Monday, 29 April 2013
Look at this and weep..............................
Look at this and morn...............................
Look at this and feel the shame that we all should feel...........................
Look at this and share, show it to everyone you can think of..........................
Look at this and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT...........................................
http://www.midwayfilm.com
Look at this and morn...............................
Look at this and feel the shame that we all should feel...........................
Look at this and share, show it to everyone you can think of..........................
Look at this and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT...........................................
http://www.midwayfilm.com
Saturday, 27 April 2013
I know I know, it’s a while since I wrote,
but it has been busy and I have had a lot to do!!! Finally that awful bitter
wind has gone. It has done some damage to the plants around the Centre with
wind burn, but amazingly the daffodils have survived it. I think a couple of
shrubs in the field hedge may have to be pruned right back, but they might survive.
We did – just about! We have had a respite for about ten days week now, I have
to say we were very relieved, particularly as I did a demonstration for the
Cotswold Hunt Point to Point and Country Fair and it is high up on the
Cotswolds and if it had been as windy as it has been I think the birds would
have got home before I did. Luckily the weather was great, a little chilly, but
fair and the birds were brilliant. Zaurak (Lanner Falcon) did his first away
demonstration and was faultless, Theft was good, Hare was excellent, as was
Karis and I was particularly pleased with Bay Middleton because he can be
tricky away from home. I also took Pleiades, whom I did not fly, but she
travelled well and came out of the boxes very well. She has not been flying as
well as she was in the cold wind, but we are working on it.
The breeding goes on apace. We now have two
baby lanners, one of the white-faced scops owls went up the Charlie, the other
was not well for a while, but has recovered and is doing much better. The Asian
Brown Wood Owl hatched, although we did lose the second egg. The first Steppe
is out and doing very well, the Savigny’s from the second clutch has gone back
with mum and dad and they are pleased to have it. The baby Bald Eagle is doing
wonderfully well with the Verreaux’s Eagles, the baby Tawny Eagle is back with
the Steppes. We tried him back with the Grey Buzzard Eagles but they would not
take him, they were still in incubation mode, although they are in disgrace
because they broke two of their eggs, which was very disappointing. However the
other pair have now finally laid, it will be interesting to see if they are
fertile.
As I write the second Steppe Eagle is
starting to hatch and so is the Condor, which is very exciting, both Holly and
I will be very relieved when it is out safely.
I went plant shopping and bought a ton of
plants with my birthday and Christmas vouchers, and have just spent the last
two hours tidying up my courtyard, and the last few days weeding and planting,
I still have a few to go and I hope the bloody rabbits don’t eat them. Oh and
two days ago there was a Roe Deer buck in the field, that was a sight to see,
and I heard my first cuckoo yesterday, it only cuckooed 1.5 times but it was
there.
I was sent a link to a Wildlife programme
made in Wales a couple of days ago, it features a Dr Rhys Jones, who works at
Cardiff University. He is a herpetologist supposedly, but does this programme
that rescues wildlife, or in the case of the Kestrel in the film, fails to
rescue wildlife. All of us were incensed watching it, Firstly it was obviously
desperately thin and he should immediately have taken it to an expert as he is
most definitely not one on birds of prey, it should have been put in the warm
and on fluids, through the night and it might have had a chance of pulling
through. As it was he did none of that, at least not on the TV, instead he fed
it mealworms, which it could hardly manage. He also did a bit on a snake in a
shed, it turned out to be a gravid Grass Snake, so what does he do for the
camera, but handle it until he upsets it enough that it goes into defence mode
and squirts out a smelly fluid which they do if upset, and then it pretended to
play dead. These people who deliberately upset wildlife just to look good on
camera really piss me off. Dr Jones you need to come here and learn what to do
with sick or injured birds of prey before you touch another one. I would be
happy to teach you.
On our side all the injured wild birds that
we had had in and that had been in a fit state to survive have done so and all
have been released back the wild by the various people who brought them in. We
did not upset them, wave them in front of camera’s we just did our job
properly.
Linda and I went shopping at some mall near Bristol, the name escapes me, its really frustrating when you want jersey's and all the womens clothes are for summer and not a jersey to be seen, or at least not one I would be seen dead in. Even though it was bloody freezing outside, so I ended up buying three men's jerseys, which are cheaper as well! I also bought for the first time in 15 years new knickers!!! I bought 15 pairs to celebrate.
However the nicest sight we have seen recently is Hemp with a baby. Holly and I decided that as she had been so good with all the eggs we needed her to sit for us, we would try her with a chick, so she has a baby Spectacled Owl, and does she love it - oh yes, she thinks it is wonderful, it is a sight to behold.
Saturday, 6 April 2013
What a turn up for the books, today after weeks
of bitterly cold wind and generally grey and cold weather – although very dry,
today has been glorious and literally almost warm by the afternoon. Yesterday
was bitter and very windy, although the day before was even worse and you could
see that the birds were getting fed up with it, and apart from the Kites not
flying quite as well the last four days. However today they all had a field
day. I was particularly pleased with Pleiades (female Tawny Eagle) whom I
thought might be lazy today with no wind, but she was a star and loved the warm
and even managed to find a little bit of lift, I came out of the flying ground
with a big grin. Fortina too was first class today and was gaining height even
though she was the last bird of the day.
Yesterday was an interesting day. It was
hectic to start with and we were short of flyers for the first demonstration
because of an experience day and the wind, so I reckoned that Hare should be
the right weight and could do his first demonstration of the year. He was the
last bird, so started at about 11.45, and finally came down again at about 2.30.
