Thursday, July 31, 2008
Barn Owls update
Just a very brief note to say that we think that at least one of the Barn Owl chicks returned on Tuesday night and took all of the food left in the Owl box. A very good sign indeed. My suspicion is that they are still together and will remain in the local area until they become more established. The weather here has been very wet for the last couple of days and isn't ideal for young, inexperienced birds learning to hunt so we are leaving out larger than usual portions for the next few days. Fingers crossed for drier weather in the coming week.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Otters in town
What a busy week we’ve had and I’m not just talking about more visitors to the Centre either!
The Barn Owl chicks are doing well, their appetites are good and we’ve managed not to imprint them at all. Every time we approach them they hiss and click away at us, both very healthy signs that they didn’t trust us one bit.
By the middle of last week they both looked likely to fledge, all their down had gone and they looked great in their newly grown feathers so we opened the door to the outside world for them. They spent four or five days just taking in the view but this morning their supper from last night was untouched and the birds had gone. I don’t think they will be very far away and we’ll continue to leave food out for them for a while to give them support while they hopefully learn to hunt for themselves.
Back to otters now and last Sunday afternoon (everything seems to happen on Sundays recently) we received a number of telephone calls saying that there was a distressed otter cub in a drain by a river bridge in the centre of Launceston. We went to investigate and found a group of people watching a small cub that was hiding in a storm drain; they were just a few yards from a busy, noisy main road. It was 3pm on a very sunny afternoon and not the sort of time or place you’d expect to find such a shy animal.
Apparently an otter and possibly two cubs had been attacked by a group of ducks protecting ducklings, the three had become separated and one of the cubs had taken refuge in the drain. The hunter had become the hunted!! The bad news was that people who had seen the cub up close thought it had at least two injuries that might need medical treatment.
We caught the frightened little thing without too much trouble and took her back to the Centre so we could have a proper look at her. She was about five weeks old and once we had cleaned her up her “injuries” turned out to be nothing more than grease, probably from the inside of the drain. We fed her and then Mandy and I assessed the situation: we had a healthy cub and we knew exactly where it had been found. We suspected that its mum would stay around searching for her cub for at least a few hours so should we try to get them back together?
We knew that time was against us and that if we were going to find mum we had to do it as soon as possible so off we went with the cub in a small cage in the back of the van whistling for its mum the entire journey. It was just after 5pm. First we tried an area slightly down river of the bridge as that was where mum had been last seen. I whistled, the kids whistled and even Mandy whistled but we just couldn’t get the cub to call at all. Typical.
Then we tried near the bridge where she had been found. I just opened the back of the van and whistled for a minute or two and then, was that a reply? The cub thought so because she suddenly started to call at the top of her tiny voice! There were only a few people around and we didn’t want to attract any attention so I surreptitiously took the cage and placed it under the river bank where it would be hard to see from the road. The cub was still calling but I didn’t want to let it go until we were sure that mum was nearby, it might not be so easy to catch a second time. There was definitely an otter coming closer, we couldn’t see it but the calls were getting louder and louder.
When I was sure that mum was only a few metres away I took the cub from the cage and waded with her to an island in the middle of the river. I set it down in good cover and retreated. Five minutes passed and I didn’t see the next bit, but a lady standing in her garden did; she beckoned me over and said she had been watching our activities (so much for being secretive) and had just seen two otters, one a cub, together not far from where I had set her down. I watched the area with her and soon we saw them together in the shallows moving towards an area of dense cover. We then left them alone.
First thing the next morning Mandy and I went back to the river and had a good look around. We found a couch or resting place in deep cover where the otters had spent some time and then moved on. We were pretty sure that they had left the area the way they had arrived; as a family.
Chuffed to bits? You bet we were.
The Barn Owl chicks are doing well, their appetites are good and we’ve managed not to imprint them at all. Every time we approach them they hiss and click away at us, both very healthy signs that they didn’t trust us one bit.
