|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gay's Diary 2010 4th September At this time of year there are more releases than admissions. It feels like we are having a clearance sale....everything must go. Only a handful of young garden birds remain in care, and all but 2 of the tawny chicks are now living in the wild. There are bare shelves in the hedgehog hospital, and only 20 young gulls remain in the enclosure. The mallards are all free, though some of them continue to hang around the centre. This week the last 2 pairs of young barn owls went to release sites. One pair went to a farm not far from here, at Burnhouse. The farmer has installed a smart new barn owl box, and replaced a glass skylight with a wooden hatch that can be opened when it is time to let the barn owls out. The other pair went to a site near Dalton, in Dumfriesshire, only a few miles from where they'd been hatched, and then evicted because an old building was being converted into a house. This is a great release site. The owls have an old smiddy, and the two windows have been replaced with wire mesh, allowing the owls to see out. The mesh will be removed in 2 weeks, allowing the owls to fly off and explore their new territory.
Earlier in the week a peregrine was released. It spent just 4 days in care, and flew away strongly.
Today we released a buzzard, and several sparrowhawks have recently been nursed back to health. This is sparrowhawk season, when birds, excited by the chase, crash into windows.
Our fox cubs, as you know, are reared in family sized groups, with as little human contact as possible. They are released in September, when cubs reared in the wild are leaving family groups and venturing off on on their own. Two of our 'families of fox cubs' have been released. We also released an adult badger this week. This badger, as you may remember, was rescued from a snare a few weeks ago. He recovered from the cuts around his middle, but had to stay in care a little longer. This was so a search could be completed, to ensure that no more snares remained in the area. As you can see, he was keen to be off. On the 3rd pic you can see where he was snared around his middle.
16th August Another seal pup came into care today. We had reports of it lying close to The Esplanade in Greenock, and Karen, our Greenock volunteer, soon had the pup in the back of her van. It weighed in at a skinny 11kg, though it does seem to be longer than the seal already in care.
14th August Regular readers of The Diary will know that I love and hate the day that we move the young hand reared deer to their big woodland enclosure. I hate it because I worry. The deer have been reared with as little human contact as possible. They are not tame. So persuading them into a big wooden carrying box isn't easy. There is just a possibility that one could be injured. I love the day because once the deer are released into the enclosure, they are ecstatic. They run and jump and stop and start. they meet new friends, the nibble fresh vegetation. Today the moves went really well. We have 8 young deer, and they have been living in pairs. Each pair was encouraged into the box with very little trouble. They behaved perfectly while being carried down the path to the wood, and left the box calmly. When each new pair of fawns was released, the ones that already moved in came to greet the newcomers. They were so delighted with the space, the trees, the dense patches of vegetation, with other deer. They took no notice at all of the small group of human spectators. A pity really. They would have seen that we were delighted for them too.
13th August We usually have more raptors in care by now. We have one juvenile sparrowhawk that hit a window, and a buzzard that came in starving; we don't know why. The sparrowhawk couldn't stand for a few days, but now it is making good progress now. It still isn't self feeding. Typical sparrowhawk, they are always difficult patients. The buzzard was on fluids only for 36 hours, but now it is eating well and gaining weight. It will be ready for an aviary soon. 11th August Today we got the 1st common seal pup of the year. That wasn't very surprising. It's that time of year again. What was surprising is that the seal pup was found on the slip at Glasgow Green, above the weir on the River Clyde. Glaswegians will know that seals are often spotted in the river, but how did a skinny little pup get up the weir? There is no doubt that this pup needs help. It weighed in at 11.8 kg. It was dehydrated, underweight and has bites along its flanks. It looks as if it has worms too.
7th August A couple of days ago we took 2 of the otters to a release site on Loch Fyne. One of the otters had come from Loch Fyne, almost a year ago. He had been sharing an enclosure with a little female otter, who had been found in S Ayrshire when she was barely weaned. We were lucky to find a ready made enclosure to use as a release pen. It even had a pond, and was only a few yards from a burn that ran into the loch. It was perfect. The otters seemed to think so too. They began to explore as soon as we opened the door of their transport boxes. They loved all the hidey holes; then they discovered the pond. The otters will be kept in the enclosure for a few days, Then the gate will be opened. Food will be provided for a few more days. While Andy and I were away another 3 barn owl chicks were brought into care. These were disturbed during renovations to an old building, and we understood they had not been fed for 3 days. Barn owls are protected, and this sort of disturbance shouldn't happen. No work should have been done to the building till the young owls fledged. That would have been in 3 or 4 weeks time. That doesn't seem long to wait to allow a family of barn owls to stay with their parents. Now we have to find more release sites.
29th July Fox cubs are becoming adventurous now and getting into trouble. One young cub was rescued from a goal net in a Newton Mearns garden, and brought to Hessilhead still wearing part of the net. The experience must have been very frightening for the cub, and it had struggled so much that the net had tightened, resulting in a swollen nose and face. We cut the cub free, treated him for shock and trauma, and sent him home to be released in the evening.
Another Glasgow fox cub decided that a furniture warehouse was a good place to live. The huge warehouse was filled with beds and sofas, and lots of big boxes where the cub could hide. The staff were very patient. They fed the cub for a few nights in one of the big boxes. Then David and volunteer Kathryn set our live trap in the box, baited with the same kind of food. The fox cub didn't go in the first night, but the next morning we got a call to say he was sitting in the trap, not very concerned at all. He has now joined a group of cubs at Hessilhead.
We were disappointed to hear about another badger that had been snared, this time near Gretna. The adult badger has wounds round its middle. They are healing nicely. Hopefully it will be able to return to its territory, once we hear that the area has been cleared of other snares.
Some of you will remember that two years ago we hand reared a red deer calf, Dotty. She lives at Culzean Country Park now, with many other deer. We visited her recently, and yes, she did seem to remember us!
Toni was quickly on the scene last week when two cygnets got into trouble at Irvine harbour. They were buried by a landslide on the north bank. One of them was completely out of sight. There is never a shortage of people to help at Irvine Harbour, and Toni was offered a lift in a rowing boat. She had to struggle across soft mud to reach the cygnets, and dig them out with her hands. By the time we arrived on the scene Toni was back at the harbourside, looking very muddy and bedraggled. One cygnet had swam away with mum, the other was brought to Hessilhead, cleaned up and released the next day.
Another young barn owl came into care from a surprising location. The barn owls had nested in derelict flats on the outskirts of Johnstone. One young owl was found dead near the flats, and another was found alive, but in poor condition. This youngster is now doing well.
I was left in charge of the young bats while David was on holiday....quite a responsibility! They are eating mealworms now, though they still like milk. The all have different characters, and frequently squabble over food.
The last thing we needed was an intake of 14 more bats, found in a small outhouse housing a hot tub at a care home near Dalry. Somehow the bats had come down inside the building, and were trapped. We enjoyed releasing these bats late one night, and watching dozens of others leave the roost.
