Schools Out!

Always mindful that the next generation will one day become the guardians of the countryside, Suffolk Owl Sanctuary is always keen to take part in the regional Schools Farm and Country Fair, which is held locally.

2015 marked the 12th. year that this event has been organised by the regional agricultural association, engaging schoolchildren and their teachers in all aspects of farming, food production, conservation and the countryside.

Fascinated youngsters take in the owlish sights at the Schools Farm Fair
Image courtesy East Anglian Daily Times

Suffolk Owl Sanctuary’s falconers, owls and other birds of prey played host to 4,000 children aged between 7 and 9 years of age during the course of the day!

This enormous fair is now firmly established as the premier schools event in our farming county where pupils can meet farmers and conservation and countryside experts to learn about all aspects of their rural environment.

Each school is paired with a farmer steward who acts as their guide and enabler for the day, talking them through the various activities and explaining exhibits.

Suffolk Owl Sanctuary staff introduced the children to Spirit the Barn Owl and Dodge the Kestrel, and explained the importance of wild birds of prey as an indicator of the state of their surrounding habitat and the wider environment.

Teachers attention was drawn to the fantastic facilities on offer to school groups on a trip to the owl sanctuary and the variety of S.O.S. resources and activities which are available to support the curriculum, including owl pellets for dissection, class games, craft projects and worksheets.

The Sanctuary’s junior newsletter, the “Stonham Screecher” was also popular with children and adults alike. (You can download a free copy of The Screecher here.) The children were also able to witness a demonstration of falconry in the show’s main ring as well as sheep shearing, gun dogs and ferret racing.

This event afforded the Sanctuary another valuable opportunity to meet local schoolchildren and inspire their interest in owls and conservation - reinforcing the messages that, over the course of the last year, have been delivered by S.O.S. to a record 2,300 pupils throughout Suffolk on school visits.

A Lasting Legacy

To mark its 150th anniversary in 2014, the Yorkshire Building Society set up a Lasting Legacy Fund and invited fifteen charities to apply for a share of a special fund to assist them in supporting their community and leave a “lasting legacy”. More than six hundred charities applied by submitting an application for a specific project which would have a “tangible outcome and lasting benefit to a community within the U.K.”

Suffolk Owl Sanctuary submitted its proposal for the development of a Sensory Garden within the Sanctuary grounds to significantly improve the visitor experience for disabled, deaf and blind visitors. Not only a quiet reflective place to sit, the garden would offer wheelchair accessible picnic tables, a delicate water feature, atmospheric wind chimes, tactile wooden seating and highly scented, butterfly friendly borders.

Andy received the award on behalf of S.O.S. on the new carved seats in ‘Teachers Corner’

The YBS Lasting Legacy Committee chose a shortlist of thirty charities and invited colleagues, customers and members of the public to vote for the three projects that they felt most worthy of a substantial donation. Suffolk Owl Sanctuary was a popular choice with voters and an award was granted towards our project in April.

YBS Corporate Responsibility Manager, Pauline Giroux commented “We are delighted to be able to support these fifteen projects and we are looking forward to seeing the benefits they will bring.To be chosen from over 600 charity projects shows that they have really resonated with our colleagues and members of the public and will deliver a tangible benefit to their local communities.”

A Lasting Legacy

To mark its 150th anniversary in 2014, the Yorkshire Building Society set up a Lasting Legacy Fund and invited fifteen charities to apply for a share of a special fund to assist them in supporting their community and leave a “lasting legacy”. More than six hundred charities applied by submitting an application for a specific project which would have a “tangible outcome and lasting benefit to a community within the U.K.”

Suffolk Owl Sanctuary submitted its proposal for the development of a Sensory Garden within the Sanctuary grounds to significantly improve the visitor experience for disabled, deaf and blind visitors. Not only a quiet reflective place to sit, the garden would offer wheelchair accessible picnic tables, a delicate water feature, atmospheric wind chimes, tactile wooden seating and highly scented, butterfly friendly borders.

Andy received the award on behalf of S.O.S. on the new carved seats in ‘Teachers Corner’

The YBS Lasting Legacy Committee chose a shortlist of thirty charities and invited colleagues, customers and members of the public to vote for the three projects that they felt most worthy of a substantial donation. Suffolk Owl Sanctuary was a popular choice with voters and an award was granted towards our project in April.

