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.
Monday, July 28, 2008
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.
Monday, June 23, 2008
The fawns begin to arrive
The ducklings and goslings are all doing well. We have let two of the bigger ducklings go and the goslings are now starting to get some tail and wing feathers, but they are still a bit too young to be let out into the rest of the park so we are still moving them around on the grass and have even given them a miniature pond which they like to have a good wash in.
Outside in the park the Barnacle goslings are still with their parents and the ever protective Greylag, being looked after very well. However they do seem to get into some unusual places, as they can’t yet fly but one still managed to get behind some fencing the other day which it was too big to fit through. However we got it out and it ran back to some frantic parents.
The Snowy Owl is still sitting on three eggs. They are due to hatch any time now and we are checking them regularly to see if there’s any progress. Hopefully they will hatch, as she deserves a reward for so patiently sitting on them, whatever the weather!
Lots of the birds are starting to look a bit tatty as they are all moulting, a few of the ducks, Karulah and the Golden Pheasant are looking particularly miserable as they have lost a lot of their main feathers. But hopefully it won’t take too long for them to grow back and they can start cheering up again. Being the complete opposite are the Peacocks, which are in full display at the moment and trying to attract the attention of all of the Peahens (and pretty much anything else).
In the last week we have had some Fallow Deer fawns. We think we have three but it may be four. Because they are so well camouflaged they are very difficult to spot. The mums are all being excellent parents, feeding them when necessary and placing them at the bottoms of trees (which they blend in with very well) to keep them out of the way and let them rest. We saw one at the beginning of the week just after it had been born, (we must have missed the birth by about 5 minutes). It was very exciting and the mum did a good job of cleaning it off and protecting it from other nosey deer who wanted to see what was going on. Unfortunately we did lose a fawn the other day, there didn’t seem to be much wrong with it, but it could have possibly been a bit underdeveloped. The rest are all a few days old now though so hopefully they will all survive and continue to do well. We are still expecting about another four fawns and are looking forward to their arrivals. The cubs are all doing well. We have moved them into a different pen because they have been so destructive in the pen they are in - just digging and creating holes everywhere and generally making a mess. Because of Smalley’s previous accident we decided to move him first and check he could get in and out of the ponds ok before moving all of the other cubs into the pen. Smalley managed the ponds just fine, he is much stronger than he used to be! However this was the first time him and Biggy had ever been separated. They pined for each other whilst separated but it was only a short while before they were reunited, but it was very clear during this time to see the strong bond they have between them. Cinnamon and Leap weren’t so fussed about being separated or being reunited with the others and took it in their stride. However, a new pen meant they were quite wary about coming out and it has taken them a while to get used to it. Initially none of them would go in the water in this pen, but we knew how much they had all loved swimming around in their other pen, so on went the waders and within about 5 minutes Biggy jumped in the water with Smalley following right behind him. Now they love it and we have moved their slide in with them, which they still like to slide down, climb up and use for dive bombing each other.
In the last couple of days Leap has been really gaining confidence. It was a real effort to get her to come out as she was so shy but this week she has been coming out for her breakfast and tea when nobody is around and in the last couple of days she has been out in front of everyone, very keen for some food. Whilst it is a definite improvement to have her coming out and about; she is a bit stroppy with the keepers and other otters, but hopefully the more she comes out the more she will settle down.
The rest of the otters are all doing well but Tino and Tamarisk are starting to the occasional scuffle with each other for no apparent reason. Hopefully they will start calming down or we may have to separate them. We are starting to see more of Hilda at the moment as she is coming out more often at the feeds and staying out so people can see her, but still no signs of pregnancy, William is obviously being rather lazy!
That’s all for now, lets hope for a few sunny days, Sonia.
Outside in the park the Barnacle goslings are still with their parents and the ever protective Greylag, being looked after very well. However they do seem to get into some unusual places, as they can’t yet fly but one still managed to get behind some fencing the other day which it was too big to fit through. However we got it out and it ran back to some frantic parents.
The Snowy Owl is still sitting on three eggs. They are due to hatch any time now and we are checking them regularly to see if there’s any progress. Hopefully they will hatch, as she deserves a reward for so patiently sitting on them, whatever the weather!