By the middle of last week they both looked likely to fledge, all their down had gone and they looked great in their newly grown feathers so we opened the door to the outside world for them. They spent four or five days just taking in the view but this morning their supper from last night was untouched and the birds had gone. I don’t think they will be very far away and we’ll continue to leave food out for them for a while to give them support while they hopefully learn to hunt for themselves.
Back to otters now and last Sunday afternoon (everything seems to happen on Sundays recently) we received a number of telephone calls saying that there was a distressed otter cub in a drain by a river bridge in the centre of Launceston. We went to investigate and found a group of people watching a small cub that was hiding in a storm drain; they were just a few yards from a busy, noisy main road. It was 3pm on a very sunny afternoon and not the sort of time or place you’d expect to find such a shy animal.
Apparently an otter and possibly two cubs had been attacked by a group of ducks protecting ducklings, the three had become separated and one of the cubs had taken refuge in the drain. The hunter had become the hunted!! The bad news was that people who had seen the cub up close thought it had at least two injuries that might need medical treatment.
We caught the frightened little thing without too much trouble and took her back to the Centre so we could have a proper look at her. She was about five weeks old and once we had cleaned her up her “injuries” turned out to be nothing more than grease, probably from the inside of the drain. We fed her and then Mandy and I assessed the situation: we had a healthy cub and we knew exactly where it had been found. We suspected that its mum would stay around searching for her cub for at least a few hours so should we try to get them back together?
We knew that time was against us and that if we were going to find mum we had to do it as soon as possible so off we went with the cub in a small cage in the back of the van whistling for its mum the entire journey. It was just after 5pm. First we tried an area slightly down river of the bridge as that was where mum had been last seen. I whistled, the kids whistled and even Mandy whistled but we just couldn’t get the cub to call at all. Typical.
Then we tried near the bridge where she had been found. I just opened the back of the van and whistled for a minute or two and then, was that a reply? The cub thought so because she suddenly started to call at the top of her tiny voice! There were only a few people around and we didn’t want to attract any attention so I surreptitiously took the cage and placed it under the river bank where it would be hard to see from the road. The cub was still calling but I didn’t want to let it go until we were sure that mum was nearby, it might not be so easy to catch a second time. There was definitely an otter coming closer, we couldn’t see it but the calls were getting louder and louder.
When I was sure that mum was only a few metres away I took the cub from the cage and waded with her to an island in the middle of the river. I set it down in good cover and retreated. Five minutes passed and I didn’t see the next bit, but a lady standing in her garden did; she beckoned me over and said she had been watching our activities (so much for being secretive) and had just seen two otters, one a cub, together not far from where I had set her down. I watched the area with her and soon we saw them together in the shallows moving towards an area of dense cover. We then left them alone.
First thing the next morning Mandy and I went back to the river and had a good look around. We found a couch or resting place in deep cover where the otters had spent some time and then moved on. We were pretty sure that they had left the area the way they had arrived; as a family.
Chuffed to bits? You bet we were.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Summers coming, isn't it?
Its that time of year again, no not the impending summer holidays, I mean its the end of the breeding season for most of our animals and birds here. Only one doe remains pregnant and boy is she huge!!No I mean really HUGE. It looks like she's about to explode but is very content with herself and doesn't seem in any discomfort apart from the weight of the fawn inside her. She's eating for Queen and country and competing with Nigel in the "Greedy Deer of the Year" contest. We await the results of her, literal, labours.
The Chinese Fawn Goslings have been released into the main park and are finding their way around quite well. They have been reunited with their duckling comrades and the 6 of them are usually found together.
Our Snowy Owl has built us up and let us down. She sat for nearly 5 weeks in all sorts of weather before hatching the first of her 3 eggs. She cared for the owlet very well for 6 days until the next chick hatched one Saturday morning. No sooner had one hatched than she ate the first one and within 4 hours had gone on to kill and eaten the second. We took out the remaining egg later that afternoon but it failed to hatch. I know that Snowy Owls have been noted to have cannibalistic tendencies but she really took us by surprise and we are all very disappointed that there are no new Snowy Owls this year.