YBS Corporate Responsibility Manager, Pauline Giroux commented “We are delighted to be able to support these fifteen projects and we are looking forward to seeing the benefits they will bring.To be chosen from over 600 charity projects shows that they have really resonated with our colleagues and members of the public and will deliver a tangible benefit to their local communities.”

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Birds on Film

Volunteer Mary and Falconer Dean ‘act naturally’ for the camera

A central element of the S.O.S. “See Hear” project will be the creation of a DVD explaining the work of the sanctuary, its conservation projects and introducing many of the resident bird species.

This resource will be used both as an educational tool by the Sanctuary and offered as a valuable support resource for classroom learning in schools. The script of the DVD will also be subtitled to warrant it useful to those working with or teaching the deaf.

To this end, the sanctuary has been the subject of filming by Stu McOmie, a local cinematographer for the last few months. Stu has worked closely with the falconers to gain the access to the owls and other birds of prey necessary to complete his film and has immersed himself in every element of the Sanctuary’s work routine to produce some intimate footage of “behind the scenes” procedures.

All areas of the sanctuary’s work have been captured on film for posterity from the excitement of the audience during a flying display to the earnest concentration of a novice participant in a falconry course, from the reflections of a young and enthusiastic volunteer to the endeavours of the highly experienced handlers of the Wild Owl Nest Box Project.

The completion of the film will not only produce a valuable educational tool, but also a rich archive of the sanctuary’s development for the benefit of future generations.

Fundraising continues apace to enable Stu to complete his work within the next few months.

Birds on Film

A central element of the S.O.S. “See Hear” project will be the creation of a DVD explaining the work of the sanctuary, its conservation projects and introducing many of the resident bird species.

Volunteer Mary and Falconer Dean ‘act naturally’ for the camera

This resource will be used both as an educational tool by the Sanctuary and offered as a valuable support resource for classroom learning in schools. The script of the DVD will also be subtitled to warrant it useful to those working with or teaching the deaf.

To this end, the sanctuary has been the subject of filming by Stu McOmie, a local cinematographer for the last few months. Stu has worked closely with the falconers to gain the access to the owls and other birds of prey necessary to complete his film and has immersed himself in every element of the Sanctuary’s work routine to produce some intimate footage of “behind the scenes” procedures.

All areas of the sanctuary’s work have been captured on film for posterity from the excitement of the audience during a flying display to the earnest concentration of a novice participant in a falconry course, from the reflections of a young and enthusiastic volunteer to the endeavours of the highly experienced handlers of the Wild Owl Nest Box Project.

The completion of the film will not only produce a valuable educational tool, but also a rich archive of the sanctuary’s development for the benefit of future generations.

Fundraising continues apace to enable Stu to complete his work within the next few months.

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Access All Areas

As our supporters will know, Suffolk Owl Sanctuary’s central mission statement is one of “conservation, rehabilitation and education”.

Staff are continually working hard to ensure the educational remit is enhanced and complemented by the evolving recreational facilities at the Sanctuary and that these are accessible to all visitors. Over the winter months, chief fundraiser, Maz Robinson has been working hard to raise funds to improve the design and content of the site to better meet the needs of disabled, deaf, hearing impaired, blind and sight impaired visitors.This has resulted in the inception of the S.O.S. “See Hear” project, through which we aim to elevate the visitor experience to the gold standard through improved communication and support and a variety of new innovations.

Phase One of the project has seen fundamental access around the whole Sanctuary improved for buggy and wheelchair users with the completion of level, tarmac paths - these extend into the new seating enclosure at the flying ground which also has improved wheelchair space and carer seating. A new bird hide has been built in the Woodland Walk with a wheelchair specific viewing hatch and entry ramp. Braille information boards have been installed around the aviaries and the help of a BSL signing interpreter has been enlisted to aid communication of the falconers’ flying display commentaries. Resources have also been developed in the Sensory Garden - the pretty, relaxing area has been enhanced with a delicate water feature, subtle wind chimes and unique wooden sculpted seating particularly suited to class gatherings and storytelling.

