Hacked Off (& Now We Are Five)

As you may recall, four young Little Owls were recently brought into the owl sanctuary’s raptor hospital by a member of the public. The owlets’ parents had been killed by a fox and the four babies left defenceless in their nest in an old tree stump. Having narrowly escaped the same fate as their parents, we undertook to look after them until old enough to be released back into the wild. (see here for more).

Through making contact with the Sanctuary regarding this incident, Heather - the owner of the land where the owls were found, became interested in becoming more involved with our rehabilitation work. To this end, she invited Centre Manager Andy Hulme to assess the habitat surrounding her home with a view to siting some hack boxes there.

A typical Hack Box - the mesh will be removed once the residents have grown accustomed to their surroundings

Hack boxes are wooden structures, not unlike owl nest boxes, but with the addition of a removable mesh extension, allowing the birds a vantage point from which to acclimatise to the natural environment.

The birds are initially fed in the hack box but once they grow stronger the mesh side is removed,allowing birds freedom of movement between the secure enclosed environment and the “big outside world”! The guardian of the box will continue to provide food for the birds, within the box, so that they have sustenance until confident enough to leave and live independently.

Hack Boxes are usually located away from prying eyes…

Andy found the habitat in this particular location to be ideal for supporting owls, as the entire grounds of the residence were given over to organic hayfields. Indeed, the land is so enriched and unspoilt that a huge diversity of wild flowers, including bee orchids, are flourishing there. Consequently, an abundance of food enjoyed by Tawny and Little Owls is readily available and both a young plantation and a mature wood provide a valuable variety of environment. The site is peaceful and undisturbed and, helpfully, the owner keeps no dogs, cats or other intrusive domestic animals.

Two hack boxes have now been installed at the site - one Tawny box and one Little Owl box - and already they've been put to good use! The four Little Owls referred to above, plus one extra who was brought into the Sanctuary just the day before we planned to introduce the quartet to the hack box, were duly installed and were finally released this week. (We're pleased to say this included the tiny mite who had been clawed by the fox and looked a bit of a mess when we first caught sight of him.)

Now We Are Five - our four 'outfoxed' Little Owls plus an additional one prepare for the off!

Subsequently an orphaned young Tawny was brought into us and this too has been hacked back to the wild using the new site.

S.O.S. is indebted to Heather (who now contributes to our Facebook page) and others like her who engage in this rehabilitation process in order to offer rescued birds the “second chance” that they so obviously deserve. Thank you!

Happy Ending - one of the young Little Owls peers back from within the neighbouring orchard.

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An Herb..aceous Border.

Part of the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary’s focus over the next few months is to add extra interest to our facilities, specifically for visitors suffering sensory impairment. The latest innovation is the addition of a raised herb bed within the sensory garden. 

This has come to fruition (no pun intended) due to a generous donation from a local family in memory of a late relative who was particularly fond of owls.

The timber built, L- shaped  bed stands at a height suitable for access with a wheelchair, allowing close contact with the variety of herbs within. The planting has been designed for maximum enjoyment through the senses of smell, touch and taste and includes lemon thyme, sage, curry plant, mint, lemon balm, oregano, dill and coriander.

It is hoped that both wheelchair users and the able bodied, deaf and blind visitors will all gain pleasure from bruising the leaves to release the pungent smell of the herbs. Those who wish to will also be welcome to taste the leaves of the wonderful variety of plants available in the bed. Specimens have been selected for their variety of perfumes from the citrusy lemon of the thyme, through aromatic sage and fresh, clean mint to the spicy, heady scent of the curry plant.

The herb bed will provide yet another focal point in the sensory garden where visitors can take their time over a leisurely picnic at wheelchair accessible tables and enjoy the relaxing water feature, atmospheric wind chimes and tactile, sculptural seating area.

Sanctuary staff are extremely grateful for the generous remembrance donation which has made this new dimension to the S.O.S. Sensory Garden possible.

An Herb..aceous Border

Part of the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary’s focus over the next few months is to add extra interest to our facilities, specifically for visitors suffering sensory impairment. The latest innovation is the addition of a raised herb bed within the sensory garden.

