fallen down the chimney.  They have since been given plenty of TLC by our falconry team and spent a couple of weeks in our specially designed rehab aviaries.  At the time of writing, both Tawnies have just been taken to be released back into the wild, which is really excellent news!
 
The other patient to come to us at around the same time was a male Sparrowhawk.  The Sparrowhawk was found in a garden in Stonham Aspal, literally just down the road from the Sanctuary.  Close examination revealed some superficial damage to one wing and that the skin underneath the feathers was clearly inflamed and bruised.  The most likely scenario was that the Sparrowhawk had collided with some kind of obstacle hence the bruising.  Time to recover from the trauma is often what’s most needed in such cases and in this instance the bird was also treated with Metacalm to help reduce the inflammation.  After the Sparrowhawk had spent a couple of weeks in a quiet, secluded rehab aviary, Andy went with one of our volunteers, Doug, to release it in Stonham Aspal, close to where it was found.

Volunteer Doug releases the Sparrowhawk where it was found, not far from the Sanctuary

Natural Selection

Although obviously it’s a great feeling to be able to write about the hospital’s rehabilitation successes, it’s important to be realistic and accept that sometimes nature has other ideas.  We recently had two juvenile Kestrels brought in to the Sanctuary both of which were very thin and malnourished.  Despite the falconers’ best efforts, the youngsters were too far-gone to recover.  In the natural world, it’s a harsh fact that at least 50% of raptors will die due to starvation in the first couple of months of leaving the nest.  Unfortunately it really is a question of natural selection and nature’s way of ensuring the survival of the fittest. 

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Marsh Harrier Release

Back in July a juvenile Marsh Harrier was brought to the Sanctuary by Stephen Hall, who found the bird with a damaged wing over at Blythburgh near Southwold on the Suffolk coastline - an area prevalent with reed beds & marshland which form the natural habitat for this rarely-sighted species.

After a trip to the vet for a check-up it was verified the wing was broken, the severity of which usually determines the chances of a full mend & recovery. In this case it was deemed likely that after some lengthy rest-&-recuperation time at the Sanctuary, the bird stood a chance of survival and this indeed proved to be the case. Nevertheless, as Marsh Harriers are very sensitive birds, great care had to be taken that our charge to ensure it was not stressed during the treatment & rehabilitation period, so it was kept well away from the general melée in a secluded aviary at the edge of the centre.

So happily, a couple of weeks ago the Harrier was passed ready for release and was taken back to the place where it was found: here we met Stephen again, who carried out the release. Andy reports that the Harrier "flew strong", circled a few times and then - surprise! - was joined by another Harrier.

Stephen experiences the satisfaction of releasing a wild bird back to its natural habitat

Mr Hall said "I would like to thank Suffolk Owl Sanctuary for their expertise and work in getting this bird back to full health,and also allowing me to have the chance to be involved in the release of such a beautiful creature back into the wild"

Marsh Harrier Release

Back in July a juvenile Marsh Harrier was brought to the Sanctuary by Stephen Hall, who found the bird with a damaged wing over at Blythburgh near Southwold on the Suffolk coastline - an area prevalent with reed beds & marshland which form the natural habitat for this rarely-sighted species.

After a trip to the vet for a check-up it was verified the wing was broken, the severity of which usually determines the chances of a full mend & recovery. In this case it was deemed likely that after some lengthy rest-&-recuperation time at the Sanctuary, the bird stood a chance of survival and this indeed proved to be the case. Nevertheless, as Marsh Harriers are very sensitive birds, great care had to be taken that our charge to ensure it was not stressed during the treatment & rehabilitation period, so it was kept well away from the general melée in a secluded aviary at the edge of the centre.

So happily, a couple of weeks ago the Harrier was passed ready for release and was taken back to the place where it was found: here we met Stephen again, who carried out the release. Andy reports that the Harrier "flew strong", circled a few times and then - surprise! - was joined by another Harrier.

Stephen experiences the satisfaction of releasing a wild bird back to its natural habitat

Mr Hall said "I would like to thank Suffolk Owl Sanctuary for their expertise and work in getting this bird back to full health,and also allowing me to have the chance to be involved in the release of such a beautiful creature back into the wild"

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Squirrel Surprise

Squirrel Surprise

In our last newsletter, we were delighted to announce that our red squirrels had produced babies – an exciting first for the Sanctuary.  Well, it’s fantastic to be able to report that, unexpectedly, they’ve done it again.  Head falconer Matt Lott, also our resident Red Squirrel specialist, explains…

Our young mum has surprised us with more kits this year

We were surprised last year when our young female had babies, as she hadn’t been with us for very long and was still quite immature. This year, the team and I have been working hard at refurbishing the squirrel enclosures and building a new one, so we thought that with all the disruption it was unlikely that we would have any baby squirrels this year.  That we have is quite astounding.