For younger visitors, a new play area has been built comprising of custom made wheelchair friendly equipment with increased capacity for supported play, with a soft safe surface beneath.Sponsorship for the completion of the play area was generously provided by ABC Charitable Trust, Paul Bush Foundation Trust, Branch Out,Grey Court Trust, Moondance Foundation, People’s Postcode Lottery, Pets at Home, David & Claudia Harding, Hamilton Wallace Trust, the Grocer’s Charity, the Ivo Trust, Warburtons, Rowan Bentall, and the Roger Vere Foundation. We are extremely grateful for all their contributions.

Fundraising is now ongoing to finance Phase Two of the See Hear project. This will hopefully include a large outdoor touchscreen information point with subtitled images, a hand held or smart phone enabled audio guide of the Sanctuary and an S.O.S. subtitled DVD which will be freely available to teachers and those working with the deaf.

Our next Signing Day for the Deaf will be held on Sunday August 2nd

Access All Areas

As our supporters will know, Suffolk Owl Sanctuary’s central mission statement is one of “conservation, rehabilitation and education”.

Staff are continually working hard to ensure the educational remit is enhanced and complemented by the evolving recreational facilities at the Sanctuary and that these are accessible to all visitors. Over the winter months, chief fundraiser, Maz Robinson has been working hard to raise funds to improve the design and content of the site to better meet the needs of disabled, deaf, hearing impaired, blind and sight impaired visitors.This has resulted in the inception of the S.O.S. “See Hear” project, through which we aim to elevate the visitor experience to the gold standard through improved communication and support and a variety of new innovations.

Phase One of the project has seen fundamental access around the whole Sanctuary improved for buggy and wheelchair users with the completion of level, tarmac paths - these extend into the new seating enclosure at the flying ground which also has improved wheelchair space and carer seating. A new bird hide has been built in the Woodland Walk with a wheelchair specific viewing hatch and entry ramp. Braille information boards have been installed around the aviaries and the help of a BSL signing interpreter has been enlisted to aid communication of the falconers’ flying display commentaries. Resources have also been developed in the Sensory Garden - the pretty, relaxing area has been enhanced with a delicate water feature, subtle wind chimes and unique wooden sculpted seating particularly suited to class gatherings and storytelling.

For younger visitors, a new play area has been built comprising of custom made wheelchair friendly equipment with increased capacity for supported play, with a soft safe surface beneath.Sponsorship for the completion of the play area was generously provided by ABC Charitable Trust, Paul Bush Foundation Trust, Branch Out,Grey Court Trust, Moondance Foundation, People’s Postcode Lottery, Pets at Home, David & Claudia Harding, Hamilton Wallace Trust, the Grocer’s Charity, the Ivo Trust, Warburtons, Rowan Bentall, and the Roger Vere Foundation. We are extremely grateful for all their contributions.

Fundraising is now ongoing to finance Phase Two of the See Hear project. This will hopefully include a large outdoor touchscreen information point with subtitled images, a hand held or smart phone enabled audio guide of the Sanctuary and an S.O.S. subtitled DVD which will be freely available to teachers and those working with the deaf.

Our next Signing Day for the Deaf will be held on Sunday August 2nd

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"H" Is For Hawk

The Sanctuary was thrust in front of the camera last month when the B.B.C. Countryfile team, complete with presenter Ellie Harrison arrived to gather some footage in support of a topical story. 

That story was of author Helen McDonald’s struggle to come to terms with the death of her father and the training of her Goshawk, Mabel, which provided a healing, cathartic outlet for her grief.

Helen spent a day at the Sanctuary with Ellie and the falconers filming some environmental context for her story, which culminated in her flying a Goshawk owned by Head Falconer, Matt Lott.

Ellie watches on as Helen takes a Goshawk on the glove

This was the first time that Helen had flown a hawk since the death of her beloved Mabel and the expression on her face suggested that it is one flight that she will not forget!

Local school children were able to share the day with Ellie and Helen and after marvelling at Willow the Harris Hawk in flight, took part in a lively question and answer session with General Manager, Andy Hulme.

Helen’s award-winning book “H for Hawk” has been acclaimed as one of the most emotive and evocative reads of recent years: watching the genuine response of the children to these awe inspiring birds proved a wonderful affirmation of the co-existence of man and nature.

In the words of Laura Beatty - one of H for Hawk’s many reviewers, “…..it deepens what we have always known; that we live side by side with each other, as we do with the creatures around us”

Now You See It...