Last Sunday 2 Barn Owl chicks were brought in to the Centre by a lady from a nearby village. She had been checking her horses earlier that day and had found the pair in short grass in the middle of a field far away from any trees or buildings with no clue as to how they had come to be there. They were both still very downy with some tail and wing feathers just coming through. One was alive but clearly unwell and the other appeared to be dead as it lay flat out in the bottom of a cardboard box; both were cold and wet. The first thing was to get them under a heat lamp and what a magical device that is. Half an hour under the lamp was all it took to get them both dry and on their feet, the dead one wasn't dead after all. I took them home and managed to feed them a little that night but although their stomachs felt empty they weren't very willing to eat. During the next three days we managed to establish a feeding routine with them and on Thursday we moved them into a purpose built owl box 12 feet off the ground in the lean-to part of the barn. We won't interact with them at all from now on if we can help it, they have room enough to eat, stretch and grow without any undue interference from us. Their box has 2 entrances, the one into the barn is open at present but as they approach fledging in three weeks or so we will open the outer door. Barn Owl are territorial and hopefully they will stay in the area so that we can monitor them as they grow.
All the otters are well, the cubs in particular are fine and dandy. Last week I made the mistake of putting my coat on the grass so that I could sit on it without getting wet. They all thought it was great fun, tunnelling into the sleeves, hiding under it etc. as I sat but what I hadn't noticed was that Cinnamon was stalking me from under my coat. It was too late to get out of the way when I did!! She had leaped at my right hand and had it in a grip like a vice. I yelped and so did she as she let me go. I'm sure she was just playing and had expected me to tease her by getting out of the way before she struck otherwise I'm sure the damage would have been much worse than the fairly minor punctures I was left with. Just goes to show that you should always keep an eye on them, however much you think you know them.
The Chinese Fawn Goslings have been released into the main park and are finding their way around quite well. They have been reunited with their duckling comrades and the 6 of them are usually found together.
Our Snowy Owl has built us up and let us down. She sat for nearly 5 weeks in all sorts of weather before hatching the first of her 3 eggs. She cared for the owlet very well for 6 days until the next chick hatched one Saturday morning. No sooner had one hatched than she ate the first one and within 4 hours had gone on to kill and eaten the second. We took out the remaining egg later that afternoon but it failed to hatch. I know that Snowy Owls have been noted to have cannibalistic tendencies but she really took us by surprise and we are all very disappointed that there are no new Snowy Owls this year.
Last Sunday 2 Barn Owl chicks were brought in to the Centre by a lady from a nearby village. She had been checking her horses earlier that day and had found the pair in short grass in the middle of a field far away from any trees or buildings with no clue as to how they had come to be there. They were both still very downy with some tail and wing feathers just coming through. One was alive but clearly unwell and the other appeared to be dead as it lay flat out in the bottom of a cardboard box; both were cold and wet. The first thing was to get them under a heat lamp and what a magical device that is. Half an hour under the lamp was all it took to get them both dry and on their feet, the dead one wasn't dead after all. I took them home and managed to feed them a little that night but although their stomachs felt empty they weren't very willing to eat. During the next three days we managed to establish a feeding routine with them and on Thursday we moved them into a purpose built owl box 12 feet off the ground in the lean-to part of the barn. We won't interact with them at all from now on if we can help it, they have room enough to eat, stretch and grow without any undue interference from us. Their box has 2 entrances, the one into the barn is open at present but as they approach fledging in three weeks or so we will open the outer door. Barn Owl are territorial and hopefully they will stay in the area so that we can monitor them as they grow.
All the otters are well, the cubs in particular are fine and dandy. Last week I made the mistake of putting my coat on the grass so that I could sit on it without getting wet. They all thought it was great fun, tunnelling into the sleeves, hiding under it etc. as I sat but what I hadn't noticed was that Cinnamon was stalking me from under my coat. It was too late to get out of the way when I did!! She had leaped at my right hand and had it in a grip like a vice. I yelped and so did she as she let me go. I'm sure she was just playing and had expected me to tease her by getting out of the way before she struck otherwise I'm sure the damage would have been much worse than the fairly minor punctures I was left with. Just goes to show that you should always keep an eye on them, however much you think you know them.
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