8th July We still have 5 young barn owls in care. We are trying to find out what has gone wrong with some of the nest sites, and whether parents are still feeding other chicks. The young owl below is a dark coloured female from Auchinleck.
Swallow and house martin numbers are building up in the hospital now. We also have 2 young swifts. The late starlings are ready for an aviary now, and some blackbirds and thrushes are ready to move too. The first hedgehog family is in care. A mum and 3 babies were found wandering in an Ardrossan garden earlier this week. There didn't seem to be a problem, apart from them being out in the afternoon. Sadly the lady of the house didn't want them left there. The goshawk is still receiving treatment, but is much more lively now. The kestrel chicks are in a release flight, and the young tawny owls will be going to release sites soon. We have the fattest little weasel ever seen. He is young and very playful. You could watch him for hours, rolling, tumbling, pouncing, jumping, Oh for some of that energy. We have almost 100 young gulls now. Most of these are Lesser black backed gulls that have fallen, or fledged from roof tops. We also have a small group, 9, of common gulls. These, strangely, are much less common. Our oystercatcher chick was released today. Bat numbers are going up too. David has taken 5 youngsters home for the weekend. Another young pip is coming from Pitlochry tomorrow.
26th June Apologies for the long silence. It has been busy on phone, hectic in the hospital and hot. There never seemed time to sit in front of the computer! So just to bring you up to date, here is news of some of the new arrivals. We have 32 fox cubs now, all living in small family sized groups, and all wild enough to be released later in the summer. We have a new badger cub. This is really good news, as were worried about the first cub being alone. He really wanted to be friends with people. The new cub is very small, but we hope to have them together in another week or so. We have 7 young roe deer. All are taking the bottle well, and most of them are nibbling vegetation too.
There are fewer nestlings and fledglings in the hospital, although the second batch of starlings are arriving now. The tits have all been released. that is always a relief. The hospital seems quiet without them. All the corvids, mostly jackdaws and rooks are sharing one of biggest aviaries. Some of them still beg for food. We are into the gull chick season. I think we have 40 now, with more arriving morning, noon and night. Many mallards have been released. Some late broods still coming into care. Only 1 eider duckling and 1 shelduckling so far. The first young kestrel has been joined by a slightly younger chick. Both looking good and sharing an outdoor flight.
There was an influx of barn owl chicks at the end of last week. Some were in very poor condition, others we hope to reunite with their families next week. The first baby bats are here. That is always time consuming. When very small they need feeding every 2 hours. The most unusual patient is a goshawk. This is the first goshawk that we ever treated at Hessilhead. It is an amazing bird, an adult female. It is receiving treatment daily, and we hope it will make a full recovery.
This time tomorrow Andy and I will be on Tiree. More news when we get back.
16th June We have recovered from the Open Day! Those of you who have experienced the event can probably imagine how much work goes into the preparation, and this all has to be done while we continue to run a rescue service and rear the many orphan birds and animals in care. The weather had us worried on Sunday morning. The bright early morning start was followed by heavy rain, but at midday the sun shone, and shone all afternoon. It was a great day. Thank you all for helping, visiting and supporting the event. Takings amounted to approx £11,500.
!22nd May More of the same this week, plus, plus. More starlings, house sparrows and blackbirds, and lots more ducklings. Last night a clutch of 9 day old mallards was rescued from the central reservation of the A77, near Hansel Village. It was almost dark when they were spotted, and there was no sign of mum. All have been eating well today. Another female mallard and family were rescued from gardens in Ayr earlier in the week, and 10 ducklings were rescued from sunken gardens in Patna. About 10 days ago, Karen, our Greenock volunteer, rescued a male swan from the Murdieston Dam. He had been badly beaten by a new pair of swans that flew in hoping to claim the territory. His mate was sitting on eggs. The male swan didn't respond to treatment, and sadly was put to sleep. His mate continued to incubate her eggs, and the invading pair swam around the dam, threatening her. We knew that as soon as the cygnets hatched, we would have to rescue the female and the youngsters. Karen checked several times a day, and noticed two cygnets on Thursday evening. By Friday evening there were 5 cygnets, and the new male swan was swimming close to her nest, with his wings raised, threatening. The resident female wouldn't be able to get her cygnets onto the water. So Karen mounted a successful rescue, and arrived here later rightly proud and pleased with herself. Mum and cygnets are doing well. A Hessilhead team was in Gourock on Thursday to rescue another deer trapped in gardens. The deer was released in scrubland nearby. The 5 deer that we reared last year and overwintered in our large woodland enclosure have been released. We have seen some of them feeding in the wood and water meadow. The first badger cub of the year was brought in early in the week. He is a bit of a mystery. He came from Inverness, he walks with a wobble, and seems very tame. He is on treatment to improve his walking, and maybe another cub will be found to keep him company. Another 2 fox cubs came on Tuesday, and today a fox cub was found on the Glennifer Braes road, obviously having been hit by a car. She(Charlie) was unconscious when she came, but we can't find any fractures. This evening she had a small feed, but still sleeps most of the time. Hopefully her treatment will have had more effect by morning.
The 3 new tawny owl chicks were all found sitting in the middle of busy roads, all in different places. The man who stopped to pick up one of these youngsters saw a car drive right over the chick, which fortunately managed to escape injury. The heron that had fishing hooks removed from its face and throat was released this evening, and a swan that came from Castle Semple Loch, also with fishing hooks, was taken back to the loch the same day. A swift, not injured, but unable to take off from the ground, was launched after being checked over for injuries. It looked so good soaring high, then dashing after insects. 15th May 2010 What a week. Patients too numerous to mention them all, ranging from osprey to goosander chicks, from hedgehogs to heron and house sparrows, more fox cubs, mallards, 3 leverets, another young tawny owl, a buzzard, a swan family and the first of this year's baby tits. The osprey was found at Snypes Dam, Neilston, where it was struggling to reach the bank after catching a fish. It was thought to be tangled in fishing line, and Hesislhead was called in to help. When David examined the bird there was no line. We think the osprey had a caught a fish too big to lift, hence the struggle to swim ashore. The bird was checked over, appeared to be in good health, and flew well when released. The buzzard was found close to Beith; it was probably hit by a car, has a droopy wing and sore back, but is making good progress. A fox cub from Irvine was thought to be a road traffic accident victim too, but we discovered that its injuries were older and infected. The cub is still receiving treatment, but we are concerned about its sight.
Some goosander chicks were surprise admissions, and there are more mallards too. We were upset to receive a call from Craig Tara Holiday Camp near Ayr, reporting that the pond, where cygnets had hatched last week, was being drained. This is a vertical sided pond, and once the water level dropped, the cygnets couldn't get out of the water. By the time we got the call, 5 cygnets were dead. Two had been rescued by holiday makers. We brought the two cygnets and mum nad dad back to Hessilhead, and the family settled in one of our grassy enclosures. Sadly one of the cygnets died during a night of heavy rain. Maybe this was due to being cold and wet for so long in the pond, maybe it got wet in our enclosure. So just one cygnet from this family survives. An unnecessary loss of tiny lives.