Over the last 20 years, our trucks have chugged unobtrusively about their business. They have been been invaluable for ferrying us to local schools to spread the conservation message, transporting display equipment to country fairs to raise our profile and as a workhorse enabling access to the remote locations of our Wild Owl Nest Box project sites.

But, it was decided that our long-standing trusty truck should be ignored no longer and that its potential as a piece of travelling artwork should be utilised!

So a local company were engaged to transform the truck from the mundane to the spectacular!
The new livery features images of the sanctuary’s own birds and red squirrels and the eye-catching design turns heads wherever it travels, instantly recognisable to the public and schoolchildren on its progress throughout the region.

Boris the Buzzard grounded

Today we had a Common Buzzard brought into us by a local veterinary for post-operative care rehabilitation. 

The raptor was found with a smashed-up wing by a chap out walking his dog, who thoughtfully took it in to his local vet for treatment. They carefully removed the primary feathers, expertly operated to pin the wing and withdrew any pieces of fragmented bone and then retained it at their practice for a few days to see if the bird - by this time named "Boris" - would survive the trauma. 

Boris had his primary feathers removed for the wing operation and currently is cosseted in a bright pink bandage

Thankfully the buzzard appears to be bearing up well, so we have now taken charge as the long process of recovery will begin. Given the severity of the damage, Boris is likely to remain in our bird hospital for about a month, allowing the pins to settle and the callus at the end of the broken bones to regrow. Then, we will need for the bird to moult, so that in the process it can replace the feathers removed for the operation. During this period we will house him in one of our secluded recuperation aviaries, keeping a watchful eye on him until such time he is fit enough to attempt flying again. Depending on that success, we'll progressively hack him back to the wild.

Though the S.O.S. Blog has been quiet for a few months - "pressure of work" precluding regular entries by your scribe - life has been busy here at the centre, particularly in the hospital where we currently have a full house of injured wild birds in various states of recovery. These include a little owl who was mobbed by crows and suffered the loss of an eye as a result; a sparrow hawk who flew straight into a window and concussed himself, a pair of kestrels both with broken wings, a tawny owl who needed a toe amputated in order to save the foot, and just last week an undernourished young barn owl who appeared to have been caught out by the first of cold snap of the winter which compromised his ability to hunt. We're pleased to say that all these 'inmates' are doing well. As for Boris the Buzzard, we'll keep you posted, and as for the "Blog", normal service will be resumed as soon as possible!

Boris the Buzzard grounded

Today we had a Common Buzzard brought into us by a local veterinary for post-operative care rehabilitation.  

The raptor was found with a smashed-up wing by a chap out walking his dog, who thoughtfully took it in to his local vet for treatment. They carefully removed the primary feathers, expertly operated to pin the wing and withdrew any pieces of fragmented bone and then retained it at their practice for a few days to see if the bird - by this time named "Boris" - would survive the trauma. 

Boris had his primary feathers removed for the wing operation and currently is cosseted in a bright pink bandage

Thankfully the buzzard appears to be bearing up well, so we have now taken charge as the long process of recovery will begin. Given the severity of the damage, Boris is likely to remain in our bird hospital for about a month, allowing the pins to settle and the callus at the end of the broken bones to regrow. Then, we will need for the bird to moult, so that in the process it can replace the feathers removed for the operation. During this period we will house him in one of our secluded recuperation aviaries, keeping a watchful eye on him until such time he is fit enough to attempt flying again. Depending on that success, we'll progressively hack him back to the wild.

Though the S.O.S. Blog has been quiet for a few months - "pressure of work" precluding regular entries by your scribe - life has been busy here at the centre, particularly in the hospital where we currently have a full house of injured wild birds in various states of recovery. These include a little owl who was mobbed by crows and suffered the loss of an eye as a result; a sparrow hawk who flew straight into a window and concussed himself, a pair of kestrels both with broken wings, a tawny owl who needed a toe amputated in order to save the foot, and just last week an undernourished young barn owl who appeared to have been caught out by the first of cold snap of the winter which compromised his ability to hunt. We're pleased to say that all these 'inmates' are doing well. As for Boris the Buzzard, we'll keep you posted, and as for the "Blog", normal service will be resumed as soon as possible!

