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JUNE 2011
NEWSLETTER Number 11
DIRECTORS NOTE
It has been the most wonderful spring, very very dry, cold but sunny to start with and then warming up seriously for April and we have done well visitor wise. Surprisingly our numbers were 30% up in February, which amazed me when I was down in the field flying birds for only two people on cold afternoons. We were also up in March April and May, all of which is good, although the huge advantage of being at the bottom as it were is that up is the only way, and we have a long way to go. So keep visiting. I often get lovely comments, such as ‘it is good to see you back’ or ‘this is where you belong’ which makes it all worth while. We have done a huge amount this spring. The Maze, the Children’s adventure trail, the wall in the end of Barn 1, the gardens, the grass seeding, the ground outside the weighing room, the loos, all add to making the place better than before. Now we move forward, the breeding season is going well, some disappointments, some lovely surprises, some boding well for next year. We will be flying youngsters soon I hope. The volunteers and work experience people have been their usual wonderful selves and my staff are all outstanding as ever.
NEW CHILDREN’S ADVENTURE TRAIL
of labour, but that is never in one hit as we are always stopping for flying demonstrations, courses and the like, so probably if we had hit it in one go about half that time.
Our old children’s play area had long since had its day, and it was never what I wanted anyway. Commercial Play Areas are very expensive and again not what I wanted. What we needed was something that any age could play on from small children with their parents to adults (!) that looked rustic, did not impinge on the look of the place, was safe, and did not affect the flying birds.
We are now building one in the top of the wood so older kids can have fun in the top half, whilst the bottom half has the dog graves and wild flowers and peace, Mark
So we came up with the plan to make a low level assault course! And although it looks easy, it is surprisingly difficult and is excellent exercise for kids and tests their balance as well. We painted the whole thing with Timber Care as a temporary fix and will stain it with the black stuff in the winter once we are closed, so it all matches in.
and Adam are doing a great job down there, it is taking a little longer, but we will get there. In the middle is a flat Cretan Maze named for Mozart and shaped like an owl. I gave the task of the Adventure Trail to Mark, and the Maze design to Robin and both have come up trumps. With huge help from all the bird staff, the volunteers and the work experience people it was all
The first children round an 11 yr old, a 7 yr old and their 66 yr old Grandfather timed the round at 59 seconds, 70 seconds and 65 seconds respectively. Holly did 55 seconds and Adam held the record at 39 seconds!! Jan was the slowest and I am not going to time myself!! It
cost us almost nothing materials, about 10 days
in
finished (bar the eyes for the owl!) by mid May. Then very
Demonstrations kindly and we hugely appreciated it, Royal Forest We started the year with the Cotswold Pennant Stone gave us the eyes and a Vale Farmers County Fair, which would stone with a picture of Mozart and his have gone better had we been in the name for the Centre of the Maze, it all original flying area, but this time we ended up being on the course and that was not great. Then came the Falconers Fair, this time moved from Newport in Shropshire to Wragley Hall in Warwickshire. A,most everyone is pleased with the move there, but I have to say I preferred the other place!! I know I am in the minority, but it is nearly always windy at Wragley and that causes problems, and it sure was windy this year. In fact a howling gale might be more accurate, the birds did very well, but it was a battle for them. Sadly Hard Tackle looks great I have to say, and makes the Maze particularly special for us because of Mozart. When you get to the top of the
got blown away and it took us 36 hours to get him back again! However he eventually came down to a stranger and we collected him, I think he was relieved to be home and we decided that he is getting a little old to take away from home mound you can look down on the maze now. and see what it is. Next was the Bath and West, I had done We are getting it for many years, so it was good to be positively child back. We did eight faultless friendly,(at least as demonstrations, although Bay Middleton long as they behave in the middle, having done a superb themselves we are) and demonstration on the Thursday, got so we have more things upset by the wind in the tent (yup the wind planned that will was Still with us) that he behaved like an amuse and educate, untrained Harris Hawk for the last two days, luckily I had a back up bird! watch this space for what is coming
This summer’s Birds…. Well, the Steller’s Sea Eagle is doing superbly, she took a bit of time to get going and for us to know what she was capable of, but she is moving on nicely now and to see her fly down over the archway of trees and then over people’s heads and down the field is impressive to say the least. The falcons are all going well, none are less than good and some are really coming on nicely. Jack Daniel's, who has been sitting in an aviary for six years is out and doing brilliantly. Adam is now flying Paris, which was nice of Holly and she and he are doing well. We have retired Stormforce, who has done sterling work over the years and now deserves a rest. We have taken one of the two young buzzards that were brought in last year to train and take over from her. She is very pretty and it will be interesting to see how she does with her history. We also have a Hobby that was dropped in on us and an adult male Kestrel, neither of which will settle in the aviary with the other birds and so they are both being trained. The Kestrel is doing rather better than the Hobby at this point! Hare and Hard Tackle are on duty and Deception and Lambrusco are back in flying condition, Theft will join them later and one of the Black Kites as well. Brenin is doing well for Red Kites and we now have two pairs that may breed in the future which would be nice. Yala is back for the Brahminy Kites, and the Black Kites have been seen mating in their aviary!