Lots of the birds are starting to look a bit tatty as they are all moulting, a few of the ducks, Karulah and the Golden Pheasant are looking particularly miserable as they have lost a lot of their main feathers. But hopefully it won’t take too long for them to grow back and they can start cheering up again. Being the complete opposite are the Peacocks, which are in full display at the moment and trying to attract the attention of all of the Peahens (and pretty much anything else).
In the last week we have had some Fallow Deer fawns. We think we have three but it may be four. Because they are so well camouflaged they are very difficult to spot. The mums are all being excellent parents, feeding them when necessary and placing them at the bottoms of trees (which they blend in with very well) to keep them out of the way and let them rest. We saw one at the beginning of the week just after it had been born, (we must have missed the birth by about 5 minutes). It was very exciting and the mum did a good job of cleaning it off and protecting it from other nosey deer who wanted to see what was going on. Unfortunately we did lose a fawn the other day, there didn’t seem to be much wrong with it, but it could have possibly been a bit underdeveloped. The rest are all a few days old now though so hopefully they will all survive and continue to do well. We are still expecting about another four fawns and are looking forward to their arrivals. The cubs are all doing well. We have moved them into a different pen because they have been so destructive in the pen they are in - just digging and creating holes everywhere and generally making a mess. Because of Smalley’s previous accident we decided to move him first and check he could get in and out of the ponds ok before moving all of the other cubs into the pen. Smalley managed the ponds just fine, he is much stronger than he used to be! However this was the first time him and Biggy had ever been separated. They pined for each other whilst separated but it was only a short while before they were reunited, but it was very clear during this time to see the strong bond they have between them. Cinnamon and Leap weren’t so fussed about being separated or being reunited with the others and took it in their stride. However, a new pen meant they were quite wary about coming out and it has taken them a while to get used to it. Initially none of them would go in the water in this pen, but we knew how much they had all loved swimming around in their other pen, so on went the waders and within about 5 minutes Biggy jumped in the water with Smalley following right behind him. Now they love it and we have moved their slide in with them, which they still like to slide down, climb up and use for dive bombing each other.
In the last couple of days Leap has been really gaining confidence. It was a real effort to get her to come out as she was so shy but this week she has been coming out for her breakfast and tea when nobody is around and in the last couple of days she has been out in front of everyone, very keen for some food. Whilst it is a definite improvement to have her coming out and about; she is a bit stroppy with the keepers and other otters, but hopefully the more she comes out the more she will settle down.
The rest of the otters are all doing well but Tino and Tamarisk are starting to the occasional scuffle with each other for no apparent reason. Hopefully they will start calming down or we may have to separate them. We are starting to see more of Hilda at the moment as she is coming out more often at the feeds and staying out so people can see her, but still no signs of pregnancy, William is obviously being rather lazy!
That’s all for now, lets hope for a few sunny days, Sonia.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
"Reliable" Goose fails at first hurdle.....
I wonder who coined that old adage 'never work with children or animals', they were obviously very perceptive whoever they were.
Our Goose Experiment, was well..........., I can only say it was a complete failure.
Our reliable Gander proved to be totally unreliable and wasn't interested in the goslings at all. We let him go the morning after we caught him and he didn't look back once, he just legged it to the nearest pond. It may be that he prefers to select his kidnap victims himself rather than have them forced upon him or it might be that he was confined overnight which upset him and put him off his usual habits. Anyway, the result is that we have still got the ducklings and goslings confined to a shed at night but they go out into a mobile ark during the day so that they have fresh grazing and get used to being outside. They are all very friendly and look great, so maybe we'll let them free soon.
We have lost several ducklings in the last few days, including a pair of European Shelduck which is very disappointing; I think we may have a pike in one our ponds and that it is responsible for our losses, but it might be a mink or some other predator.
On a brighter note our Snowy Owl is still sitting after nearly three weeks. She has shown great determination and hasn't moved however bad the weather has got. She is on three eggs which are due to hatch in ten days or so all being well.