When not only did we discover that our young pair had built a drey, but they had positioned it barely four feet off the ground, almost up against the mesh of their enclosure.  Red squirrels are notoriously shy, especially when breeding so it seemed quite incongruous that they would choose such a site for their nest!

It’s quite difficult to be certain, but I think we have two babies, which at the time of writing, are around four weeks old and will be fully grown in about another nine weeks.  

Unusually, the drey was built just four feet from the ground and close to the edge of the enclosure

At this point, I will have to make sure that the youngsters are split from their parents, otherwise the stark truth is they will not survive.  No-one seems to know why this occurs, maybe it’s a process of natural selection so that there’s no over crowding in a particular territory, but it is a fact that the kittens must be separated from their parents by the time they’re 13 weeks old.  As yet I’m not sure what gender our youngsters are and almost certainly won’t be able to tell until they’re eleven to twelve weeks old.  The kittens’ arrival really is a fantastic surprise and shows that our red squirrels are feeling settled and relaxed, great news for our conservation efforts this year!

Hospital Update
Just to keep you posted on how the hospital is doing, over the last couple of weeks, we have seen the arrival of two Tawny Owls that are now in our rehab aviaries in preparation for release.  We also took in four male Sparrowhawks, all juvenile birds, two of which were found in gardens and had badly bruised wings, one that was found in a chicken coup and one that was an RTA.  Hopefully the prognosis is good and we will be keeping tabs on their progress.  Sadly, not all our patients can be rehabilitated and in the case of a Kestrel with a severely broken wing, the most humane thing we could do was ask the vet to put the poor bird out of its suffering.  Unfortunately, birds can’t tell us when something really hurts, but a badly broken wing is sure to be causing a great deal of pain and in the majority of cases there is no possibility of recovery allowing the bird to survive in the wild. 

More Ups & Downs

In our last but one blog, I reported on two Tawny Owls and a Sparrowhawk that came in to our hospital.  One of the Tawnies was a juvenile that had been involved in an RTA, but since there were no obvious injuries, it seemed most likely that it had been buffeted by the slipstream of a vehicle rather than actually colliding with one.  The other Tawny was found in a kitchen, having fallen down the chimney.  They have since been given plenty of TLC by our falconry team and spent a couple of weeks in our specially designed rehab aviaries.  At the time of writing, both Tawnies have just been taken to be released back into the wild, which is really excellent news!

The other patient to come to us at around the same time was a male Sparrowhawk.  The Sparrowhawk was found in a garden in Stonham Aspal, literally just down the road from the Sanctuary.  Close examination revealed some superficial damage to one wing and that the skin underneath the feathers was clearly inflamed and bruised.  The most likely scenario was that the Sparrowhawk had collided with some kind of obstacle hence the bruising.  Time to recover from the trauma is often what’s most needed in such cases and in this instance the bird was also treated with Metacalm to help reduce the inflammation.  After the Sparrowhawk had spent a couple of weeks in a quiet, secluded rehab aviary, Andy went with one of our volunteers, Doug, to release it in Stonham Aspal, close to where it was found.

Volunteer Doug releases the Sparrowhawk where it was found, not far from the Sanctuary

Natural Selection
Although obviously it’s a great feeling to be able to write about the hospital’s rehabilitation successes, it’s important to be realistic and accept that sometimes nature has other ideas.  We recently had two juvenile Kestrels brought in to the Sanctuary both of which were very thin and malnourished.  Despite the falconers’ best efforts, the youngsters were too far-gone to recover.  In the natural world, it’s a harsh fact that at least 50% of raptors will die due to starvation in the first couple of months of leaving the nest.  Unfortunately it really is a question of natural selection and nature’s way of ensuring the survival of the fittest. 

