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.