Newsletter 2009

This year we had our first peregrine falcon in, it had a badly infected wound to its wing which looked like it had been shot. The infection was to wide spread and the poor bird past away.

We have had a few cases of Buzzards being poisoned more than likely from eating a rat killed with rat poison. It is very difficult to get this out of their system the tongue swells up causing problems with feeding and so we have to treat with fluids and force feed until it is able to feed itself. Luckily the birds we had in had not eaten to much and all made a recovery and went back to the wild.

A great Spotted woodpecker came in after flying into a window It was young and had only recently left the nest. It had to be fed often as it only had a small amount at each meal but was soon feeding itself a special feeding trunk was made with holes drilled in which were filled with mealworms, peanuts, dry insects and peanut butter which it love. He was released when he could fly well and lives a short distance away from us and is doing well.

As usual we have had a variety of rabbits brought to us many have just been abandoned in fields and some escaped but never reclaimed Just before Christmas we had a pair of English Giant rabbits brought in they were both still just a few months old and were very fond of each other. We got the male castrated and now they live happily together in their own summer house as a hutch just would not be big enough for them.

We have also had a number of young wild rabbits that had been caught by cats brought to us and are pleased that we were able to release them together in to our garden, then into our field as their confidence grew. Now they are back where they belong.

A new resident has come to live with us a beautiful female Canadian great horned owl, unfortunately her old home could no longer keep her and if we did not take her in she might have been put to sleep