Squirrel Surprise

Squirrel Surprise
In our last newsletter, we were delighted to announce that our red squirrels had produced babies – an exciting first for the Sanctuary. Well, it’s fantastic to be able to report that, unexpectedly, they’ve done it again. Head falconer Matt Lott, also our resident Red Squirrel specialist, explains…

Our young mum has surprised us with more kits this year

We were surprised last year when our young female had babies, as she hadn’t been with us for very long and was still quite immature. This year, the team and I have been working hard at refurbishing the squirrel enclosures and building a new one, so we thought that with all the disruption it was unlikely that we would have any baby squirrels this year.  That we have is quite astounding.

When not only did we discover that our young pair had built a drey, but they had positioned it barely four feet off the ground, almost up against the mesh of their enclosure.  Red squirrels are notoriously shy, especially when breeding so it seemed quite incongruous that they would choose such a site for their nest!
It’s quite difficult to be certain, but I think we have two babies, which at the time of writing, are around four weeks old and will be fully grown in about another nine weeks.  

Unusually, the drey was built just four feet from the ground and close to the edge of the enclosure

At this point, I will have to make sure that the youngsters are split from their parents, otherwise the stark truth is they will not survive. No-one seems to know why this occurs, maybe it’s a process of natural selection so that there’s no over crowding in a particular territory, but it is a fact that the kittens must be separated from their parents by the time they’re 13 weeks old. As yet I’m not sure what gender our youngsters are and almost certainly won’t be able to tell until they’re eleven to twelve weeks old. The kittens’ arrival really is a fantastic surprise and shows that our red squirrels are feeling settled and relaxed, great news for our conservation efforts this year!

Hospital Update
Just to keep you posted on how the hospital is doing, over the last couple of weeks, we have seen the arrival of two Tawny Owls that are now in our rehab aviaries in preparation for release. We also took in four male Sparrowhawks, all juvenile birds, two of which were found in gardens and had badly bruised wings, one that was found in a chicken coup and one that was an RTA. Hopefully the prognosis is good and we will be keeping tabs on their progress. Sadly, not all our patients can be rehabilitated and in the case of a Kestrel with a severely broken wing, the most humane thing we could do was ask the vet to put the poor bird out of its suffering. Unfortunately, birds can’t tell us when something really hurts, but a badly broken wing is sure to be causing a great deal of pain and in the majority of cases there is no possibility of recovery allowing the bird to survive in the wild.

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Up, Up and Away!

This year has been surprisingly quiet on the hospital front, the number of injured birds being brought in to us considerably down compared to last year.  General Manager Andy thinks this might be for a variety of reasons.  On the downside, it seems that the especially hard 2010/2011 winter may have been responsible for the natural cull of some birds unable to survive the prolonged, bitter conditions.  On a more positive note, we have seen a marked reduction in the number of orphaned chicks that have come in to our hospital compared to other years.  Our message to people has always been that it’s best to leave an apparently abandoned youngster alone and wait to see if the parents are indeed still looking after it, which more often than not is actually the case. Luckily, it would seem likely that this message is really beginning to get across!
 
So, whilst it’s good to know that there have been fewer raptors so far this year needing our hospital services, we are still ready and waiting for those that do!  Most recently, I’m pleased to be able to report on the successful release of a Sparrowhawk, which was found at the end of July in Old Newton, having probably flown into a glass window.  We tend to suggest that people put bird or other transfers on large windows  (especially if they’re very clean) so that birds realise they can’t fly through them!

Talons to deceive - a rare chance to appreciate the long, sharp talons which are the tools in trade of the Sparrowhawk

The usual comprehensive health checks didn’t reveal any broken bones, or anything of serious concern, so the Sparrowhawk was moved from the hospital into one of our secluded rehabilitation aviaries, where she could be kept stress free and quiet, whilst still having plenty of space to regain her strength and flight fitness.  Two weeks later, on the 14th August, Andy decided that she was ready to look after herself again.  Volunteer Stacie Warvill accompanied Andy to the release area and the Sparrowhawk was successfully released back into the wild.
 
Hospital update
 
Currently we have two Tawny Owls in the hospital, one the victim of a Road Traffic Accident and one that fell down a chimney.  We also have another Sparrowhawk, which was found in a garden, concussed and unable to fly.  Keep posted for updates on how they get on.

Up, Up and Away!