Last night we were called to Elderslie Golf Course to rescue a heron. The bird was tangled in fishing line, and unable to fly. One hook was lodged in the heron's beak, another treble hook down its throat. We managed to remove both the hooks at the centre, gave the bird fluids and antibiotics, and today it is eating fish.
The starling season finally arrived this week, later than usual. Most of the young birds in care have been removed from roof spaces. They are noisy, hungry, messy, but fun to rear. It would be better, though, if the birds could have been left for their to rear.
This evening we were surprised to get a call from someone with a nest box camera, reporting chicks that hadn't been fed by parents all day. One arrival one chick was dead, the other two very cold, hardly moving. I was surprised how quickly these chicks revived in the brooder, and now they are looking good. They have been joined by a long tailed tit chick, found on the ground in Annbank with part of the nest lining. No doubt these young birds are all victims of predation.
8th May 2010 Yesterday we got 2 more clutches of ducklings, one family from Ayr and the other from Kilbirnie. We also got 3 house sparrow chicks. Their nest was disturbed when ivy was pulled from a wall. Ivy is a favourite place for house sparrows to nest, and several other species of garden bird will use it too. So remember, before cutting back bushes and shrubs or climbers, please check that there are no occupied nests. Most of these birds raise their chicks in a couple of weeks, so if nests are occupied, let the parents rear their chicks, and leave your gardening till the young birds have fledged. This evening we got 4 Canada goslings. We have rescued Canada goslings from the Heritage park at East Kilbride several times before. A pair of swans always nests there, and every year, a pair of Canada geese return to breed. There is always trouble. As soon as the goslings hatch the male swan repeatedly attacks them. Two goslings had been killed before the remaining 4 were rescued. So why do the geese always nest there?. Can they not remember what happened the previous year. Or do they think they'll be winners this time. I wish they would find another nest site.
6th May 2010 For the past 2 weeks we been getting calls reporting a roe deer trapped in gardens in Greenock. The deer seemed quite content, browsing shrubs and not being too upset by people. The gardens were close to busy roads, so catching the deer was risky. If the deer escaped from the gardens it could panic and run onto the road. It could cause an accident. Also, netting deer can be risky. So we decided to wait and see what happened. Presumably if the deer got into the gardens, it could get itself out. We hoped it would do that when the roads were quiet during the night. The number of calls from concerned people increased by the day, so today David and Colin went to see the situation. Karen, our Greenock volunteer, was there to help. When the team arrived they reckoned that the deer was in such a position that it could be safely netted. This was carried out successfully. The deer was sedated, taken to nearby woodland and released unharmed. Hopefully she will stay away from gardens for a while.
these are Colin's photos of the rescue 5th May 2010 Last night we had a call from people who had found a duck, tangled in fishing line, and hanging from a tree. They had cut the duck free, released her, but unfortunately she'd flown into a fence. They were worried that she could be injured. Higher up the tree was a hollow. One of the guys went to investigate, and discovered a nest containing a clutch of eggs. We collected the duck, a goosander, as we'd expected, and brought her back to the centre. She had a small wound on her chest, and a cut on her beak caused by fishing line. But otherwise she was fine. We gave her antibiotics and now she has been released close to her nest and eggs. She may desert the nest after the trauma of being tangled and then handled. Then again she may not. Goosanders are fish eating ducks and have a spiky hairdo. They nest in hollow trees, and sometimes in roof spaces of buildings. When the ducklings hatch they must jump to the ground.
Another 6 fox cubs came today. Two are bigger than all the others, wild and nervous. The family of 4 are tiny and look as if they haven't eaten well for quite a while. Unfortunately the cub came on Sunday has been put to sleep. He had several fits in his short time here and cried much of the time, an indication that something hurt. 4th May 2010 Yesterday wasn't exactly a bank HOLIDAY Monday at Hessilhead. We admitted 36 patients, and gave advice about deer in gardens, foxes under buildings, and even a hedgehog in Peterborough! The first patients to arrive were 2 injured hedgehogs, both very poorly. Then came a single duckling from Ayr. Single mallard ducklings are difficult to rear, whereas a family group are no trouble at all. We took two of the smallest ducklings from the family of 12, and put these with the newcomer. That would help it to settle and feed. Later in the day four more ducklings were found in Ayr, and then another 2. We believe that these ducklings are from the same clutch, and now they are settled in a brooder. The 2 older ducklings have returned to their siblings. A young collared dove, an adult blackbird and 2 baby rabbits followed, then a feral pigeon and a nestling dunnock. Dunnocks are one of my favourite birds. The young are so easy to rear, quiet, sensible and easily learning to pick up food for themselves. 3 fox cubs were delivered from the SSPCA centre in Fife, an adult otter from Tarbert, and 16 hedgehogs from the Uists. The otter is in a bad way, very thin and with lots of infected bites. Today he has been at the vet's, having all his wounds cleaned. We thought we had finished for the day when the last feeding round was completed at 10.30pm. A little while later the phone rang. A fox had been hit by a car in Pollokshields, Glasgow. It was trying to run, but couldn't get up. Someone put the fox in his car, and we met him a few miles from the centre. The vixen has been feeding cubs, so we hope she makes a speedy recovery. We'd like to get her back to her family.
30th April 2010 The first clutch of ducklings arrived earlier this week. They came from the Roads Depot in Greenock. We get at least 2 clutches of mallards from this site every year. The female mallard always finds a secretive place to lay her eggs, but of course the site isn't at all safe for the ducklings. Staff at the depot box the ducklings as soon as they are seen in the yard. We collect them as soon as possible. We wonder if the same mallard uses this site every year, or have some of her offspring returned there to breed.
More young blackbirds arrived this week too. They are still being hand fed, but we've noticed them turning over the papers in their cage, a sign that they are beginning to search for food for themselves.
Another young tawny owl was found on the ground in a wood only a few miles from the centre. He sleeps much of the time, but wakes up at feeding time
25th April 2010 Fox cub no 8 arrived today. He is a young cub, 4 - 5weeks old, and has been cared for by a family from Kelso since they found him last weekend. You can see from his photo why they were tempted to keep him as a pet, but they made the decision to give him a life in the wild. He will soon be introduced to some of our other cubs. Fox cubs play rough games together, they squabble over food, play tag, climb logs, hide under upturned dog beds and then fall asleep together in a friendly heap. All this play is teaching them behaviour that will help them survive in the wild. We visit the foxes as little as possible, just providing food and water twice a day, and keeping the enclosures clean. These cubs should grow up as wild any reared in urban areas.