The Fallow Deer are still pregnant with no fawns being born yet but the first births must be imminent so we are having a good look around each day. We are letting them out onto the lawns at night so that they have fresh grazing but they do leave their calling cards everywhere which creates a bit of cleaning up job. Nigel is starting to look more like the dominant buck that he is; his antlers are growing very quickly and he's got his self esteem back.
All the otters are fine but Hilda is still showing no signs of being pregnant and we haven't seen any activity that might suggest that she is.
The cubs are doing well. They have been in a destructive mood for a week now and break or attempt to break anything that they can get hold of. We have placed a childrens garden slide in one of their ponds to help them to gain confidence and learn the limits of their abilities. If they do fall off (or rather, when they fall off) they fall into the pond so its pretty safe for them. Smalley can only manage the first two steps but uses this vantage point to bomb his fellow cubs and dive into the water. Biggy and Cinnamon think its great, whizzing up and sliding down with great delight. Leap is still rather shy and we haven't seen her use it yet but maybe she does it at night or at other times when she isn't being watched.
That's all for now, lets hope for a little warmer weather in the next few days.
Our Goose Experiment, was well..........., I can only say it was a complete failure.
Our reliable Gander proved to be totally unreliable and wasn't interested in the goslings at all. We let him go the morning after we caught him and he didn't look back once, he just legged it to the nearest pond. It may be that he prefers to select his kidnap victims himself rather than have them forced upon him or it might be that he was confined overnight which upset him and put him off his usual habits. Anyway, the result is that we have still got the ducklings and goslings confined to a shed at night but they go out into a mobile ark during the day so that they have fresh grazing and get used to being outside. They are all very friendly and look great, so maybe we'll let them free soon.
We have lost several ducklings in the last few days, including a pair of European Shelduck which is very disappointing; I think we may have a pike in one our ponds and that it is responsible for our losses, but it might be a mink or some other predator.
On a brighter note our Snowy Owl is still sitting after nearly three weeks. She has shown great determination and hasn't moved however bad the weather has got. She is on three eggs which are due to hatch in ten days or so all being well.
The Fallow Deer are still pregnant with no fawns being born yet but the first births must be imminent so we are having a good look around each day. We are letting them out onto the lawns at night so that they have fresh grazing but they do leave their calling cards everywhere which creates a bit of cleaning up job. Nigel is starting to look more like the dominant buck that he is; his antlers are growing very quickly and he's got his self esteem back.
All the otters are fine but Hilda is still showing no signs of being pregnant and we haven't seen any activity that might suggest that she is.
The cubs are doing well. They have been in a destructive mood for a week now and break or attempt to break anything that they can get hold of. We have placed a childrens garden slide in one of their ponds to help them to gain confidence and learn the limits of their abilities. If they do fall off (or rather, when they fall off) they fall into the pond so its pretty safe for them. Smalley can only manage the first two steps but uses this vantage point to bomb his fellow cubs and dive into the water. Biggy and Cinnamon think its great, whizzing up and sliding down with great delight. Leap is still rather shy and we haven't seen her use it yet but maybe she does it at night or at other times when she isn't being watched.
That's all for now, lets hope for a little warmer weather in the next few days.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
The Gander Experiment
These last two weeks have been extreme here in Cornwall; some beautiful long sunny days mixed with, well, last Friday for instance……a wet day but not too bad until about 3 o’clock when the rain became torrential. Two hours later we were two feet under water. I had to dig out the full waterproofs and wellingtons that I’d just stored away for the summer and get to work clearing and unclogging and generally keeping the water damage to a minimum. By 7pm the water had receded enough for me to decide it was safe to go home without much damage to property but lots of problems for the ground nesting birds and their youngsters. Several nests had been flooded, including our Snowy Owls who were nesting on the ground in a scrape. A number of ducklings also just seemed to disappear, presumably victims of the cold, wet weather. Hopefully the ducks and other birds will try again, our Snowy Owl hasn’t wasted any time at all and has already made a new (higher) scrape and laid two eggs; she doesn’t usually sit very well so it will be interesting to see how this affects her.