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100 and counting - Barn Owls back on track

In the last two years, the breeding activity of Suffolk’s wild owl populations has taken a real hammering - the result of an extreme & prolonged period of wet weather which devastated the 2012 season and a long cold snap extending through until late March 2013 that further compounded the problem. As widely reported, the result was an alarming decrease in wild owl breeding success, in some cases last year recording a drop of more than 90% over previous seasonal highs.

But in monitoring the East Anglian Wild Owl Nest Box scheme - the initiative Suffolk Owl Sanctuary jointly operates with The Thornham Owl Project - we can confidently report a remarkable recovery has taken place this year. Over 100 Barn Owl progeny were ringed from just 26 of the network of 167 wild Barn Owl nest boxes in the scheme when it was inspected by the beginning of the month - an average of over 3.5 progeny for each nest site.

These Barn Owl chicks are in the region of 50 days old and are already showing the very distinct markings and colouration of these beautiful, stunning birds

Indeed, it promises to be the best year yet for an enterprise focussed on providing secure roosting sites for wild Barn Owls and other threatened bird of prey species whose natural habitat is being eroded as man encroaches on the East Anglian countryside.

Spokesman for the Thornham Owl Project, Roger Buxton, is delighted: “2014 is turning out to be a bumper year! At the beginning of the month we had clocked up the 100th chicks ringed - a record for the scheme. Last year was very poor, with only 19 pulli (young owl chicks) registered for the whole season. We still have 60 more boxes to check and from the evidence we have seen, it’s possible that many Barn Owls will raise a second clutch before the summer is out, so a further check of the network at a later date will be necessary to ascertain the magnitude of the improvement.

With expert handling, the weight and size of each pulli (young owl chick)
is carefully recorded and ringed, information which is shared with other
organisations to contribute to a nationwide picture of owl population trends

Other owl species who take advantage of the total of nearly 300 nest boxes in East Anglian Nest Box Scheme have also benefitted. “The regional Tawny Owl population has staged an equally impressive recovery in 2014 - from no chicks at all last year in our network to 26 so far this year, which is another record for our project.”

The breeding activity of Tawny Owls was devastated in 2013, with some surveys showing zero-based results. This year, there are signs of substantial reversals of fortune...

Roger, who with his Thornham colleague Kevin Boyce and Dean from S.O.S. between them visit all the boxes to record raptor populations as well as cleaning, repairing or replacing the boxes themselves, is equally enthusiastic about the revival in the fortunes of the Kestrel, another species which is under threat.

“So far we have ringed 34 kestrel pulli so far, from 10 boxes, with further man-made nest sites to be checked. It appears that kestrels started their breeding cycle early this year, I imagine mainly due to the mild weather conditions. In some cases we suspect the youngsters had already fledged when we arrived to check and some mums were already sitting on a second clutch.”

The East Anglian Wild Owl Nest Box Scheme - which is funded entirely by private donations, for which we thank our generous supporters - is just one of a number of serious endeavours throughout the country whose aim is the conservation of threatened owl species. Each nest box inspection is carried out under a License issued by DEFRA (it is illegal to approach a wild owl nesting box without one) and the results of the progeny surveys conducted are included with the those of the Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project as part of annual report of The Barn Owl Trust.

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New Disability Play Area meets with approval

A fundamental part of our remit as a Registered Charity is to encourage a greater awareness of the need for the conservation of British owls and other bird of prey species amongst young people. 

Yet whilst we are committed to visiting schools in and around East Anglia with our message, we also are visited by the many disability & special needs groups who come to see us - we are fully wheelchair accessible and the number of such groups is increasing month-by-month, especially as we are based in a rural area with no other establishments like ours within a 50-mile radius.

Tucked away in a corner of S.O.S. is our new disability play area, which has been entirely funded by corporate, charity & trust contributions towards the cost.

Our colleague Maz will be familiar to many of you as the powerhouse behind our fund-raising efforts and it was her idea to think about building a disabled access playground at S.O.S. to cater for children & young adults with physical or mental disabilities, recognising the need for them to be able to play alongside their siblings and friends when taking a break from the birds. Up until now we have had no such suitable facilities.

All aboard! The purpose-built slide, roundabout and clamber castle plus the special floor surfacing were all installed with the safety needs of children with disabilities in mind.