24th April 2010 It has been quite a busy Saturday, with 14 patients admitted, including 2 swans from Lanark Loch, an adult male sparrowhawk and a nestful of dippers. The sparrowhawk was found in Union Street, Glasgow. It is underweight, and looks a bit concussed. I guess that perhaps it was involved in collision a few days ago, and since then has been on the ground, unable to hunt, hence the weight loss. I hope it makes a good recovery; adult male sparrowhawks are stunning birds.
Dippers are quite an unusual species for us to get, and when we do, there has usually been some interference with the nest. They are an odd species to rear. The chicks never stretch up to beg as do blackbirds, robins and most other garden birds. Instead they stretch their necks forwards, even down a bit. This is because dipper nests are domed, often built under bridges, arches or rock overhangs, and the wide entrance faces down towards the water. Dippers feed by walking along stream or river beds, completely submerged. It will be a challenge for us teaching these chicks how to feed.
23rd April 2010 Fox cubs number 6 and 7 were brought in yesterday. Both had been found alone in Fife, and were brought to Hessilhead by the SSPCA. The older cub is shy, it is the same size as the cub that was rescued from a chain link fence last weekend. They two of them are now sharing a shed. The smaller cub is tiny. She certainly hasn't had a good start in life, but she eats well, is very content and hopefully she will put on a growth spurt. Natalie christened her Pippin.
In the hospital the heat pads are filling up with boxes of baby birds. We have 7 robins; 3 arrived as singles, and today a nest of 4 came in. Their nest had been disturbed when a hedge was cut down. So remember, birds are nesting now. Don't fell trees, cut down hedges or clear away lots of vegetation without being sure that birds aren't nesting there. 18th April 2010 Last night we went into Glasgow to rescue a fox cub. The cub had stuck its head through some chain link fencing, and couldn't get out again. The people who called us had heard the cub crying for Mum, but at first they couldn't find it. The chain link was behind their garden fence. The cub looked really frightened when we arrived, but Andy soon cut it free and released it. This was Jani's last rescue. Jani has been volunteering with us for 8 weeks, as part of her degree course in conservation and wildlife management. (I wish they had courses like that when I was a student!) Today she returned home to study!
16th April 2010 Andy and I have just spent a few days in the Cairngorms. So it wasn't far out of our way to collect a small red squirrel that had been found in a garden in Killin a couple of days ago. She was found under some spruce trees that grew so closely together that we couldn't tell if there was a drey there or not. We certainly wouldn't have been able to reach it easily. So little squirrel is now in a brooder at Hessilhead. She is eating bread and milk, and looks interested in nuts. We have promised to take her back to Killin when she is old enough to fend for herself.
Two swans were rescued from Castle Semple Loch while we were away. Both were victims of fishing tackle. As you see, one had a hook in its beak, the other had a hook in its neck. At least the swans at Castle Semple are easy to catch. If you park there you are likely to be surrounded by swans checking if you have brought them bread. Both the swans have made good recoveries.
Fox cub number 4 arrived in our absence. He is another little
Glasgow cub, a wee bit shy, but already eating well.
10th April 2010 The otter that arrived last week has settled in well. He is living in an outdoor enclosure now, and eating well. It is a bit of a mystery why he is here. He was found in the front porch of a house in Girvan, and when young otters seek out people, it usually means they have lost their mum and are starving. That is certainly not the case with this young otter. He is in good condition with a shiny coat, and makes it perfectly clear that he doesn't like people getting close. I really wish he was back with his family.
The young tawny owl that came from Lanark last week is growing leaps and bounds. Tomorrow he will move into a large cage, and we hope that he will have company soon.
8th April 2010 More signs of spring today. The first arrival this morning was a tawny owl chick. This chick is too young to be out of the nest. It is too young to stand, and and lies on its tummy to sleep. It was found on the ground, near Lanark Loch, and would have been easy prey for a fox or easily injured by the dogs that regularly use that area. It takes small pieces of food quite gently from the hand.
The next arrival was a leveret (young brown hare). This
attractive youngster is less than a week old, but it has a cloudy left eye and a
droopy left ear, probably the result of injury. They are not the
easiest animals to rear, so fingers crossed.
Later today Pressie, the grey seal pup, was loaded into a carrying box and taken to Portencross, our favourite seal release site. We should have checked the tide times before setting out. The harbour was completely dry, and the seal box had to be carried a long way to the harbour mouth. Fortunately we had a good team of enthusiastic volunteers, who didn't mind the slippery task. Everyone thought it was worth it. The seal swam off with just one backwards glance over his shoulder. A rewarding end to the day.
7th April 2010 We collected a badger yesterday, that had been found in a snare. This morning it was taken to the vet, as we could see that there was a large wound under the front leg, but we couldn't examine it properly without the badger being anaesthetized. The damage was worse than we had thought, and it also appeared that the badger had been caught in the snare for several days. The vets had cleaned the wounds, and begun stitching, but sadly the badger died during the operation. Obviously this badger had suffered enormous amounts of pain, stress and fear. This shows that no matter how much legislation is passed attempting to make the use of snares humane, they are in fact cruel, unselective devices designed specifically to cause stress, fear and injury. The law requires snares to be checked once every 24 hours. Clearly this did not happen in this case. Snares should be banned.
The first of this year's Uist hedgehogs arrived at Hessilhead today. They are good weights, and should be released into the wild soon. Fox cub No 3, a small cub that came from Logan, Nr Cumnock, yesterday, has settled into his heated cage. He is eating tinned food with enthusiasm.
6th April 2010 Fox cub No 2 arrived yesterday. He was found on a patio in the middle of a wet night, crying for his mum. He was taken indoors, dried, and put out again in the hope that his mum would hear his calls and come to collect him. The cub cried, but no vixen came. Next morning the cub was brought to the wildlife hospital. The cub was found by a vet nurse, who knew exactly what to do, and putting the cub outside, once it was dried, was a good idea. It would have been a happy ending if mum had returned. The new cub is the same age as Jordon, and today they were
put into a large cage together. Tonight they are snuggled up close like old
friends.
5th April 2010 It was quite a busy Easter weekend, with calls to deal with roe deer, badgers, a young otter, whooper swans, and there was also the possibility of a wildcat. The cat had been fighting with domestic cats, and yesterday forced its way through a locked cat flap. The owners of the house managed to cage the cat, and then, given its size and markings, they'd wondered if it could be a Scottish wildcat. They sent photos, and although a big bruiser of a cat that looked distinctly unchuffed at being caught, it didn't quite tick all the boxes for a wildcat. There is a possibility that it could be a hybrid (domestic x wildcat), and this would be interesting, proving the existence of Scottish Wildcats in that part Argyll. Another interesting call yesterday reported a badger sleeping in a compost bin!. By the time we arrived in the garden badger had left, but there was no doubt it had been using the compost bin regularly. The badger entered by the door at the bottom. It had made a spiral ramp to the top of the compost, and left its imprint there where it slept. There was woodland not far away, but a heated bed in a compost bin in a quiet garden must seem like a good place to sleep. 3rd April 2010 This is a busy time of year in the roe deer calendar. The roe bucks are cleaning the velvet, (short fur), from their newly grown antlers. This means they have good fighting equipment again. Our resident roe buck, McDougall, has removed most of the velvet by rubbing his antlers against branches. A wild buck has been visiting him, and there has been a bit of sparring through the fence. McDougall is looking good for an 11 year old buck, but then he has a pampered life.