Our Chinese Fawn Gosling are three weeks old today and making good progress. I want to let them out of their hatching shed and pen area and into the grounds so that they can graze at will and have access to the ponds but the problem is that without a goose to look after them their chances of surviving are low. So we’ve hatched a plan (no pun intended) and it goes like this……
We have a Greylag Gander who loves babies. He loves them so much that he attaches himself to any duck or goose that has ducklings or goslings and tries to steal the babies. Don’t worry, he won’t harm them, in fact he usually does a great job of taking care of them. If we can link the gander up to our goslings they will stand a good chance of survival. This afternoon I managed to catch him and tonight he is in the shed with the goslings. Tomorrow morning we’ll try and decide whether they have bonded and if they have we’ll let them all out together, so fingers crossed for a good result. If they don’t bond them we haven’t lost anything and we’ll let the gander free.
Nigel (our Fallow buck) is less bashful now that his antlers are growing back; they are now about four inches long and covered in velvet. Soon they will start growing very fast and he will cheer up even more. His does are looking very rotund and we are expecting some fawns in the next couple of weeks or so- let’s hope it stays fairly dry.
To other matters…the otters are all fine, and the cubs in particular are still doing well.
Some of you may have seen Wednesday’s Western Morning News and Friday’s Times with our new national star Biggy having his tummy tickled (very cute).
Staying with the paper theme I’d like to thank Class 1 of Egloskerry Primary School for their excellent book and information sheets. Its really nice to see the children so interested in nature after their visit here a couple of weeks ago. All of their work is on display and they have even had time to give our young buck a name; he’s to be called Hansel because he’s handsome and lives in the woods. I don’t think any of us can argue with that!
Our Chinese Fawn Gosling are three weeks old today and making good progress. I want to let them out of their hatching shed and pen area and into the grounds so that they can graze at will and have access to the ponds but the problem is that without a goose to look after them their chances of surviving are low. So we’ve hatched a plan (no pun intended) and it goes like this……
We have a Greylag Gander who loves babies. He loves them so much that he attaches himself to any duck or goose that has ducklings or goslings and tries to steal the babies. Don’t worry, he won’t harm them, in fact he usually does a great job of taking care of them. If we can link the gander up to our goslings they will stand a good chance of survival. This afternoon I managed to catch him and tonight he is in the shed with the goslings. Tomorrow morning we’ll try and decide whether they have bonded and if they have we’ll let them all out together, so fingers crossed for a good result. If they don’t bond them we haven’t lost anything and we’ll let the gander free.
Nigel (our Fallow buck) is less bashful now that his antlers are growing back; they are now about four inches long and covered in velvet. Soon they will start growing very fast and he will cheer up even more. His does are looking very rotund and we are expecting some fawns in the next couple of weeks or so- let’s hope it stays fairly dry.
To other matters…the otters are all fine, and the cubs in particular are still doing well.
Some of you may have seen Wednesday’s Western Morning News and Friday’s Times with our new national star Biggy having his tummy tickled (very cute).
Staying with the paper theme I’d like to thank Class 1 of Egloskerry Primary School for their excellent book and information sheets. Its really nice to see the children so interested in nature after their visit here a couple of weeks ago. All of their work is on display and they have even had time to give our young buck a name; he’s to be called Hansel because he’s handsome and lives in the woods. I don’t think any of us can argue with that!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Biggy to the Rescue (well almost)!