As a small charity we would not have been able to afford funding a project as large as this ourselves and therefore about 18 months ago Maz began approaching corporations, companies, trusts and foundations to see if they would assist us with donations towards this important project.

This week, the dream was realised. As a result of hundreds of letters and numerous 'phone calls, the funds required to purchase the purpose built equipment slowly began to accrue and eventually reached its goal after a splendid award received from players of People's Postcode Lottery. As a result, last week saw the installation of a wonderful new play area completely funded by the generosity of these corporate sponsors.

Smile please! The special swing is designed to carry 2-3 youngsters or can accommodate a carer on board

Complete with team swings, extra-wide slides, a roundabout capable of carrying a wheelchair, a see-saw and safety-enhanced clamber castle, and with the whole area surfaced with soft eco-bond safety flooring, we felt the best way to open the facility would be to ask some special guests to put it to the test.

Helen Cumbers of Activities Unlimited staidly guides the hands of the two young visitors who performed the opening ceremony, whilst our esteemed fund-raiser Maz looks on, though she had her forthcoming knee-op on her mind as well!

So the local branch of Activities Unlimited, who are dedicated to creating fun opportunities for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities, brought a group of youngsters along and great to say, the play area passed with flying colours! At then end of an exhausting session, we said goodbye to a tired but happy bunch of youngsters who had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

On their behalf we'd like to thank the many organisations who contributed towards the cost of the venture - from the looks on the faces of our visitors this week, you generosity will be very much appreciated by all who enjoy the new facility for many years to come.

New Disability Play Area meets with approval

A fundamental part of our remit as a Registered Charity is to encourage a greater awareness of the need for the conservation of British owls and other bird of prey species amongst young people.

Yet whilst we are committed to visiting schools in and around East Anglia with our message, we also are visited by the many disability & special needs groups who come to see us - we are fully wheelchair accessible and the number of such groups is increasing month-by-month, especially as we are based in a rural area with no other establishments like ours within a 50-mile radius.

Tucked away in a corner of S.O.S. is our new disability play area, which has been entirely funded by corporate, charity & trust contributions towards the cost.

Our colleague Maz will be familiar to many of you as the powerhouse behind our fund-raising efforts and it was her idea to think about building a disabled access playground at S.O.S. to cater for children & young adults with physical or mental disabilities, recognising the need for them to be able to play alongside their siblings and friends when taking a break from the birds. Up until now we have had no such suitable facilities.

All aboard! The purpose-built slide, roundabout and clamber castle plus the special floor surfacing were all installed with the safety needs of children with disabilities in mind.

As a small charity we would not have been able to afford funding a project as large as this ourselves and therefore about 18 months ago Maz began approaching corporations, companies, trusts and foundations to see if they would assist us with donations towards this important project.

This week, the dream was realised. As a result of hundreds of letters and numerous 'phone calls, the funds required to purchase the purpose built equipment slowly began to accrue and eventually reached its goal after a splendid award received from players of People's Postcode Lottery. As a result, last week saw the installation of a wonderful new play area completely funded by the generosity of these corporate sponsors.

Smile please! The special swing is designed to carry 2-3 youngsters or can accommodate a carer on board

Complete with team swings, extra-wide slides, a roundabout capable of carrying a wheelchair, a see-saw and safety-enhanced clamber castle, and with the whole area surfaced with soft eco-bond safety flooring, we felt the best way to open the facility would be to ask some special guests to put it to the test.

Helen Cumbers of Activities Unlimited staidly guides the hands of the two young visitors who performed the opening ceremony, whilst our esteemed fund-raiser Maz looks on, though she had her forthcoming knee-op on her mind as well!

So the local branch of Activities Unlimited, who are dedicated to creating fun opportunities for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities, brought a group of youngsters along and great to say, the play area passed with flying colours! At then end of an exhausting session, we said goodbye to a tired but happy bunch of youngsters who had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

On their behalf we'd like to thank the many organisations who contributed towards the cost of the venture - from the looks on the faces of our visitors this week, you generosity will be very much appreciated by all who enjoy the new facility for many years to come.