This has come to fruition (no pun intended) due to a generous donation from a local family in memory of a late relative who was particularly fond of owls.

The timber built, L- shaped  bed stands at a height suitable for access with a wheelchair, allowing close contact with the variety of herbs within. The planting has been designed for maximum enjoyment through the senses of smell, touch and taste and includes lemon thyme, sage, curry plant, mint, lemon balm, oregano, dill and coriander.

It is hoped that both wheelchair users and the able bodied, deaf and blind visitors will all gain pleasure from bruising the leaves to release the pungent smell of the herbs. Those who wish to will also be welcome to taste the leaves of the wonderful variety of plants available in the bed. Specimens have been selected for their variety of perfumes from the citrusy lemon of the thyme, through aromatic sage and fresh, clean mint to the spicy, heady scent of the curry plant.

The herb bed will provide yet another focal point in the sensory garden where visitors can take their time over a leisurely picnic at wheelchair accessible tables and enjoy the relaxing water feature, atmospheric wind chimes and tactile, sculptural seating area.

Sanctuary staff are extremely grateful for the generous remembrance donation which has made this new dimension to the S.O.S. Sensory Garden possible.

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A Helping Hand

On occasion, it is necessary for falconers at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary to step in and offer surreptitious assistance to some of our breeding birds. This was the case recently with two pairs of Harris Hawks.

In the first instance, female Buffy laid two eggs on the floor of the aviary that she shares with her partner Larch. As there was little chance of these eggs hatching successfully without the benefit of nesting material, the falconers needed to intervene. Whilst it was important to interfere with the eggs as little as possible, it was possible to create a manmade nest out of conifer branches in the same location that Buffy had chosen. The eggs were carefully replaced in the new nest and happily, Buffy returned to sit on them.

Buffy settles into her new conifer nest

In the mean time, Willow and Henry, two of our winter team of Harris Hawks, also built a nest and laid a clutch of four eggs. This is the first time that these young birds have produced eggs and sadly, due to their inexperience, they quickly broke two of them. So in order to protect the remaining two eggs, the falconers were forced to remove them from the nest and incubate them artificially. The eggs hatched successfully and after two or three days, they needed a surrogate mum!

The falconers knew just the bird to engage in rearing these chicks - Buffy’s track record in this department is excellent. She had also been sitting on her own eggs in the conifer nest for some time with no indication that they were fertile, so her two dubious eggs were consequently removed from the nest and replaced with Willow’s young chicks - a win win situation all round.

But the story had an even better ending - Willow and Henry since laid a second clutch and have been left to raise them without interference!

A Helping Hand

On occasion, it is necessary for falconers at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary to step in and offer surreptitious assistance to some of our breeding birds. This was the case recently with two pairs of Harris Hawks.

In the first instance, female Buffy laid two eggs on the floor of the aviary that she shares with her partner Larch. As there was little chance of these eggs hatching successfully without the benefit of nesting material, the falconers needed to intervene. Whilst it was important to interfere with the eggs as little as possible, it was possible to create a manmade nest out of conifer branches in the same location that Buffy had chosen. The eggs were carefully replaced in the new nest and happily, Buffy returned to sit on them.

Buffy settles into her new conifer nest

In the mean time, Willow and Henry, two of our winter team of Harris Hawks, also built a nest and laid a clutch of four eggs. This is the first time that these young birds have produced eggs and sadly, due to their inexperience, they quickly broke two of them. So in order to protect the remaining two eggs, the falconers were forced to remove them from the nest and incubate them artificially. The eggs hatched successfully and after two or three days, they needed a surrogate mum!

The falconers knew just the bird to engage in rearing these chicks - Buffy’s track record in this department is excellent. She had also been sitting on her own eggs in the conifer nest for some time with no indication that they were fertile, so her two dubious eggs were consequently removed from the nest and replaced with Willow’s young chicks - a win win situation all round.

But the story had an even better ending - Willow and Henry since laid a second clutch and have been left to raise them without interference!

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Pipped at the Post

Did you take part in the recent Vote National Bird Campaign? 