Last year's young deer are being chased away from their parents' territories now. The yearlings may be chased into new unfamiliar areas, and many of them become road traffic victims. The young bucks have a really hard time, often being chased from one territory to another by resident dominant bucks. We often get calls reporting young bucks in gardens in suburban areas, and we get called out to several RTA victims every week. Yesterday we were called to a deer lying on the bank of the River Irvine. This deer was in very poor condition; obviously there had been a problem for a while. Sadly the deer died overnight, and a pm examination revealed that it had been shot. It must have had a miserable and painful last few weeks.
Took a few more pics of Jordon today. He is beginning to take an interest in his surroundings.
1st April 2010 For the past few months we have been trying to find a new release site for the badger cubs that we reared last year. All our efforts failed, so today we moved the group of badgers to the big release pen in the wood. Four of them went into the sett quickly, with no time for photos. Number 5 galloped around a bit before going to ground.
29th March 2010 Andy and I were called out early this morning. A badger had been spotted in a garden, and we were told that it was trapped in a fenced patio. When we arrived at the house, which was right in the middle of a small East Ayrshire town, we were surprised to see several hens and ducks waddling around the garden. The owner of the property assured us that there were high walls all round, and absolutely no way in for a short legged badger. The patio was in a separate area of garden, the only access being over a 6' wall or through a dense hedge. Andy went over the wall, and his appearance in the patio seemed to upset the badger somewhat. She panicked, knocked down the flimsy gate, forced her way through the hedge, scattered the hens, and left the property by an old gateway behind the henhouse, that was hardly blocked at all with a pallet. Well, better to find a fit and healthy animal than a sick or injured one, and we were pleased to see it returning home at high speed. Another hour in bed would have been good though! 28th March 2010 Andy and I came back from a few days on Deeside, to find that Jordon the fox cub had grown a lot. He was still drinking milk 4 times a day, but when I offered him a dish of tinned cat food he thought that was a good substitute. He had 2 bottles for the next 2 days, then was weaned. While he was still feeding from a bottle he had a funny habit of putting his hands up. Mel, despite being so boisterous and playful, showed a maternal side to her nature, and helped to clean him after each feed.
18th March 2010 Well, guess what? It is spring at Hessilhead. The first fox cub came into care today. The little cub, eyes closed, probably a week to 10 days old, was found in a garden in Jordonhill. There was no sign of his mum, and no other cubs. He is sleeping peacefully in a heated cage, and has had a small drink of milk. He hasn't been very co-operative about having a photo taken yet. This is the best we have managed.
16th March 2010 Today we released Buddy the common seal at Portencross. He spent quite a while swimming around the harbour, exploring the boats and thought about coming ashore, before swimming out to sea and apparently deciding that was where he belonged. He seemed quite confident about his return to the sea.
15th March 2010 The last few days have been fairly quiet, but there is good news about some of the patients in care. The fox from Kilmacolm has moved from the hospital to an outside enclosure. He seems much more content there, and his wounds are healing well.
The sparrowhawk that has been in care for 4 weeks, has at last begun to feed herself. We are used to sparrowhawks being difficult patients, that are often reluctant to eat anything other than natural food. This bird had been offered pigeon and blackbird, but it ignored them. It was hand fed 3 times every day, then sometimes we'd leave it for a day and a half, hoping it would get hungry enough to eat. David made a breakthrough last week, when the sparrowhawk started taking food from the forceps. then it picked up some of the chopped up food from the dish. The next step was to leave a dish of chopped food in the cage, and when the bird had eaten that it was replaced by a complete item of food. Now the bird is self feeding, and behaving much more like a normal sparrowhawk, ie it panics whenever we go near the cage. So it looks like this bird will soon be back in the wild. Good news too about a buzzard that was badly concussed, then had an operation to remove a deep seated abcess from behind its eye. The buzzard is an aviary now, flying well, landing well and eating well. Hopefully it will be back in the wild before the breeding season. 12th March 2010 Two swans were rescued while Andy and I enjoyed a couple of days away this week. One of them was found at Ardeer Rec, with a fishing hook in its leg. The other swan, more seriously injured, was rescued from Barshaw park in Paisley. It had been attacked by a dog.
8th March 2010 On Friday we picked up a fox from Kilmacolm. This fox has been frequenting gardens, and several people have been feeding it. We heard that it was limping badly, and asked all the people that were feeding it, if they could work together, so the fox could be encouraged into a shed. The fox looked really healthy and was active, but on examination we discovered a large wound under the leg. It was so bad that I wasn't at all sure it could be treated. Good news so far. The fox has just returned from the vet. The wound has been cleaned, and the vet hopes that it will heal, given time. The tricky bit is going to be applying Dermisol creme every day. I doubt if the fox will like that. He looks a bit odd, as the end of his tail had been injured and was dead. That has been amputated, and the new tip of the tail is temporarily hairless. The fox was just one of the patients we dealt with today. In the early hours of this morning the police delivered a rta deer from Skelmorlie. We were grateful for that. It would have taken us over two hours to go and collect it, whereas it only took 15 minutes to treat the deer for concussion and settle it down for the night. This morning Andy and Andrea (our Swiss volunteer) went to rescue a heron that had been seen sulking beside the cycle path for the last couple of days. This is an adult bird, quite thin, probably as a result of the prolonged cold weather. This afternoon David, Colin and Andrea went on a deer rescue. We heard about the young buck yesterday. It was in a garden in Wishaw, and quite agitated, but the garden was close to a busy road. We suggested the deer was left alone, and hoped that it would find its way out overnight. It didn't. Our team quickly caught the deer in a net, sedated it, and took it to nearby Greenhead Moss Community nature Park. There it was given an antidote to the sedative, and released successfully. A happy ending to the day.
young roe buck trapped in garden deer being removed from net deer carried to Greenhead Moss deer recovers from the sedative and runs away Thank you to Lesley Mark who supplied these photos, and called us out to rescue the deer from her garden.