Our three male Harris Hawks are back on duty and three are moulting, which gives us a good team for away jobs, and the experience days. On the owls, we are collecting a Great Grey Owl baby from Cotswold Wildlife Park to add to the team this year, and we also hope to breed another Burrowing Owl to train. Rival and Wayside have gone to the Chestnut Centre, they were more interested in breeding than demonstration, so it was best to bow to their needs, which we did. I don’t want to add to many owls this year, we have a goodly number going well and just a few more will do the trick. Sadly we did not breed Tawny Owls as I would like to add one of those in to replace Mugwort, but Holly wants to have a smaller owl and so Mick Cordell is going to give her a White-faced Scops Owl, which will do the indoor flying for the Owl Evenings next winter - we hope. We are crossing our fingers for the Striated Caracara’s though. They have eggs and so if they can rear a baby it would be great to add one to the flying team. All the birds are going well, we have this year, which makes for but some of the falcons just sure I do, and it certainly dryness of the grounds, am not complaining. new birds and old, we great flying team as and good to try and graph!
had wind very often interesting flying, love it, not so adds to the however I With the have a usual, photo
Events for you this summer…………………………
Summer Barbeque and Owl evenings - July 16th, August 13 and any babies. Outside Barbeque with wine followed by a cre p.m. Come and join us, see Mozart’s Maze, look round the gar 37 seconds). Tickets are £20 for adults and £10 for children, y
So as well as the Summer Barbeque’s I hope all of you will come to the stands of falconry equipment, and other country items, Art Exhibition, well as our birds. This should be a fun event with enough to keep you in will be running a wine and beer bar. This is one not to be missed. Again price includes the event and access to the Centre, so its a very good de are allowed, this is our normal policy at the centre. Bring good weather
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3th starting at 7.00 p.m. A Guided tour of some of the birds
epuscular Owl flying to finish with, approximate end 9.30 rdens, try out the Children's adventure trail!! (Adam’s record you can phone to book, do it on line, or drop in!
Falconry and Hawking Event on September 3rd and 4th. Lots of Demonstrations running for most of the day with other falconers as nterested and amused all day. Food Stands, the Cafe will be open, we n ALL the details are on the website and you can buy tickets online, the eal, or you can phone or buy them on the day. I am sorry but NO DOGS r please!!
NEW PATHS -FINALLY! And Enormous thanks to TARMAC at Stowfield Quarry who helped hugely with the cost. For years now I have wanted to top off the paths, they have slowly got worn, and have different gravel showing through. So like the aviaries that we have stained with the black stain, which pulls all the wood together and makes elderly aviaries look fresh and smart, similarly a complete new covering of the same gravel all over lifts the paths and consequently the whole Centre. And Boy has it worked. In mid May 150 tons of 6 ml to dust red gravel arrived in about eight lorry loads, filling up the far end of the car park. Thanks to the wonderful continuing loan of the mini digger, my dumper who has earned its cost time and time again, Mike Turner and my staff and volunteers it took four days in total to cover all the paths, and that was with the occasional break for flying and coffee!! They look just amazing and it does indeed pull the whole place together. It will take a few weeks to settle, and actually we probably need a little rain to get it to bed down and be easy for wheelchairs, so I apologise to our wheelchair visitors until it does - but it will!! And then you will be able to race around on it. Thanks again to Tarmac, without whom we would not have been able to do it. Plus a couple of good friends who helped with the cost.
Conservation
I am really pleased with the way the South
Asian Vulture conservation programme is going, we are doing well, just need to get funds sorted out for the next decade, and we will succeed. Diclofenac has been banned as a veterinary drug, we have five breeding centres across the region, we have now bred all three critically endangered species successfully in captivity so we are doing OK. I know Chris Parish will not mind me using his stunning photo of one of the Condors in the Grand Canyon. This programme is also going well, LA Zoo, San Diego Zoo and the Peregrine Fund are all working on the breeding and releases of this wonderful bird. So must it not be devastating for them to know that three have died recently due to lead poisoning from hunters who refuse to believe that lead is toxic to birds. You would think that they would be pleased and proud to be the only place in the world to have California Condors, and they have been brought back from the brink of extinction, but no, they don’t want to change their ammunition. And I am afraid that shooters over here are as bad. Interestingly a survey has found that 70% of ducks sold in butchers and supermarkets in the UK contain lead!! And its toxic people, it will affect you as well as birds. Lets ban it world wide………………………