Well, over 200,000 individuals did just that and after all their votes were counted it was announced that the humble Robin was the nation’s favourite bird. Pecking at his heels in second place however, was the noble Barn Owl; the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary’s particular favourite!

The campaign was launched last year by ornithologist David Lindo who realised that, unlike other countries such as India (Peacock), Germany (Golden Eagle) and Ecuador (Andean Condor) Britain did not possess a National Bird.

People were thus asked to cast a vote for their favourite British bird and opportunities to do so were available online, at ballot boxes in schools or by postal vote. A list of 60 birds emerged for consideration including mute swan, kingfisher, wren, red kite and blue tit. A preliminary vote shortlisted 10 possible candidates for the title, after which the final ballot was opened in March 2015. A separate vote exclusively for children was instrumental in securing the title for the Robin (11,000 children voted - 20% for the Robin)!

Lindo states that he will now speak to the government about the possibility of Britain officially adopting the Robin as its national bird.

Our particular nominee - now let’s see, it’s a...?

As far as the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary is concerned, the Barn Owl remains our preference for national icon status! This magnificent bird’s pale plumage and liquid black eyes make it one of Britain’s most hauntingly beautiful birds and its eerily silent flight gives it a truly ghostly presence when encountered at night. Its wide facial disc renders it instantly recognisable  and, as the national vote proves, it is beloved and revered not only by serious birdwatchers but also by “ordinary folks”.

Despite there being only one declared winner of the National Bird vote, David Lindo claims that the project is “..in fact a victory for all our British birds….the U.K.s biggest ever nature vote has reminded the British people how much they love the nature surrounding them.”

Pipped at the Post

Did you take part in the recent Vote National Bird Campaign? 

Well, over 200,000 individuals did just that and after all their votes were counted it was announced that the humble Robin was the nation’s favourite bird. Pecking at his heels in second place however, was the noble Barn Owl; the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary’s particular favourite!

The campaign was launched last year by ornithologist David Lindo who realised that, unlike other countries such as India (Peacock), Germany (Golden Eagle) and Ecuador (Andean Condor) Britain did not possess a National Bird.

People were thus asked to cast a vote for their favourite British bird and opportunities to do so were available online, at ballot boxes in schools or by postal vote. A list of 60 birds emerged for consideration including mute swan, kingfisher, wren, red kite and blue tit. A preliminary vote shortlisted 10 possible candidates for the title, after which the final ballot was opened in March 2015. A separate vote exclusively for children was instrumental in securing the title for the Robin (11,000 children voted - 20% for the Robin)!

Lindo states that he will now speak to the government about the possibility of Britain officially adopting the Robin as its national bird. 

Our particular nominee - now let’s see, it’s a...?

As far as the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary is concerned, the Barn Owl remains our preference for national icon status! This magnificent bird’s pale plumage and liquid black eyes make it one of Britain’s most hauntingly beautiful birds and its eerily silent flight gives it a truly ghostly presence when encountered at night. Its wide facial disc renders it instantly recognisable  and, as the national vote proves, it is beloved and revered not only by serious birdwatchers but also by “ordinary folks”.

Despite there being only one declared winner of the National Bird vote, David Lindo claims that the project is “..in fact a victory for all our British birds….the U.K.s biggest ever nature vote has reminded the British people how much they love the nature surrounding them.”

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S.O.S. meets Sir David Attenborough

This week we were invited to attend the official opening of Abberton Reservoir in Essex.

This  event marked the recent expansion of the capacity of the reservoir from 26 billion to 41billion litres of water in order to secure adequate water supplies for one and a half million Essex residents. This development has gone hand in hand with an environmental project ensuring that the reservoir retains and extends its valuable habitat for the whole spectrum of wildlife and water fowl in particular.

The new facility offers a great place to view the some 40,000
ducks, geese & swans that visit the reservoir every year

Naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough was in attendance to officially open the new facility with a celebration at the Visitor Centre run in partnership with the Essex Wildlife Trust and our falconer Dean Winham joined the activities with Keo the Lanner Falcon and Spirit the Barn Owl.
The birds were greatly admired by the assembled naturalists and conservationists and flew the flag for ecologically intelligent local development.