4th March 2010 Buzzards seem to have had a better winter than they did last year. The ones that have come into care have mostly been road traffic victims, and they have been a good weight. On 15th February we released a buzzard that had been found on the duel carriageway near Troon. 10 days later it was back, picked up in almost the same place, concussed again. The bird was a good weight, which tells us that it has been getting plenty of food since its release. Perhaps this buzzard doesn't hunt for food. Maybe it picks up road kills. So far it has been lucky enough to survive these accidents, but we wonder how long that will last. 2nd March 2010 Tawny owls have been getting into all sorts of trouble recently. We had a call from a mining company at Lugar, reporting 3 tawnies covered in oil. One of these birds was so weak that it was put to sleep straightaway. We wiped as much oil as possible from the other two, and next day they went to the SSPCA's oil bird cleaning unit in Fife. Sadly one of these didn't survive, but the other came back fit and healthy, and has now been released.
Then came a report that a tawny owl had been found hanging from a tree, tangled in fishing line. This was in Dumfries-shire, quite a long way from here, and it was quite early in the morning. Luckily one of the Wildlife Crime officers was willing to help, and with help from the local water bailiff, they reached the owl and cut it free. We removed the rest of the line and gave the bird a couple of night's rest, then Grace took it back to release it in its own territory.
Many tawny owls will be incubating eggs now, so it is important to release them as soon as possible. The following evening there was a report of a tawny owl hit by a car. This bird was badly concussed, and reluctant to stand or eat for several days. It is now on the road to recovery, so hopefully will be back in the wild soon.
16th February 2010 One of our volunteers rescued a tawny owl on Sunday. The bird was in a field behind a block of flats in Largs. It was being attacked by crows, and the resident from the flats who called us, said it had been there for several days. The bird is in fairly good condition, but strangely for a tawny owl, isn't feeding itself. We think it had probably flown into something, been concussed and unable to hunt. So it needs some tlc for a while.
Today we released another buzzard. This was the one that had a torn crop. The crop was stitched and healed well. We released the bird close to where it had been found. It flew across the field with confidence. 11th February 2010 Two days ago an otter was brought across from Arran. This is an adult male otter, but emaciated and was very weak. It is covered in bites, so must have been feeling pretty miserable. Really the otter was so weak we thought it may not survive. But so far, its good news. The otter is eating well now. He is eating 4 fat herring every day, and sleeps a lot, which always aids recovery.
The little red squirrel is making good progress, although it still doesn't have the full use of its back legs.
Someone was brave enough to stop on the M77 today, to pick up an injured sparrowhawk. The bird must have been in collision, it is concussed and has an injured eye. At present it is resting in a heated box. 7th February 2010 One of the buzzards was released today. It was collected by the man who stopped on the dual carriageway to save the bird from further injury. The bird was concussed and had an injured talon, but has made a good recovery. I think it would fly from the box as soon as it was opened. We always like to let people see the release of a bird that they rescued. For most people this is a once in a lifetime experience.
After the buzzard had been collected, Andy and I went off to release the kestrel that was found huddled on a doorstep during the cold weather. What a weight it is now!. I wondered if it would have trouble hovering, but it had no trouble flying from the release box, gaining height rapidly, and chasing a magpie out of its territory. Then it perched on a power line and had a good look around. It seemed like an ideal territory, with a large area of newly planted trees, and rough grazing. I bet there are plenty of voles living there. 2nd February 2010 Yesterday we admitted an unusual casualty, especially for this time of year. The red squirrel was found in a garden at Tighnabruaich. It was hanging from a tree, apparently unable to free itself. It came with a food box, full of its favourite nuts and pears. It does seem that this squirrel has a problem with its hind legs. It could be a back or pelvic problem. We are giving it anti-inflammatory drugs, and if there is no improvement in a few days, the squirrel will need to be x-rayed. It has settled well in a hospital cage. It sleeps curled up in a fleece hat, and takes its food to bed so it can eat out of sight. 31st January 2010 Last night we were out late, following a report of a badger lying on the road near Eaglesham. It took us quite a long time to find this casualty, as we hadn't been given good directions. Sadly, when it was found, it was dead. Two nights ago we were out for a fox, also a road casualty. The person who found this casualty stayed till we arrived to collect. This is always helpful, and can prevent the animal being hit again by another vehicle. The fox is quite badly injured, but is receiving veterinary treatment for injured front feet and concussion. We are not sure yet that it will make a full recovery. 24th January 2010 It looks like being a funny sort of year. For the 1st 3 weeks everywhere is frozen and covered in snow, and then hedgehogs start coming into care. Shouldn't they still be fast asleep? One of today's new arrivals is a small hog, so probably woke up early because it had used up all its stored fat. The other is a large hog, so there is no obvious reason for it being found wandering around a garden in the daytime. Late this afternoon we had a call from a motorist to say he had picked up a buzzard at the roadside. He was pleased to bring it to the hospital straightaway, and arrived half an hour later with the buzzard wrapped in his jacket. The buzzard was quiet, obviously concussed, but more serious was the tear in its crop. The buzzard's last meal was falling out of this wound. It needed attention quickly. We cleaned the wound, gave local anaesthetic and stitched first the wall of the crop and then the outer skin. that looked a lot better. We gave the bird antibiotics and painkiller, and left it in a box on a heat pad. I have just been back to the hospital and given the buzzard fluids by crop tube. I am hopeful that it will make a full recovery. 23rd January 2010 Today Sooty the tawny owl was ready for release. It says a lot for the people who found the owl that they were keen to come and collect it, and release it in their garden. Apparently its mate has been calling every evening, no doubt wondering what happened to its pal. The people have taken a sensible precaution against this type of accident happening again. they have had their chimney capped with wire mesh. 19th January 2010 Andy and I were at a meeting in Glasgow today. We returned home to find a very sooty tawny owl. It had fallen down a chimney in Kilbarchan, and probably left a room in need of a major clean. It isn't unusual for tawnies to fall down chimneys. Presumably they are looking for nest sites, and having got so far down find it difficult to climb back up. By the time the owls are found in the fireplace, or rescued from the lower part of the chimney, they may have been trapped for several days. So the first treatment is fluids given by crop tube, and then saline solution in the eyes. This owl's eyes were closed tight, probably really sore. So ointment will be given for the next few days. By the time we had given the owl its second dose of fluids in the evening, our hands and clothes were black. The owl had already been wiped with a damp cloth, but it looks as if it will take quite a while to clean it up.