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100 and counting - Barn Owls back on track

In the last two years, the breeding activity of Suffolk’s wild owl populations has taken a real hammering - the result of an extreme & prolonged period of wet weather which devastated the 2012 season and a long cold snap extending through until late March 2013 that further compounded the problem. As widely reported, the result was an alarming decrease in wild owl breeding success, in some cases last year recording a drop of more than 90% over previous seasonal highs.

But in monitoring the East Anglian Wild Owl Nest Box scheme - the initiative Suffolk Owl Sanctuary jointly operates with The Thornham Owl Project - we can confidently report a remarkable recovery has taken place this year. Over 100 Barn Owl progeny were ringed from just 26 of the network of 167 wild Barn Owl nest boxes in the scheme when it was inspected by the beginning of the month - an average of over 3.5 progeny for each nest site. 

These Barn Owl chicks are in the region of 50 days old and are already showing the very distinct markings and colouration of these beautiful, stunning birds

Indeed, it promises to be the best year yet for an enterprise focussed on providing secure roosting sites for wild Barn Owls and other threatened bird of prey species whose natural habitat is being eroded as man encroaches on the East Anglian countryside.

Spokesman for the Thornham Owl Project, Roger Buxton, is delighted: “2014 is turning out to be a bumper year! At the beginning of the month we had clocked up the 100th chicks ringed - a record for the scheme. Last year was very poor, with only 19 pulli (young owl chicks) registered for the whole season. We still have 60 more boxes to check and from the evidence we have seen, it’s possible that many Barn Owls will raise a second clutch before the summer is out, so a further check of the network at a later date will be necessary to ascertain the magnitude of the improvement.

With expert handling, the weight and size of each pulli (young owl chick) is carefully recorded and ringed, information which is shared with other organisations to contribute to a nationwide picture of owl population trends

Other owl species who take advantage of the total of nearly 300 nest boxes in East Anglian Nest Box Scheme have also benefitted. “The regional Tawny Owl population has staged an equally impressive recovery in 2014 - from no chicks at all last year in our network to 26 so far this year, which is another record for our project.”

The breeding activity of Tawny Owls was devastated in 2013, with some surveys showing zero-based results. This year, there are signs of substantial reversals of fortune...

Roger, who with his Thornham colleague Kevin Boyce and Dean from S.O.S. between them visit all the boxes to record raptor populations as well as cleaning, repairing or replacing the boxes themselves, is equally enthusiastic about the revival in the fortunes of the Kestrel, another species which is under threat.

“So far we have ringed 34 kestrel pulli so far, from 10 boxes, with further man-made nest sites to be checked. It appears that kestrels started their breeding cycle early this year, I imagine mainly due to the mild weather conditions. In some cases we suspect the youngsters had already fledged when we arrived to check and some mums were already sitting on a second clutch.”

The East Anglian Wild Owl Nest Box Scheme - which is funded entirely by private donations, for which we thank our generous supporters - is just one of a number of serious endeavours throughout the country whose aim is the conservation of threatened owl species. Each nest box inspection is carried out under a License issued by DEFRA (it is illegal to approach a wild owl nesting box without one) and the results of the progeny surveys conducted are included with the those of the Suffolk Community Barn Owl Project as part of annual report of The Barn Owl Trust.

Far From Home

The bewildered Tawny owlet was foundnestling behind a flowerpot

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

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

Having taken the chick home and put it somewhere warm and quiet, Matt then brought it in to the raptor hospital here at the Sanctuary, where it was given plenty of TLC and much needed food to help build it back up to full health and strength.  The Tawny owlet has now been put into one of our special rehab aviaries with three other abandoned young Tawnies of similar age for company.  One of the most important things about rearing wild young owls, with a view to releasing them, is minimal human contact, so that they don’t imprint or become attached to a handler.  Everything possible is done to allow them as natural an upbringing as possible so that the transition back into the wild is easy.
 
In around a week or so the four Tawny chicks will be taken to a nearby farm area where we have very kindly been allowed to erect a permanent hack box. Here we provide & replace food on a daily basis so that the youngsters will be fed every day while they adapt to their new surroundings.  Once the chicks are ready to go exploring, the front of the hack box will be opened and the process of integrating into the wild will begin.  The chicks will continue to be fed for as long as they reappear at the hack box looking for food, but gradually, as they become accustomed to hunting, they will need to be supported less and less.  Just like Tawny owlets raised in a nest together, they will naturally disperse and find their own territory.  Once the chicks are put out in the hack box, we’ll keep you posted and let you know how they get on.