The reservoir is important to wildlife and wildfowl and holds some of the highest environmental designations including as a Sight of Significant Scientific Interest. Up to 40,000 ducks, swans and geese visit every year - the top six species being Wigeon, Mallard, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Coot and Black Headed Gull.  The site is important for dabbling ducks such as Shoveler and Teal and an enhancement project has increased the amount of shallow water habitat crucial for these birds and waders which also frequent the site.

Throughout this project, started in 2010, the Essex Wildlife Trust has worked closely with Essex & Suffolk Water to ensure that essential habitats that support wildlife were fully understood before development work commenced. Contractors were then able to take responsibility for protecting the interests of all the species native to the site and for ensuring that final habitats increased in both size and quality.

The improved and expanded site is proof perfect that building projects necessary for supporting the ever expanding human population can be completed with environmental empathy and sensitivity. The reservoir is open to the public every day and offers incredible bird and butterfly watching opportunities as well as stunning views,walks and picnic spots. Find out more about Abberton Reservoir here

S.O.S. meets Sir David Attenborough

This week we were invited to attend the official opening of Abberton Reservoir in Essex.

This event marked the recent expansion of the capacity of the reservoir from 26 billion to 41billion litres of water in order to secure adequate water supplies for one and a half million Essex residents. This development has gone hand in hand with an environmental project ensuring that the reservoir retains and extends its valuable habitat for the whole spectrum of wildlife and water fowl in particular.

The new facility offers a great place to view the some 40,000 ducks, geese & swans that visit the reservoir every year

Naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough was in attendance to officially open the new facility with a celebration at the Visitor Centre run in partnership with the Essex Wildlife Trust and our falconer Dean Winham joined the activities with Keo the Lanner Falcon and Spirit the Barn Owl.
The birds were greatly admired by the assembled naturalists and conservationists and flew the flag for ecologically intelligent local development.

The reservoir is important to wildlife and wildfowl and holds some of the highest environmental designations including as a Sight of Significant Scientific Interest. Up to 40,000 ducks, swans and geese visit every year - the top six species being Wigeon, Mallard, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Coot and Black Headed Gull. The site is important for dabbling ducks such as Shoveler and Teal and an enhancement project has increased the amount of shallow water habitat crucial for these birds and waders which also frequent the site.

Throughout this project, started in 2010, the Essex Wildlife Trust has worked closely with Essex & Suffolk Water to ensure that essential habitats that support wildlife were fully understood before development work commenced. Contractors were then able to take responsibility for protecting the interests of all the species native to the site and for ensuring that final habitats increased in both size and quality.

The improved and expanded site is proof perfect that building projects necessary for supporting the ever expanding human population can be completed with environmental empathy and sensitivity. The reservoir is open to the public every day and offers incredible bird and butterfly watching opportunities as well as stunning views,walks and picnic spots. Find out more about Abberton Reservoir here

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Outfoxed!

Last week, an emergency call was made to Suffolk Owl Sanctuary by a local resident because a fox was wreaking havoc in her garden!

The appearance of the fox in itself was not unusual, as the homeowner encouraged wildlife of all sorts into the natural environment that she had deliberately created on her land. What WAS unusual,however, was the distress the fox’s presence was causing other creatures in the garden - specifically, a family of Little Owls which had taken up residence in a hollow tree.

Two of the tiny Little Owlets

Little owls are by nature feisty creatures and will not shy away from an altercation with a predator but by the time the homeowner had responded to a commotion in the vicinity of the tree, the fox had already despatched the two adult owls who had been attempting to defend four youngsters they were raising. When our nature-lover found the four baby owlets exposed by the fox’s attempts to dig them out.

One of the youngsters is hand-fed by Maz as the others recuperate in the warmth of the incubator

Fearing that she might already be too late to save what was left of the owl family, she carefully removed the youngsters from danger and brought them in to the raptor hospital at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary. After a thorough examination, all four owlets were found to be shocked but sound, with only one having sustained an injury to the back of the neck from the fox’s claws.