Smalley is doing quite well now. We had to move all of the otter cubs from their new sunny pen back to the old one a few weeks ago as Smalley had a little accident and fell in one of the ponds in the pen and was unable to get himself out. Biggy tried to be a hero and tried pulling him out of the pond with his mouth, just the way their older siblings would have done had they still been in the pen with the family. However Biggy was not yet strong enough or big enough to achieve this feat and one of the keepers came to the rescue. He was a bit shivery but once he was dried off he was absolutely fine. We then moved them all back to the pen they had been in originally and even though Smalley was ok we still all kept a close eye on him. Now they are all doing well and Smalley’s trip into the pond hasn’t seemed to scare him off the water and although he’s been a bit slower than the others he’s just this week started to swim. Even though Biggy and Smalley can swim perfectly well and started at quite a young age in the bath at home, they seemed to be a bit put off by the coldness here, but now the sun is shining and it’s starting to warm up they’ve taken to it really well. The other cubs are all doing ok as well, Cinnamon and Biggy continue to be the best of friends and love playing together and generally trying to cause as much mayhem as possible. Leap is still a bit shy but as she is so much younger than the others this is understandable. She likes the company of the others and doesn’t like being left on her own. But we think she is getting a bit braver as she will come out of her box of her own accord first thing in the morning and in the evening when no members of the public are around. It looks like the toad incident may be one of many attempts at trying to catch their own food as they recently caught a newt and Biggy in particular is quite adept at fishing for insects and grubs in the water. However whilst little squirmy things interest them they have shown that there are not quite so brave when it comes to slightly bigger animals with feathers. One of the ducklings managed to get into their pen the other day, bear in mind it was small enough it would fit quite comfortably into the palm of your hand and they all ran away from it! This is obviously one of the learning processes they have missed out on from not being in with their family and it is up to us to teach them that these things are ok.
All of the otters are doing well and have taken to sleeping a lot more as the weather gets warmer. However they will occasionally exert a bit of pressure on themselves and in two days Tino and Tamarisk caught themselves three moorhens, needless to say they weren’t interested in their lunch at all after that.
We have had a few ducklings hatch, several Mallards and some Muscovy ducklings, however these have gradually dwindled in numbers, probably due to the crows coming down and picking them off and we have also noticed several Moorhen chicks running around. The Barnacle geese appear to be sitting on eggs on the island. Last year they had five goslings so hopefully we will have some more this year. They are very protective parents and look after their young very well. We have also had an Indian runner duckling hatch from the incubator and to keep him company we caught up one of the mallard ducklings and both seem to get on very well. Today we have four Chinese goose eggs in the process of hatching and one that has already hatched, also out of the incubator. So, all in all things seem to be successful on the young bird front.
The young buck has improved in confidence a great deal and from just starting to take food out of the keepers hands it took him a couple of days and he is now taking food out of the publics hands and is not at all shy about coming forwards for it. He has also just started getting his first white spots on his coat, so he’s starting to blend in with the others a bit more. All of the deer are quite relaxed at the moment and many of them have been coming down to feed from peoples hands. Nigel is looking a little less sorry for himself and has two bumps rather like plant bulbs on his head where his antlers will start to grow back.
The tawny owlet hasn’t been seen in a while now so we are assuming it is fully fledged and has now left the nest.
Several people have now seen the young joeys in their pouches and a few people have even seen them coming out of the pouch for a few minutes and then getting back in.
We have also seen some very young muntjac fawns, definitely one and possibly two. One of them is very small and has been seen wandering around with its mum and was also seen suckling a few weeks ago.
What with all the young birds, deer and wallabies it is quite an exciting time at the moment!
Composed by Sonia (one of the keepers).
All of the otters are doing well and have taken to sleeping a lot more as the weather gets warmer. However they will occasionally exert a bit of pressure on themselves and in two days Tino and Tamarisk caught themselves three moorhens, needless to say they weren’t interested in their lunch at all after that.
We have had a few ducklings hatch, several Mallards and some Muscovy ducklings, however these have gradually dwindled in numbers, probably due to the crows coming down and picking them off and we have also noticed several Moorhen chicks running around. The Barnacle geese appear to be sitting on eggs on the island. Last year they had five goslings so hopefully we will have some more this year. They are very protective parents and look after their young very well. We have also had an Indian runner duckling hatch from the incubator and to keep him company we caught up one of the mallard ducklings and both seem to get on very well. Today we have four Chinese goose eggs in the process of hatching and one that has already hatched, also out of the incubator. So, all in all things seem to be successful on the young bird front.
The young buck has improved in confidence a great deal and from just starting to take food out of the keepers hands it took him a couple of days and he is now taking food out of the publics hands and is not at all shy about coming forwards for it. He has also just started getting his first white spots on his coat, so he’s starting to blend in with the others a bit more. All of the deer are quite relaxed at the moment and many of them have been coming down to feed from peoples hands. Nigel is looking a little less sorry for himself and has two bumps rather like plant bulbs on his head where his antlers will start to grow back.