From The Web: Barn Owl accommodation?

Our Barn Owl Cobweb free lofts in an aviary 8ft x 12ft with three perches

Thank you for your email. My advice would be to continue flying your Barn Owl on the creance daily and to continue to free loft her in the weathering, provided it is large enough. 

The smallest size weathering I would recommend would be a minimum of 6ft X 6ft, though the larger the better. The weathering should have two perches as far from one another as possible, so that the owl can fly from perch to perch.

Here at S.O.S. we free loft some of our Owls from their aviaries which are 8ft X 12ft, each with 3 perches.

A.H.

Suffolk Owl Sanctuary

From The Web: Barn Owl accommodation?

I would like some advice about my captive bred Barn Owl.  She is 18 years old, a rescued owl and registered to me.  I handle her daily, allowing her to fly on a creance if she wishes.  However, I have been told that she is happy to live in her weathering, which has a mesh front door and in which she is free and untethered whilst inside.  I have been promised an aviary, but this has not come to fruition.
 
My concern is that the weathering is not suitable for her long term. As I am not an experienced owl keeper, I am unsure if I should try to find another home for her which has an aviary, or if it is indeed OK to keep her as she is, with daily exercise with me.   She has laid 5 eggs so far this year.
 
I would be grateful for your advice on her housing.

A.R.

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Thank you for your email. My advice would be to continue flying your Barn Owl on the creance daily and to continue to free loft her in the weathering, provided it is large enough. 

The smallest size weathering I would recommend would be a minimum of 6ft X 6ft, though the larger the better. The weathering should have two perches as far from one another as possible, so that the owl can fly from perch to perch.
Here at S.O.S. we free loft some of our Owls from their aviaries which are 8ft X 12ft, each with 3 perches.

A.H.
Suffolk Owl Sanctuary

Our Barn Owl Cobweb free lofts in an aviary 8ft x 12ft with three perches

Falcon's Fury - None but the brave...!

And now for something completely different!

If you’ve ever watched the dramatic sight of a falcon as it stoops vertically downwards towards its prey at incredible speed, there’ll soon be a chance to experience such a thrill at first hand - though you may have to go all the way the States to do so!

Now under construction - Falcon's Fury will be North America's tallest 'drop tower' theme park ride

A new theme park ride called “Falcon’s Fury” is set to open at the renowned Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida later this year. Standing at 335 feet tall, the ride will lift visitors to it’s highest point, begin its vertical drop at speeds of up to 60mph and then - for an added element of surprise - further emulate the aerial skills of the falcon by pivoting riders to a terrifying face-down dive position for the completion of their journey.

For the thrill of it all - visitors will be swivelled into the face-down position for the full falcon experience!

By the time you see this view, it's too late to decide you don't want to see what being a falcon is like after all!

Set to become the tallest tower ride of its kind in North America, Falcon's Fury is currently undergoing safety drop tests and should be ready for those ready & willing to mimic the flight of the falcon by late summer 2014, allowing enough time to save up the $95 daily admission fee to the Busch Garden complex!

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Falcon's Fury - None but the brave...!

And now for something completely different!

If you’ve ever watched the dramatic sight of a falcon as it stoops vertically downwards towards its prey at incredible speed, there’ll soon be a chance to experience such a thrill at first hand - though you may have to go all the way the States to do so!

Now under construction - Falcon's Fury will be
North America's tallest 'drop tower' theme park ride

new theme park ride called “Falcon’s Fury” is set to open at the renowned Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida later this year. Standing at 335 feet tall, the ride will lift visitors to it’s highest point, begin its vertical drop at speeds of up to 60mph and then - for an added element of surprise - further emulate the aerial skills of the falcon by pivoting riders to a terrifying face-down dive position for the completion of their journey. 

For the thrill of it all - visitors will be swivelled into the face-down position for the full falcon experience! By the time you see the view, it's too late to decide you don't want to see what being a falcon is like after all!

Set to become the tallest tower ride of its kind in North America, Falcon's Fury is currently undergoing safety drop tests and should be ready for those ready & willing to mimic the flight of the falcon by late summer 2014, allowing enough time to save up the $95 daily admission fee to the Busch Garden complex!