The quartet were settled into an intensive care incubator to warm up and recover from their ordeal and after some quiet recuperation time, their appetites were back with a vengeance! The quadruplets continued to thrive thanks to 2 hourly feeds and plenty of TLC from the falconry team and were soon out of intensive care.

At this point our colleague Maz stepped in and has taken the owlets home, where she was able to start giving them the continuous attention they will need until they have fledged properly and are ready for release - watch this space for further details.

The size of the diminutive little creatures is emphasised as they nestle in a small dish in preparation for being moved.  The one at the back was clawed by the fox, but we believe it stands a good chance of recuperating if cared for.

Outfoxed!

Last week, an emergency call was made to Suffolk Owl Sanctuary by a local resident because a fox was wreaking havoc in her garden!

The appearance of the fox in itself was not unusual, as the homeowner encouraged wildlife of all sorts into the natural environment that she had deliberately created on her land. What WAS unusual,however, was the distress the fox’s presence was causing other creatures in the garden - specifically, a family of Little Owls which had taken up residence in a hollow tree.

Two of the tiny Little Owlets

Little owls are by nature feisty creatures and will not shy away from an altercation with a predator but by the time the homeowner had responded to a commotion in the vicinity of the tree, the fox had already despatched the two adult owls who had been attempting to defend four youngsters they were raising. When our nature-lover found the four baby owlets exposed by the fox’s attempts to dig them out.

Fearing that she might already be too late to save what was left of the owl family, she carefully removed the youngsters from danger and brought them in to the raptor hospital at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary. After a thorough examination, all four owlets were found to be shocked but sound, with only one having sustained an injury to the back of the neck from the fox’s claws.

The quartet were settled into an intensive care incubator to warm up and recover from their ordeal and after some quiet recuperation time, their appetites were back with a vengeance! The quadruplets continued to thrive thanks to 2 hourly feeds and plenty of TLC from the falconry team and were soon out of intensive care. 

One of the youngsters is hand-fed by Maz
as the others recuperate in the warmth of the incubator

At this point our colleague Maz stepped in and has taken the owlets home, where she was able to start giving them the continuous attention they will need until they have fledged properly and are ready for release - watch this space for further details.

The size of the diminutive little creatures is emphasised as they
nestle in a small dish in preparation for being moved. The one at the back was clawed by the fox, but we believe it stands a good chance of recuperating if cared for.

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It's a Small World

If proof was needed that the message of the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary extends beyond the shores of the U.K. then it was adequately provided this week.

A request for assistance was received from a resident of Transylvania who had unwittingly become host to a small owl which had entered her apartment through an open window. As we operate a worldwide online advice service, just for such eventualities, falconers were able to assist with immediate advice.

In the first instance, we recommended relieving the bird’s inevitable stress as soon was practicable.The rescuer was advised to place the owl into a well ventilated, covered cardboard box. This needed to be large enough to prevent the bird from further abrasive injury, but not so large that it had room to thrash about. In this case the owl seemed relatively quiet and inactive - a positive advantage for the rescuer, enabling transfer to the box, but a distinct worry in the context of the birds physical state.

Once the owl was quiet and secure, we asked for some photos in order to aid species identity and ascertain injuries. Due to the wonder of the internet, images arrived at the sanctuary instantly. The bird was then easily identifiable by its distinctive feather tufts, bright yellow eyes and brownish grey camouflaging plumage, as a Screech Owl. Close study of the photos suggested that the bird was a mature adult and uninjured, though probably shocked.

After a night spent recuperating in the quiet and darkness, the rescuer reported that the owl seemed feisty - a sure sign that it was able and ready to return to its native habitat. Our falconers advised that the owl should be released in the immediate vicinity of the apartment block. Although an urban area, this was the natural territory of this bird and, as Screech Owls are monogamous, it was likely to have a partner close by and may even have been rearing young.

The owl was duly released at dusk, and the short adventure for both bird and human came to a successful conclusion - one example of the truly international capacity of the advisory services offered by S.O.S.!

It's a Small World

If proof was needed that the message of the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary extends beyond the shores of the U.K. then it was adequately provided this week.