17th January 2010 This weekend we released more wildlife than we admitted. The snow has almost disappeared, and some of the casualties that we've had in care were restless to go. Swans were released on Friday at Irvine Harbour, and today we released woodcock, redwings, a fieldfare and a robin. New patients include an underweight kestrel found huddled in a doorway at midnight on Saturday, and a mallard drake. The mallard felt very odd when we picked it up to examine. Its neck was rigid, the bird very thin. We opened the beak and at the back of the throat could see dry bread. We carefully worked the bread into the mouth, more and more of it kept appearing. The mallard must have been so hungry that when it found food it ate and ate, but without any water. The bird was so stuffed with bread that it couldn't bend its neck. We removed as much bread as possible, then gave the bird a bowl of water, and another. Later we gave one slice of bread in water. It was eaten straightaway. Then another. Now the mallard is eating wild bird seed soaked in water. It will take quite a while for the duck to regain a respectable weight, but it doesn't look as if there will be any problem persuading this casualty to eat. 15th January 2010 Andy and I are just back from Glasgow with a swan. The swan landed on the M8, which of course could be dangerous for swan and motorists, but by the time we arrived it had been herded across a wide grass verge, and was being restrained by 3 police officers. Vehicles were passing safely. The swan is in great condition despite the difficult weather conditions of recent weeks. It will be released tomorrow. 14th January 2010 As you know, we try to run a 24 hour rescue service. During the night, we usually respond to calls about injured animals lying on roads, or others in dangerous and emergency situations. I could understand why a lady phoned at 3am this morning. She thought that the fox in her garden was in terrible pain, 'having babies'. I explained that this wasn't the case, it is far too early for vixens to give birth, and that what she was hearing was a mating call, a prelude in fact, to what she thought was happening. Those of you who live in areas populated by foxes, will know that the calls they make at this time of year, could easily be mistaken for someone screaming for help. The lady on the phone wasn't convinced by my explanation. She wanted us to go and remove the fox. She said it was keeping her awake. That was true. An hour later the phone rang again. This time it was Andy's turn to speak to the same lady, still not able to sleep, and still worried about the fox. By now she was worried that her neighbours wouldn't be able to sleep either. After several minutes on the phone, explaining again that foxes are really noisy at this time of year, I could tell that Andy was thinking that this fox was keeping him from sleeping too! 12th January 2010 This evening we were on our way to a meeting in Glasgow, when we got a call from our volunteer in Greenock, Karen. She'd had a call from someone reporting a seal pup in trouble on rocks below The Esplanade. She was on her way. We had no doubt that Karen would get the seal. She always does. So the next call from her reported that she was on the way to Hessilhead, and would leave the pup in a pen in the swan hospital. So when we returned home this evening we had a stroppy, but very young seal pup to treat. This is another unweaned pup, about 3 weeks old, and still with some white baby fur. We wonder why pups are being born so late in the season this winter. Andy brought the pup to the hospital, where it will be warmer. We gave it rehydration fluids and antibiotics, and hope that it will be in a better frame of mind by morning.
8th January 2010 Andy and I are just back from an interesting swan rescue in Ayr. A swan had crash landed on a flat roof overlooking the river. The roof has a covering of snow, so presumably that confused the swan. The swan was reluctant to walk, so we have brought it back to the centre for observation. While on the roof, we had an unusual view of the Auld Kirk in Ayr.
Earlier in the day we admitted another woodcock, a redwing, a pipistrelle bat, 2 swans, a buzzard and a roe deer. The deer was a very upsetting and sad case. It had tried to jump a fence, misjudged the height, or slipped in the snow, and got a foot caught in the top wires of the fence. Obviously the deer had been hanging there for hours. The blood supply to the foot was severed, and the foot, literally, frozen. The deer was still alive, but with a foot missing, would not cope in the wild. It has been put to sleep. You may find the photos distressing.
On a happier note, pics around Hessilhead
7th January 2010 This first week of 2010 will be remembered as woodcock week. 8 woodcock have been admitted in the last few days. That is twice what we'd normally expect in a year! The problem, of course, is the weather. Woodcock are having to leave their normal haunts, usually wet woodland, where they are hidden and well camouflaged. They are being seen in gardens, parks and roadside verges. They are probing new places, hoping to find soft ground and a supply of worms, their favourite diet. Most of those brought to us have been caught by cats. Some have been quite badly injured, but others have only minor scars and a few missing feathers, and some are still in quite good condition. The difficulty for us is getting enough food for the birds. Digging enough worms, day and after, for one woodcock is tedious. Imaging trying to find worms for half a dozen woodcock, under several inches of snow and frozen ground. We are attempting to interest the woodcock in mealworms, and also seeds and berries. The definitive book on the subject says they DO eat berries, but we've never had a woodcock that has read that book! We also have 2 other waders, an oystercatcher and a redshank. They are being co-operative and versatile about food.
woodcock redshank 5th January 2010 It was good to see some of the staff and more volunteers back this week. Andy and I have enjoyed being more hands on over the festive period, but we hadn't expected so much freezing weather to slow us down. We were fortunate in having a new resident volunteer, Jory, who flew in from Canada on Boxing Day. She is being very tolerant of the lack of water in the caravan (frozen pipes) and having left temperatures of -30. doesn't have a problem with our weather. Today we admitted a new seal pup. Pressie was found on Prestwick beach. She is emaciated, but a bigger pup than Bari. She still has baby fur on her flippers, and a strange blaze of it remains on her face. She has been given the usual treatment of rehydration fluid, anitbiotics and vitamins, but still looks rather sad.
Bari is doing well. She is eating small whole herring now, and showing interest in feeding herself.
2009 Happy New Year 31st December 2009 We have finished the year with a busy day. 6 casualties admitted, 2 hedgehogs, 2 woodcock, a roe deer and a buzzard. Hopefully that is all for 2009. The centre is a hive of activity with large numbers of wild birds coming in for food. New additions to the regular visitors include fieldfare and redwing, and a single brambling. Two buzzards have been hanging around, and we've put food out for them too.
30th December 2009 The seal pup was spotted mid morning on Irvine beach, close to Barassie. I asked the people who called if they'd stay with the seal, and prevent anyone chasing it into the sea. Luckily they lived close enough to the beach to take turns waiting in the cold, with mugs of coffee to help keep them warm. The seal pup was sheltering behind a log, and is even more emaciated than we'd thought. It still has some of its baby white coat around its flippers, which means it is probably around 3 weeks old. Grey seal pups are fed a very rich milk by their mothers, and treble their birth weight in 3 weeks. So the pup should weigh about 40kg, but weighs only 12kg. She will need a lot of attention and good feeding.
on the beach in sleeping bag in ambulance in the hospital 29th December 2009 In addition to keeping all the inmates fed and watered, we have spent quite a bit of the past week rescuing swans. Most of these have been road rescues, probably as a result of the freezing weather. When ponds and lochs freeze, sensible swans move to the coast; others get confused and land on frozen roads. Some of the swans have been in good condition, others have been seriously underweight. The swan that we picked up on Christmas day was frozen to the road. Today we were called to Stevenson beach, where a small seal pup had been found well above the high tide line. We went straightaway, only to be disappointed when we met 4 men, stopped them to ask if they'd seen the seal, and they proudly told us they'd chased it into the sea. One of the men had video on his phone, and it was clear to us that this pup needed help, quickly. It is very young, obviously separated from its mother, and will not survive if it isn't rescued. We walked the length of the beach, with the man who called us about the seal, but there was no sign of it. It will almost certainly come ashore again, and will be driven up the beach as it tries to keep ahead of the water. The man who found the seal will check Stevenson beach tomorrow morning, but it could come out on Irvine or Saltcoats beach. Fingers crossed that someone will give us a call. 24th December 2009 MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE It slows us down a bit when everything is frozen and water dishes have to be thawed, but Hessilhead is a magical place to be in weather like this. I thought you'd like to share it with us.