While he was in one of the many trees that he sat in that day, Sally came over
the radio and mentioned that there was a car on fire in the car park. And it was
most certainly on fire, in fact quite dramatic. We were worried that the petrol
tank would go up and cause some damage. Luckily the poor family who owned the
car had literally just arrived and so they were out of the car and safe. The
fire engine arrived and all was put out, although the car was not a pretty
sight. I spoke to the family a bit later and I would like to make a comment
about the Prudential Insurance Company with whom they were insured. The husband
phoned the company and bear in mind that at this point anyone would be shocked
and stressed. The pratt on the other end of the phone said that they had to
have the policy number, and he pointed out that the policy was in the car which
had burnt. Eventually the insurance company woman hung up on him!!! Now I think
that is disgraceful, surely insurance companies train their staff to cope with
stressed and upset people and if they don’t, they bloody well ought to. I would
like to bet that if you phoned your company and said that you wanted to insure
another car, and just gave them your address they would find you with ease!! So
be warned – don’t use the Prudential, they are not a pleasant or professional
company in our opinion. Good job I was not on the end of the phone or I would
have ripped them up hill and down dale!
Green Flag on the other hand collected the
car before we had even closed, so they get brownie points. The rest of the day
went OK, although it was cold and windy to the bitter end.
The baby Verreaux’s Eagle is doing very
well and growing nicely. His or her parents are now rearing a baby Bald Eagle
and doing a wonderful job. The chick which was with the Steller’s recovered
from being cold and upset and on Tuesday we tried it with the Verreaux’s. It was
a risk, but one that we felt worthwhile. They had had a Steppe’s Eagle egg last
year, but the chick vanished. However this chick was large enough that they
could learn how to care for it. They brooded it the first day, although they
did better once we had removed the goose egg. The second day Holly watched the
parents on the nest ledge and the male was feeding himself and the chick was
trying to feed, then the female started to eat and the chick moved to her and
each time she pulled a bit of rat off for herself, the chick took it, so after
a few minutes she got the idea and was offering the food to the chick. It is an
amazing thing to watch them learn and bodes really well for next year. We were
all delighted.
My baby Savigny’s Eagle Owl is doing well,
he is called Coll, the theme being British Islands, although some of my staff
insist on calling him Collin, however they will grow out of it. And I like to point
out that names are very important. I believe that if you have stupid or
careless names it shows a lack of respect for the birds. We try to make sure
that the birds have nice names that suit them and show them the proper respect
that they deserve.
We are in a lull on hatching, just waiting
for the next batch to arrive. Hopefully the new mincer which I have just
bought, will arrive in time to be useful with feeding chicks. Although we have
been having to chop up food for some of the injured wild birds as well. More have
arrived in, roll on the weather change, so that the wild birds can have a
chance at recovery.
Monday, 1 April 2013
Its April 1st, and the coldest
Easter on record, but actually yesterday was really very pleasant, yes it was
cold, but it was sunny most of the day and the birds flew just amazingly. We
had one visitor who had been concerned about paying to come in and indeed I
think two of them stayed in the car, when he left he said it was the most
amazing place, quite fantastic and he would come again. It’s always so very
difficult to encourage people that what they will see here is amazing and well
worth the entry money.
Mark’s young Grey Buzzard Eagle was just
staggering yesterday, he is almost unfailingly good and uses the wind really
well, but yesterday as you will see in the picture, he got really ambitious and
did the most amazing stoop. Holly and I were watching him from the Hawk Walk
and we were really excited about it, so John got an even better view and the
visitors were entranced. I have to say that Fortina also went brilliantly, both
she and Alexandria and getting back to fitness and she had a whale of a time
yesterday. Alexandria is more tricky, she is 11 years old now, and she had a
couple of illnesses last year, so some days I think I will never get her fit
again, and others she does really well, so we persevere and I am pretty sure
she is having a good time with it.
The babies are doing well, the young Bald
Eagle that we put with the Stellers had to come out though. When we put it in
the Steller’s chick was about twice the size, but they were doing OK, now
however the Stellers is nearly four times the size and the problem is with this
interminable cold is affecting the young. When the parents get off to get food,
or feed the chicks, it is so cold that they quickly lose heat and then don’t
want to feed. So we have whipped the Bald Eagle away and will try it with
another parent on Tuesday when more staff are in. However our most delightful
hatching is our baby Verreaux’s eagle, he or she is doing well, five days old
now, feeding and growing well and due to go to a foster parent in a week or so.
We are really pleased about that. We also have a Hooded Vulture egg with the
hooded vultures, and the Palmnuts have laid and so far the eggs are well, the
new nests are making a difference and the eggs are not getting pushed around as
much.
The Lanners had four eggs and we are double
clutching them, the Sakers have laid and Sage is doing much better with Jack
Danials, he looks like he will be a potential dad, which will be lovely, its not
easy to find pure bred birds these days. We just hope the weather will break
soon and we will have some warm dry weather to encourage everyone else to get
on with laying.
It’s cold and grey today, but at least it
is dry again. The mares have gone back home, Autumn is getting close to
foaling, and my field has no grass left. I need to chain harrow and roll it now
so that if the grass ever does start to grow again, it will have a good chance
and the field needs to look good and be sound by the end of August for our
Falconry Weekend!
And as usual, thanks to Linda for not only her staggering photo's, but her endless generousity in sharing them with us. And that thanks goes to all the photographers who are amazing with their support and their offering of photos, we really appreciate you all.
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