A request for assistance was received from a resident of Transylvania who had unwittingly become host to a small owl which had entered her apartment through an open window. As we operate a worldwide online advice service, just for such eventualities, falconers were able to assist with immediate advice.

In the first instance, we recommended relieving the bird’s inevitable stress as soon was practicable.The rescuer was advised to place the owl into a well ventilated, covered cardboard box. This needed to be large enough to prevent the bird from further abrasive injury, but not so large that it had room to thrash about. In this case the owl seemed relatively quiet and inactive - a positive advantage for the rescuer, enabling transfer to the box, but a distinct worry in the context of the birds physical state.

Once the owl was quiet and secure, we asked for some photos in order to aid species identity and ascertain injuries. Due to the wonder of the internet, images arrived at the sanctuary instantly. The bird was then easily identifiable by its distinctive feather tufts, bright yellow eyes and brownish grey camouflaging plumage, as a Screech Owl. Close study of the photos suggested that the bird was a mature adult and uninjured, though probably shocked.

After a night spent recuperating in the quiet and darkness, the rescuer reported that the owl seemed feisty - a sure sign that it was able and ready to return to its native habitat. Our falconers advised that the owl should be released in the immediate vicinity of the apartment block. Although an urban area, this was the natural territory of this bird and, as Screech Owls are monogamous, it was likely to have a partner close by and may even have been rearing young.

The owl was duly released at dusk, and the short adventure for both bird and human came to a successful conclusion - one example of the truly international capacity of the advisory services offered by S.O.S.!

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Passionate About Pellets

Suffolk Owl Sanctuary has developed a rich programme of outreach work with schools and offers a wide variety of educational resources to support classroom learning. Most popular with teachers of all age groups are owl pellets for use in dissection sessions. One such request came from a school in Yorkshire only last month, about which we had some typically positive feedback, complete with pictures!

Peter Riley is a former teacher and award winning author of science books for schoolchildren of all ages. He is well known in the academic world as a “science evangelist” who has always wanted people to know that “science is much more part of our world than we realise, It’s all around us all the time and if we can enjoy it, we will understand our world a lot better.”  

So, when his granddaughter and avid Harry Potter fan,Tabitha enthused about her latest science project - habitats - Peter saw an opportunity to bring some excitement to the classroom!

He asked the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary to help by despatching enough pellets to involve all of Tabitha’s class in a dissection session. By studying the contents of the fragmented pellets, pupils would be able to ascertain what owls had been eating and, thus, which small mammals were abundant in their habitat. The pellets were sterilised and foil wrapped before being sent out and were accompanied by photocopiable bone charts and record sheets for listing and drawing pellet contents.

Tabitha’s class used eyebrow tweezers and cocktail sticks to disassemble their pellets and the evidence gathered indicated that most owls had been feeding on mice, with one having eaten a shrew. The children were delighted to discover the shrew’s lower jaw bones “with its red-capped, crocodile like teeth!!”

Peter reports that the children were “totally engrossed and the teacher said it was one of the best lessons he had had for years!”

Passionate About Pellets

Suffolk Owl Sanctuary has developed a rich programme of outreach work with schools and offers a wide variety of educational resources to support classroom learning. Most popular with teachers of all age groups are owl pellets for use in dissection sessions. One such request came from a school in Yorkshire only last month, about which we had some typically positive feedback, complete with pictures!

Peter Riley is a former teacher and award winning author of science books for schoolchildren of all ages. He is well known in the academic world as a “science evangelist” who has always wanted people to know that “science is much more part of our world than we realise, It’s all around us all the time and if we can enjoy it, we will understand our world a lot better.”

So, when his granddaughter and avid Harry Potter fan,Tabitha enthused about her latest science project - habitats - Peter saw an opportunity to bring some excitement to the classroom!

He asked the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary to help by despatching enough pellets to involve all of Tabitha’s class in a dissection session. By studying the contents of the fragmented pellets, pupils would be able to ascertain what owls had been eating and, thus, which small mammals were abundant in their habitat. The pellets were sterilised and foil wrapped before being sent out and were accompanied by photocopiable bone charts and record sheets for listing and drawing pellet contents.

