Feed the Birds (Tuppence a bag!)

All manner of birds with all manner of feeding strategies frequently visit Stapeley...

From the magnificent birds of prey which feed on mice and chicks, to the sea birds which require big and small fish, from the water fowl who feast on bowls of water, seed, bread and chickweed, to the garden birds who gobble up mealworms, more seed and specialised Recovery mix...from the sick who rely on our help to feed, to the orphans who tentatively take from tweezers, from the pigeons and doves who require tube feeding, to the nestlings who need syringe feed...we have and do it all!

This, as you can imagine costs much more than ‘tuppence’ a bag and we are not Mary Poppins! Any donations to Stapeley RSPCA are always gratefully received!  Chat to Lee to see how you, your family or your company can help 0300 123 0722

                          

 

Tube feeding  pigeon squabs and three pigeons relaxing following their feed

Orphaned dove and wood pigeons await their feed so have to run. Tube feeding the very young builds them up good and strong, so in time they can feed and fend for themselves...

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange's Summer Wildlife Assistant Position

Stapeley's Newsletter - Summer 2012

Check out Stapeley's latest newsletter: http://bit.ly/MDRraz

The smelly award goes to…..

An animal relies on its senses to enable it to survive in the wild. The important function of smell will influence an animals’ decision making process; where to forage, what to eat, who to mate with, when to mate, marking territory, detecting predators, the list goes on....

And my sense of smell has indeed undergone an assault since working at Stapeley! A room full of foxes contains a strong, pungent aroma far from fragrant, whilst ferrets and polecats are altogether more ‘musty’! However, the biggest olfactory surprise this week was an eye opener, or rather an eye waterer...

Walking into their poolside enclosure I was hit with a fishy-vinegary odour, a smell that you could cut with a plastic spoon! I have been informed that their faeces contain ammonia (hence the watery eyes and the vinegary top-notes!)

So! The award for the most offensive wildlife smell so far goes to...juvenile herring gulls! 

Herring gulls in isolation prior to their move outside onto larger netted waterfowl paddocks

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange's Summer Wildlife Assistant Position

As light as a feather!

The routine swan weigh-in was due today, so I assisted our wildlife supervisor Andrew, with this task. Together we rounded up all the swans on pool three, guiding them slowly into the holding area. This is tricky to do without ending up with several other ducks and geese inside the holding area as well, but we managed quite nicely, with only one Canadian goose in the mix!

Next, Andrew had the strenuous job of reading the ID tag on each swan and recording the weight of individuals from the electronic scales (!) I had the leisurely task of chasing, cornering and capturing the swan, hoisting the beast under my arm, marching onto the scales, standing there with said swan, and then releasing it again without getting wing-whipped or caught up its flippy-flappy-feet....And I loved every minute of it!

Monitoring weight, body condition and overall health is a fundamental aspect when assessing a swans’ suitability for release (and an assistant’s suitability for carrying out strenuous weighing activities!). 

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange's Summer Wildlife Assistant Position

A cheeky weasel !!

How privileged we are here at Stapeley, to not only see an abundance of wildlife, but to get up close and personal with it too! Today’s highlight has been a close encounter with a baby weasel.

This orphaned youngster came to us a few weeks ago, its eyes still closed.  Eyes now open and super inquisitive, this small, carnivorous hunter has been housed in our quiet isolation area, snuggled up in a knitted hat!!  We are feeding him chopped mouse and he is growing bigger and stronger everyday!  Check our cheeky chappy out on our U-Tube clip: http://bit.ly/Mf17WY

However, we were told to handle these little devils with care, these creatures will spray...as Rob our Supervisor found out (!)...can you smell something? 

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange's Summer Wildlife Assistant Position

Fishing Line vs Life Line

It is a sad and frustrating fact that many of the animals we see at Stapeley have suffered injury due to human activity. Last night I experienced this harsh reality first hand when a young swan was admitted after swallowing a fishing hook.

The hook itself was tiny, but the damage was enormous. The fishing line had become so badly embedded around the swans tongue, it had very nearly severed it completely. The fishing line could be felt through the skin of the swans neck, and had prevented it from being able to eat for what must have been weeks. Emaciated and having suffered enough, and after several attempts to cut free the line, it was decided the swan should be put to sleep...the simple act of disposing fishing paraphernalia responsibly would have prevented such a tragic incident occurring.


