Sunday, 9 May 2010
There is an adult rabbit on my lawn outside the office window and two babies, its pretty cool I have to say, particularly as they are eating the weeds in the path, rather than the grass, I wonder if they would like a job! Today we celebrated two things, Simon has hatched our first ever and the first in the UK Steller’s Sea Eagle!! Not bad eh!! The parents will have the young one back soon, they are still heavily in breeding condition, and it will be fun to give them back their baby. It is a triumph for us, particularly when you know what the birds have been through in the last five to six years. The other celebration is the electrics in the weighing room. With huge perseverance Richard has finally got it all working and we have lights – very cool lights, power, and a working environment, which is great. Thanks to Louise and Paul we have kitchen units and the plumbing nearly sorted and Mike with hopefully put the units in tomorrow, giving us a great new space, which I have to say is already looking great!!
I had a phone call the other day from a chap had seen a Red Kite with the netting stuff that is put round
large bales of hay and stuff these days, he did not know if it had been carrying it or was tangled in it. Hopefully it was carrying it because Kites like to decorate their nests with wool, and other bits and pieces. Sadly however the things they use can cause huge problems. Crows also put some stuff into their nests, Hobby’s will use old crows nest to breed in when they get here from Africa. A few years ago we had in the most beautiful young Hobby brought in, absolutely immaculate, just stunning to look at but with only one leg. A small piece of that god-awful plastic baler twine had got wrapped round its leg as it was growing and successfully cut of the blood supply so the foot dropped off like a lambs tail. We had to euthanize it, which was such a shame.
I hate all this plastic stuff, and it defeats me why governments are not banning it. If you have looked at the Powerpoint programme on our website that talks about bottled water, it points out that the americans use enough oil to make the plastic water bottles in one year to power 100,000 cars for a year. And we are as bad. Oil is a finite resource, we will run out, that is as much a given fact as that we will all die, there is no other way to put it, and even quicker thanks to BP’s disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I would rather be able to drive my car for a little longer than have plastic that I don’t need or want.
None of us need the blasted plastic packaging we get a supermarkets, I swear I have a rubbish bag full once I have unpacked the stuff I buy and I don’t want it, I have no desire to have a cucumber wrapped in plastic, it is stupid in the extreme, it gives us horrific problems with waste, and if you look at the plastic in the Pacific Ocean, it will start to kill humans eventually. It is already killing animals, fish and birds.
If we have to have binder twine all over the countryside, please let us go back to natural fibres like hemp or sisal, they rot and benefit the earth in the long run, and the plants that are turned into it give us oxygen and help to use up the carbon dioxide that we need to remove. Paper bags are wonderful things and trees are a renewable resource and use up carbon dioxide. It’s a no brainer……………..
The Bald Eagle flew really well today, Franklin the Brahminy Kite is getting to be Holly’s favourite, Alexandria (peregrine) was stunning today, as were the two Tawny Eagles. Charlie says the Symonds Yat Peregrine is doing well, we have one baby Harris Hawk, and a Spectacled Owl who is going to be trained by Adam to replace Woodland Venture, although nothing will replace him. Holly is training the new Ural Owl and I have a Great Horned Owl to manage.
The weather was miserable yesterday, I really felt for the people on the experience day, it was bitter in the field, I hope they had a good time. Today we had a half day but the weather was considerably kinder. The week ahead looks dry but cold. And everything is growing like mad, it is so wonderful to see. The clematis is out, the wisteria is going to be fantastic this year and spring is springing all over the place.
I had a phone call the other day from a chap had seen a Red Kite with the netting stuff that is put round
large bales of hay and stuff these days, he did not know if it had been carrying it or was tangled in it. Hopefully it was carrying it because Kites like to decorate their nests with wool, and other bits and pieces. Sadly however the things they use can cause huge problems. Crows also put some stuff into their nests, Hobby’s will use old crows nest to breed in when they get here from Africa. A few years ago we had in the most beautiful young Hobby brought in, absolutely immaculate, just stunning to look at but with only one leg. A small piece of that god-awful plastic baler twine had got wrapped round its leg as it was growing and successfully cut of the blood supply so the foot dropped off like a lambs tail. We had to euthanize it, which was such a shame.I hate all this plastic stuff, and it defeats me why governments are not banning it. If you have looked at the Powerpoint programme on our website that talks about bottled water, it points out that the americans use enough oil to make the plastic water bottles in one year to power 100,000 cars for a year. And we are as bad. Oil is a finite resource, we will run out, that is as much a given fact as that we will all die, there is no other way to put it, and even quicker thanks to BP’s disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I would rather be able to drive my car for a little longer than have plastic that I don’t need or want.
None of us need the blasted plastic packaging we get a supermarkets, I swear I have a rubbish bag full once I have unpacked the stuff I buy and I don’t want it, I have no desire to have a cucumber wrapped in plastic, it is stupid in the extreme, it gives us horrific problems with waste, and if you look at the plastic in the Pacific Ocean, it will start to kill humans eventually. It is already killing animals, fish and birds.
If we have to have binder twine all over the countryside, please let us go back to natural fibres like hemp or sisal, they rot and benefit the earth in the long run, and the plants that are turned into it give us oxygen and help to use up the carbon dioxide that we need to remove. Paper bags are wonderful things and trees are a renewable resource and use up carbon dioxide. It’s a no brainer……………..
The Bald Eagle flew really well today, Franklin the Brahminy Kite is getting to be Holly’s favourite, Alexandria (peregrine) was stunning today, as were the two Tawny Eagles. Charlie says the Symonds Yat Peregrine is doing well, we have one baby Harris Hawk, and a Spectacled Owl who is going to be trained by Adam to replace Woodland Venture, although nothing will replace him. Holly is training the new Ural Owl and I have a Great Horned Owl to manage.
The weather was miserable yesterday, I really felt for the people on the experience day, it was bitter in the field, I hope they had a good time. Today we had a half day but the weather was considerably kinder. The week ahead looks dry but cold. And everything is growing like mad, it is so wonderful to see. The clematis is out, the wisteria is going to be fantastic this year and spring is springing all over the place.
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1 comments:
Congratulations on the Eagle Chick!! I love photo of the Red Kite Chick. If Barn Owls are the Ugliest babies then Kites have to be the cutest ever :).
I am with you 100% on the twine...and I'd like to find whoever invented that horrible plastic gift wrapping ribbon and shake them warmly by the throat. I picked up some on the nature trail where I live a few weeks ago and with the help of a friend untangled the horrid stuff from many a pigeon's legs in the local parks. >:(
I was at the North Somerset Show last Monday with the Hawk and Owl trust. It was the first show I've volunteered at since joining and I loved it so I have put my name down for the H.O.T Open Day at Iron Acton on July 3rd, when I gather you'll be giving a demonstration so I really look forward to that :).
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