Tabitha’s class used eyebrow tweezers and cocktail sticks to disassemble their pellets and the evidence gathered indicated that most owls had been feeding on mice, with one having eaten a shrew. The children were delighted to discover the shrew’s lower jaw bones “with its red-capped, crocodile like teeth!!”

Peter reports that the children were “totally engrossed and the teacher said it was one of the best lessons he had had for years!”

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New Kits on the Block

2015 has not only seen an increase in bird numbers, but the sanctuary’s red squirrel colony has also expanded. During April three kits have been born to one of our eight adult red squirrels, after a gestation period of 38 days.

The young are very vulnerable when born, being deaf and blind and totally dependent on their mother. Within 21 days their bodies are covered with hair and their eyes and ears open after three or four weeks.

As usual there were no obvious signs in the enclosure that babies had been born until about 40 days later, when they are able to eat solid food. After that, they take trips out of the nest to find food, still returning to suckle from their mother until fully weaned at 8 to 10 weeks.

Typically, Red Squirrel ‘kits’ nestle together whilst in the dray*

Red squirrels that survive their first winter have a life expectancy of at least 3 years - in the wild, many live for up to 7 years; in captivity, up to 10.

The Sanctuary’s squirrels have plenty of room to roam and play, with three large enclosures connected by tree top level corridors. These allow plenty of room for individuals to “enjoy their own space” - red squirrels are solitary animals and their social organisation is based on dominance hierarchies within and between the sexes, so plenty of spacial independence is essential.

The sanctuary’s new editions will move on once they become mature; in order to maintain a healthy gene pool, young from this colony will be swapped for squirrels from other conservation projects or donated to one of the successful release schemes now established throughout the country, by conservation groups such as the Red Squirrel Survival Trust in Anglesey and the Wight Squirrel Project. Assisted by such schemes, the red squirrel continues to recover in population in specific areas of the U.K. - particularly in Scotland, the Isle of Anglesey and the Isle of Wight.

This correlates with the decrease in grey squirrel numbers, in turn accelerated by the increase in pine marten populations, the grey squirrel’s main predator.

* Image of Red Squirrel ‘kits’ from an unknown source - please contact us if you recognise it

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New Kits on the Block

2015 has not only seen an increase in bird numbers, but the sanctuary’s red squirrel colony has also expanded. During April three kits have been born to one of our eight adult red squirrels, after a gestation period of 38 days.

The young are very vulnerable when born, being deaf and blind and totally dependent on their mother. Within 21 days their bodies are covered with hair and their eyes and ears open after three or four weeks.

As usual there were no obvious signs in the enclosure that babies had been born until about 40 days later, when they are able to eat solid food. After that, they take trips out of the nest to find food, still returning to suckle from their mother until fully weaned at 8 to 10 weeks.

Typically, Red Squirrel ‘kits’ nestle together whilst in the dray*

Red squirrels that survive their first winter have a life expectancy of at least 3 years - in the wild, many live for up to 7 years; in captivity, up to 10.

The Sanctuary’s squirrels have plenty of room to roam and play, with three large enclosures connected by tree top level corridors. These allow plenty of room for individuals to “enjoy their own space” - red squirrels are solitary animals and their social organisation is based on dominance hierarchies within and between the sexes, so plenty of spacial independence is essential.

The sanctuary’s new editions will move on once they become mature; in order to maintain a healthy gene pool, young from this colony will be swapped for squirrels from other conservation projects or donated to one of the successful release schemes now established throughout the country, by conservation groups such as the Red Squirrel Survival Trust in Anglesey and the Wight Squirrel Project. Assisted by such schemes, the red squirrel continues to recover in population in specific areas of the U.K. - particularly in Scotland, the Isle of Anglesey and the Isle of Wight.

This correlates with the decrease in grey squirrel numbers, in turn accelerated by the increase in pine marten populations, the grey squirrel’s main predator.

* Image of Red Squirrel ‘kits’ from an unknown source - please contact us if you recognise it

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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