Faster than a speeding bullet (or our shutter speed, anyway) the recuperated Sparrowhawk took off for the wild, released by our helpful volunteer Stacie

This year has been surprisingly quiet on the hospital front, the number of injured birds being brought in to us considerably down compared to last year. General Manager Andy thinks this might be for a variety of reasons. On the downside, it seems that the especially hard 2010/2011 winter may have been responsible for the natural cull of some birds unable to survive the prolonged, bitter conditions. On a more positive note, we have seen a marked reduction in the number of orphaned chicks that have come in to our hospital compared to other years. Our message to people has always been that it’s best to leave an apparently abandoned youngster alone and wait to see if the parents are indeed still looking after it, which more often than not is actually the case. Luckily, it would seem likely that this message is really beginning to get across!

So, whilst it’s good to know that there have been fewer raptors so far this year needing our hospital services, we are still ready and waiting for those that do! Most recently, I’m pleased to be able to report on the successful release of a Sparrowhawk, which was found at the end of July in Old Newton, having probably flown into a glass window. We tend to suggest that people put bird or other transfers on large windows (especially if they’re very clean) so that birds realise they can’t fly through them!

Talons to deceive - a rare chance to appreciate the long, sharp talons which are the tools in trade of the Sparrowhawk

The usual comprehensive health checks didn’t reveal any broken bones, or anything of serious concern, so the Sparrowhawk was moved from the hospital into one of our secluded rehabilitation aviaries, where she could be kept stress free and quiet, whilst still having plenty of space to regain her strength and flight fitness. Two weeks later, on the 14th August, Andy decided that she was ready to look after herself again. Volunteer Stacie Warvill accompanied Andy to the release area and the Sparrowhawk was successfully released back into the wild.

Hospital update

Currently we have two Tawny Owls in the hospital, one the victim of a Road Traffic Accident and one that fell down a chimney. We also have another Sparrowhawk, which was found in a garden, concussed and unable to fly. Keep posted for updates on how they get on.

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Flying The Flag

Andrew and I faced last Sunday with some trepidation, as we were due to attend a bygones and fun day at Ufford, near Woodbridge - the second opportunity we have had at this particular event to introduce the work of S.O.S. This is the time of year when everyone is holding their summer fairs, working on the assumption no doubt that the weather in July and August is likely to be hot and sunny.  Yes, well the forecast for this particular day was not only rain, but gales and thunderstorms to boot.  Still, the show must go on and we arrived at the Sanctuary at the crack of dawn to load up the vehicle kindly donated to us for the day by our sponsors Jeffries of Bacton.  Occasional volunteer Tony was on hand to help us with the hefting about and be our chauffeur for the day (very decadent), so we were soon ready to set off, keeping a watchful eye on the darkening clouds above.

As is quite usual for Andrew & me, we managed to not quite correctly follow the directions and were just debating a slightly uncertain left or right turn, when a rather beautiful classic car appeared on the scene.  ‘Follow that car’ we cried in true English fashion and sure enough we were soon at our destination!

Ready & waiting… Andrew & Ashley all prepared to fly the conservation flag once again

With us, we took Nightshade our beautiful Barn Owl and Auckland the Boobook Owl, seasoned campaigner at the ripe old age of three and phased by absolutely nothing.  Although Nightshade has been out to schools with us before, this was his first time at a big show, with all the sights, sounds, smells and other animals that naturally entails.  We kept his travelling box close at hand in case he needed to have some quiet chill time, but he seemed to take his cue from Auckland and was quite relaxed perched on Andrew’s fist enjoying the admiration from visitors.

Although, certainly in East Anglia, Barn Owls are a relatively more common sight these days, it’s very rare to see them up close enough to really appreciate their fragile beauty.  In flight, all you really see from a distance is a gliding white shape.  Up close, people are always amazed by the delicate patterns of grey and gold that adorn the Barn Owl’s outer feathers.
 
Weather wise, the day turned out to be a mixed bag, with some lovely warm sunny spells, followed by a handful of torrential downpours.  But the visitors were undeterred and, fortunately, our spacious gazebo encouraged people to come and take shelter when it rained.  Auckland and Nightshade were stars throughout and we had a very successful day despite the erratic weather.

Subliminal Advertising? Moi? We were very grateful to Jeffries of Bacton for providing a vehicle for the day, unobtrusively parked our team!

Flying The Flag

Andrew and I faced last Sunday with some trepidation, as we were due to attend a bygones and fun day at Ufford, near Woodbridge - the second opportunity we have had at this particular event to introduce the work of S.O.S. This is the time of year when everyone is holding their summer fairs, working on the assumption no doubt that the weather in July and August is likely to be hot and sunny.  Yes, well the forecast for this particular day was not only rain, but gales and thunderstorms to boot.  Still, the show must go on and we arrived at the Sanctuary at the crack of dawn to load up the vehicle kindly donated to us for the day by our sponsors Jeffries of Bacton.  Occasional volunteer Tony was on hand to help us with the hefting about and be our chauffeur for the day (very decadent), so we were soon ready to set off, keeping a watchful eye on the darkening clouds above.