The tawny owlet hasn’t been seen in a while now so we are assuming it is fully fledged and has now left the nest.
Several people have now seen the young joeys in their pouches and a few people have even seen them coming out of the pouch for a few minutes and then getting back in.
We have also seen some very young muntjac fawns, definitely one and possibly two. One of them is very small and has been seen wandering around with its mum and was also seen suckling a few weeks ago.
What with all the young birds, deer and wallabies it is quite an exciting time at the moment!
Composed by Sonia (one of the keepers).
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Toads rule ok!
Spring is trying hard to make itself known and although it is still very wet underfoot the sun certainly has a bit more heat in it than it has had of late and some of the ground is even drying up in places. Not good for those dabbling ducks but much better for the rest of us.
Our splendid Fallow Deer buck Nigel (we think he’ll be 15 later this year- a great age for this breed of animal) is looking a little sorry for himself in the last couple of days because both of his antlers have fallen off. This is completely natural and happens every spring. His scars will have healed up in the next ten days or so and after that the antlers will begin to grow again, but until then I think he’ll be a bit miserable. In complete contrast our young buck is very proud of the inch long pricks on the top of his head. He’s just nine months old and supremely confident. Until today he’s been coming down for a feed but avoiding actual contact with the keepers but this afternoon he took several handfuls of food directly from Mandy’s hand. A very cocky young buck indeed.
We have our first ducklings on the pond- two seen yesterday (but so far not today) -and lots of birds on eggs. Also, and even more exciting, a Tawny Owlet has been seen several times on a tree branch by the waterfall. He’s been seen at various times of the day by a number of visitors. The common factor seems to be that he likes to come out in the sun but isn’t straying far from his nest. He looks to be about four to six weeks old so he won’t be there for very much longer. Tawny Owls are fairly common down here but wage a constant battle for nest sites with jackdaws and crows. Two years ago we even had a pair of Tawny’s build their nest and fledge three chicks from a nest they built actually inside the Bengal Eagle Owl aviary.
The peacocks and guinea fowl are all looking great with their new plumage and they are spending a lot of time and effort on looking good and attracting partners.
The otters are all well and spring is getting under their skin too. They are spending a lot of time playing (and then sleeping) other than Hilda, who rather typically is keeping a low profile and is only glimpsed occasionally.
The cubs are all well. Smalley has made a slight but noticeable improvement in his movement. He can now get up one stair. Not much you might think, but considering what he was like a short while ago we are pleased as punch. He is still a bit of a worry to all of us but we are optimistic. Biggy is fine, pushy and very energetic. He can often be seen playing with Cinnamon and they continue to get on very well.
Leap has improved too; she has put on a lot of weight and is looking very healthy. She still has a nervous (or evil) temperament but can be quite bold at times. Cinnamon is more and more likeable and beautiful every day. She is in superb condition and her coat shines like it has just been polished.
Last week we decided to leave the British cubs at work in a pen overnight for the first time because they were getting to be a bit of a handful; moving furniture whenever they felt like it and completely taking over the vegetable rack and some of their favourite kitchen chairs. They were easy to move from home to work every day but it is in their interests to move them away from us as soon as practical. They coped very well and seem to be adapting to their new, cooler environment without much trouble.
They were joined on Monday night by Biggy and Smalley. We worried about Smalley being cold but when I went in and checked them yesterday morning he was at the centre of a lovely fluffy otter heap and was warm as toast so as long as he burrows his way into the centre of the group he should be fine.
Biggy and Smalley are rather older than the others (19 weeks compared to Cinnamon at 13 weeks and Leap at 10 weeks) but look quite small compared to their British cousins.