Hopefully our new education programme can help to instill a greater understanding, appreciation and responsibility for the impact we ‘as human’s have’ on our wildlife through our activities.

  

These beautiful individuals at Stapeley (below) have been more fortunate and are being prepared for release...I just wish we could save them all.

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange's Summer Wildlife Assistant Position

As free as a bird...well eight birds actually

I drove home with precious cargo yesterday...two carrier boxes containing eight blackbirds!

Arriving to us as orphans, these popular garden birds have been fed and watered, weighed, observed and cared for, over several weeks during their stay with us.

Finally, after reaching optimum health and weight, these individuals can finally spread their wings and do what they do best...visit our gardens, eat worms and sound off their distinctive and beautiful bird song!

On opening the boxes it didn’t take long before they leapt out and took flight...apart from the very last one that is, which needed a little encouragement, as can be seen in the photo...

                                 

The others flew off too quickly for me to photograph, Stapeley could certainly do with one or two more suitable cameras for this type of release!!

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange's Summer Wildlife Assistant Position

The Inbetween bits

By ‘inbetween’ I am referring to all the little procedures I am learning along the way, and all the snippets of daily hospital life that I am lucky enough to often witness....

For instance, wandering past the x-ray room last week I stopped to watch an endoscope of a swan. The day before that I observed a veterinary dissection of a fox (it was undergoing a post mortem, after death by natural cause) which allows us to gather information about the health and diseases within wild populations.  And then there was fracture repair on a kestrel…where was my camera!!!

Yesterday I applied eye ointment to a magpie, oral wormer to the crows, and today I’ve been administering syringe medication to hedgehogs (under vet supervision).....and still so, so much to see, learn and do!  I love my job!!

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange's Summer Wildlife Assistant Position

Sad news on our Peregrine

A stunning peregrine falcon (bird of prey) was found grounded and underweight at the weekend and brought in by an Inspector. On initial examination staff were expecting further issues with its wing/shoulder but due to its emaciated condition it was decided that it was not in a state to be put under for an x-ray.

Like many birds of prey that arrive at Stapeley this peregrine was to receive the required veterinary attention, cage rest and some feeding up before its eventual release back to the wild. Our birds of prey are kept in our isolation area to recover quietly, away from the hustle and bustle of the main hospital.

Handling this type of bird however needs caution! Aside from their hooked beaks, their talons are razor-sharp and can maintain a powerful grip, essential for capturing prey in the wild. Using a towel to wrap the falcon in keeps its wings in place and gives it something to grip onto, keeping it (and me!) safe from any injury. 

Sad news as I arrived to work today - our beauty had been put to sleep.  The x-ray had discovered a major problem -a fractured and displaced coracoid  (which is part of the shoulder).  There's no way such a beautiful creature should be retained in captivity and with such an injury he would never have survived back in the wild, so as sad as it was to hear I know it was the correct thing to do.

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange's summer wildlife assistant position

Cattery Open Day - a success!!

Spent a couple of hours over at the Cattery Open Day on Sunday and we had some sun which apparently is pretty rare at this event !!  It was really well attended (thanks to the weather) and we managed to raise £2800 which was fantastic; that will feed our cats and kittens for a few weeks at least.  As well as the usual bric-a-brac, cake and dog stalls we had a new kids area (the kids loved the face painting) and we opened up the education garden for the first time.

  

      

The education room and garden are not quiet complete yet but it really gave visitors an insight into what Stapeley Grange Wildlife Hospital is all about.  What I love about the new garden is that it does not effect the animals at all.  The kids loved looking through one of the hospital rooms watching the team in action and through a discreet viewing area overlooking one of the waterfowl paddocks.  This one group of kids could not stop talking about a hedgehog they had seen being weighed...a simple experience but one they will not forget for a while.  Hopefully, those visiting Stapeley through the new programme will all take away simple key messages that will support our work.  Please check out our website and encourage your school to support the programme http://bit.ly/JEhKrX.

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange's Summer Wildlife Assistant