As is quite usual for Andrew & me, we managed to not quite correctly follow the directions and were just debating a slightly uncertain left or right turn, when a rather beautiful classic car appeared on the scene.  ‘Follow that car’ we cried in true English fashion and sure enough we were soon at our destination!

Ready & waiting… Andrew & Ashley all prepared to fly the conservation flag once again

With us, we took Nightshade our beautiful Barn Owl and Auckland the Boobook Owl, seasoned campaigner at the ripe old age of three and phased by absolutely nothing. Although Nightshade has been out to schools with us before, this was his first time at a big show, with all the sights, sounds, smells and other animals that naturally entails. We kept his travelling box close at hand in case he needed to have some quiet chill time, but he seemed to take his cue from Auckland and was quite relaxed perched on Andrew’s fist enjoying the admiration from visitors.

Although, certainly in East Anglia, Barn Owls are a relatively more common sight these days, it’s very rare to see them up close enough to really appreciate their fragile beauty. In flight, all you really see from a distance is a gliding white shape. Up close, people are always amazed by the delicate patterns of grey and gold that adorn the Barn Owl’s outer feathers.

Weather wise, the day turned out to be a mixed bag, with some lovely warm sunny spells, followed by a handful of torrential downpours. But the visitors were undeterred and, fortunately, our spacious gazebo encouraged people to come and take shelter when it rained. Auckland and Nightshade were stars throughout and we had a very successful day despite the erratic weather.

Subliminal Advertising? Moi? We were very grateful to Jeffries of Bacton for providing a vehicle for the day, unobtrusively parked our team!

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Cecil gains a mate... and Naming Nemo

Beautiful Bride to Be

At the beginning of August last year, you may remember I reported on the arrival at the Sanctuary of our stunning Spectacled Owl Cecil. As a brief reminder, Cecil was donated to us by Mr Brian Draycott as a poignant tribute to his late parents, for which we are very grateful. And Cecil has turned out to be a true star. Not only is he wonderful to handle, but he has also wowed our visitors for the last year with his striking appearance.

It was always the intention that Cecil should have a mate, as owls do like to pair for life, but the spectacled owl is an exotic bird and it was unlikely that we would be able to find a female before this year. So it’s with great delight that we are able to announce the arrival of Phyllis, future spouse to Cecil. She hatched in May of this year in Oxfordshire and is currently residing in one of our weatherings to give her time to settle and get used to visitors. Once she is ready, she will become the newest member of our flying display team, replacing her husband-to-be Cecil, who will then retire to an aviary for a well earned rest.

Phyllis, a young female Spectacled Owl, has arrived to join a potential mate, Cecil at Stonham

As yet, Cecil and Phyllis are too young to breed and so the idea is that they will remain a part of the display team for the next three years. Then, once they are both mature enough, they will be paired into an aviary and we will await with bated breath the sound of tiny talons.

Naming Nemo

Phyllis is not our only new resident this year; we were also joined a couple of weeks ago by a young, female Northern Hawk Owl by the name of Nemo (yes I know, most of us think of Nemo as a brightly coloured, male fish, but remember we do also have Napoleon the female Great Grey Owl – we just like to be different!)

Nemo hatched in early May and has come to reside with us courtesy of our friend Mike Cady. Her parents were originally imported from the Czech Republic and we hope that she will help to provide a new bloodline for the UK population of Northern Hawk Owls. It is vitally important that new bloodlines are introduced from time to time to avoid interbreeding, which can result in birth defects. Again, we are hoping that Nemo will become part of our flying display team and perhaps also be one of our course birds.

Grey appears to the new Black this week! Young Nemo has a striking barred plumage

The Northern Hawk Owl is so called because of its distinctive likeness to a hawk. The greyish colouring and barring on the chest are very hawk-like as is the colouring on both wings and tail. Northern Hawk Owls originate from the boreal zones of North America and Eurasia and inhabit open coniferous forest and moorland. Their plumage offers ideal camouflage for this kind of habitat. Northern Hawk Owls mainly eat small mammals particularly lemmings and voles, but will also catch birds, frogs and, unusually, even fish.

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