We have moved the cubs into a sunnier pen with an electric water pump and they can obviously hear it humming because they have been put off swimming in the ponds. Once they get used to it I’m sure they will enjoy their new home. However, they haven’t been put off exploring and this morning I was in with them when they discovered a toad. They caught it, chomped on it a bit, realised their mistake and spent the next ten minutes with expressions that reminded me of our kids eating limes. They couldn’t get rid of the taste quickly enough but after a good drink three of them went back to it and started licking it again! The toad had been still all along and I thought it was dead and it just lay there as the three otters licked and spat and licked and spat. After a while the otters decided that the toad wasn’t good to eat and left it alone and went to try to find something else to annoy. A few minutes later I saw the toad rapidly heading for cover; I think I could hear him laughing….
Our splendid Fallow Deer buck Nigel (we think he’ll be 15 later this year- a great age for this breed of animal) is looking a little sorry for himself in the last couple of days because both of his antlers have fallen off. This is completely natural and happens every spring. His scars will have healed up in the next ten days or so and after that the antlers will begin to grow again, but until then I think he’ll be a bit miserable. In complete contrast our young buck is very proud of the inch long pricks on the top of his head. He’s just nine months old and supremely confident. Until today he’s been coming down for a feed but avoiding actual contact with the keepers but this afternoon he took several handfuls of food directly from Mandy’s hand. A very cocky young buck indeed.
We have our first ducklings on the pond- two seen yesterday (but so far not today) -and lots of birds on eggs. Also, and even more exciting, a Tawny Owlet has been seen several times on a tree branch by the waterfall. He’s been seen at various times of the day by a number of visitors. The common factor seems to be that he likes to come out in the sun but isn’t straying far from his nest. He looks to be about four to six weeks old so he won’t be there for very much longer. Tawny Owls are fairly common down here but wage a constant battle for nest sites with jackdaws and crows. Two years ago we even had a pair of Tawny’s build their nest and fledge three chicks from a nest they built actually inside the Bengal Eagle Owl aviary.
The peacocks and guinea fowl are all looking great with their new plumage and they are spending a lot of time and effort on looking good and attracting partners.
The otters are all well and spring is getting under their skin too. They are spending a lot of time playing (and then sleeping) other than Hilda, who rather typically is keeping a low profile and is only glimpsed occasionally.
The cubs are all well. Smalley has made a slight but noticeable improvement in his movement. He can now get up one stair. Not much you might think, but considering what he was like a short while ago we are pleased as punch. He is still a bit of a worry to all of us but we are optimistic. Biggy is fine, pushy and very energetic. He can often be seen playing with Cinnamon and they continue to get on very well.
Leap has improved too; she has put on a lot of weight and is looking very healthy. She still has a nervous (or evil) temperament but can be quite bold at times. Cinnamon is more and more likeable and beautiful every day. She is in superb condition and her coat shines like it has just been polished.
Last week we decided to leave the British cubs at work in a pen overnight for the first time because they were getting to be a bit of a handful; moving furniture whenever they felt like it and completely taking over the vegetable rack and some of their favourite kitchen chairs. They were easy to move from home to work every day but it is in their interests to move them away from us as soon as practical. They coped very well and seem to be adapting to their new, cooler environment without much trouble.
They were joined on Monday night by Biggy and Smalley. We worried about Smalley being cold but when I went in and checked them yesterday morning he was at the centre of a lovely fluffy otter heap and was warm as toast so as long as he burrows his way into the centre of the group he should be fine.
Biggy and Smalley are rather older than the others (19 weeks compared to Cinnamon at 13 weeks and Leap at 10 weeks) but look quite small compared to their British cousins.
We have moved the cubs into a sunnier pen with an electric water pump and they can obviously hear it humming because they have been put off swimming in the ponds. Once they get used to it I’m sure they will enjoy their new home. However, they haven’t been put off exploring and this morning I was in with them when they discovered a toad. They caught it, chomped on it a bit, realised their mistake and spent the next ten minutes with expressions that reminded me of our kids eating limes. They couldn’t get rid of the taste quickly enough but after a good drink three of them went back to it and started licking it again! The toad had been still all along and I thought it was dead and it just lay there as the three otters licked and spat and licked and spat. After a while the otters decided that the toad wasn’t good to eat and left it alone and went to try to find something else to annoy. A few minutes later I saw the toad rapidly heading for cover; I think I could hear him laughing….
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