early morning snow an amazing sunrise chilly outside the hog hospital
lost the ball, a lime will do feeding time at the pond but most of the pond is frozen
a recently released a mallard/red crested pochard the one eyed swan loves gulls circle whooper swan hybrid noodles
rooks wait the walk home
6th December 2009 Last Saturday we had a call from a tree surgery squad. They had just felled a big chestnut tree, and were horrified to see some small bats crawling on the ground. As they watched others crawled out of sight into a hollow branch. This was an unfortunate accident. The tree had been checked by an expert, who'd said no bats were there. I suppose you can't always be sure. Even if the tree is checked with an endoscope, pipistrelle bats are very small, and could easily be missed, and a bat detector wouldn't pick up hibernating bats. The workman brought 5 bats to Hessilhead, and next day the site was checked by a bat worker. No other bats were found, so probably the bats that had been seen disappearing into the hollow, had left that night for a safer roost. Early this evening we took the 5 bats to the site and released them. They have been eating well all week, and all felt chunky. It was fairly mild this evening, so it seemed a good time for them to return to the wild. They all flew off soon after we opened their tank. Hopefully they knew somewhere that would make a good winter roost.
one of the bats at Hessilhead before release
4th December 2009 Buddy the seal is gaining weight fast. The trouble with feeding herring is that the water in the pool gets very fatty, and sometimes a layer of fat covers the seal. Today the pool was cleaned, and so was Buddy. He has an infection in one eye, so while the pool was empty we took the opportunity to put ointment in the eye. Quite a tricky operation, as you see.
3rd December 2009 Today I took photos of two of our resident foxes, Fergus and Bad Waggy. I thought you'd like to see them.
24th November 2009 Late last Saturday afternoon we were called to rescue a roe deer that had been attacked by a deer hound. When we arrived at the farm, not far from Beith, we didn't hold out much hope for the survival of the deer. It was treated and left in a well bedded shed, and we were rather surprised to see it looking bright next morning. Later that day it was standing, though very panicky. It almost hit the roof when we peeped round the door. Today we decided to release the deer. It was taken back to where it came from, because this is the area the deer knows, and where it will do best. The dog attack was accidental, but hopefully that particular deer hound will never be allowed to run free in the countryside again. It would be difficult to find even a small wood in this area that doesn't have resident roe deer. Most deer attacked by dogs don't survive. 23rd November 2009 We have had a couple of young whooper swans in the centre
recently. The first to come crash landed in a Kilwinning garden, and soon
recovered from a grazed wing. We always try to reunite whooper swans with their
family, but we had no idea where the family of this young bird had gone. It
could have clipped wires while on migration. So we opted to release him on the
quarry pond. He stayed there for a few days; then disappeared. Hopefully he has
met up with other whooper swans. The second young whooper was picked up at
Glasgow airport. Those of you who live locally will know that a flock of whooper
swans, often more the 100, spend the winter in fields between Inchinnan and the
airport. When this bird was ready to go we found some of that flock on the
flooded Black Cart at Yonderton. The youngster flew to join them, and will
hopefully take care to land on the outside of the airfield perimeter fence in
future. As you can see from this photo, whooper swans have attitude. They don't
take to being in care as well as easy going mute swans.
22nd November 2009 Today didn't start well. Andy made an early morning trip into Glasgow to collect an injured fox. Sadly it was an old fox with several serious injuries. it was put to sleep. While Andy was away some people brought in an injured snipe. This had a badly injured wing, that was not repairable. This afternoon things improved. A tawny owl was collected by the people who had found it flying round their living room, after it had fallen down their chimney. The owl was rather sooty and dehydrated, as it had probably been stuck in the chimney for several days. We cleaned the soot from its eyes, gave it antibiotics and rehydration fluids, and next day it began feeding itself. It is a fit healthy bird that should do well when released into the garden of the house with the chimney. Tawny owls are quite territorial at his time of year. You may have heard them calling in your area. I wonder if this bird's mate will be pleased to see it back tonight, or will it want an explanation of where it has been !
16th November 2009 Today I have some really exciting news. A robin came into the hospital this morning. It was a ringed bird, so we caught it and checked the ring number. We could hardly believe that this is a bird that we hand reared and released in 2006. Three years is a good age for any robin. It is excellent for a hand reared bird, and reminds us that all the effort and long hours required to rear nestlings can be well worthwhile. 13th November 2009 This week we have been washing swans. The swans in question have pink feather syndrome, and came from Richmond Park in Glasgow. The pinkness is caused by a bacterial/fungal/algal growth, and is almost certainly linked to large amounts of bread in the water. Affected swans lose their waterproofing. This causes them to roost out of the water, making them vulnerable to predation by foxes. We were pleasantly surprised that the pinkness washed off fairly easily with green washing up liquid. We used a tooth brush to work this into the feathers, and then showered each bird for about 20 minutes, taking care to remove all the detergent. Washed swans were put under a heat lamp, where they preened enthusiastically till dry. They now have free access to the pond in the swan hospital. They alternately bathe and preen, and have almost recovered their water proofing.
I've included this photo of a jackdaw, taken just before it
was released, as I think it shows the beauty of a bird we take for granted.
28th October 2009 Today we released a roe deer. This was the second roe deer to be released in the last 3 weeks. The 1st deer had been hit by a car, was very badly concussed when it came here, but had no broken bones. These are the deer that give the best results. They are kept in subdued lighting, given anti-inflammatory and antibiotic treatment, and disturbance is kept to a minimum. Some of these deer need encouragement to eat at the beginning of their stay with us. Later, when they are eating well, they are fed twice a day and their condition assessed every few days. The deer from Cow Glen Golf Club made a steady recovery, and it was a delight to see her running free when she was released. The driver of the car involved in the accident was also thrilled to see her go. The deer we released today was a young buck. Three weeks ago it was found wedged between a wall and a fence, with its front legs down a steep drop. In its efforts to free itself it had torn the skin around its hips. The wounds were stitched, and the deer settled well. It was soon eating natural vegetation, and later learnt to eat rabbit food and chopped apples. We released it from the garden where it was found, which gave it access to woodland. I am sure that by now it will be reunited with its family.
Yesterday we released the last of this year's young gannets.
They will be a bit behind other young gannets heading south, but hopefully they
will catch up and enjoy the next couple of years in warmer waters off the coast
of Iberia or N Africa.
The last young heron to be released at Hessilhead is
still hanging around the centre, usually waiting to see if the seals or otters
have left any fish.
Buddy the young seal has at last learnt to feed himself. Now
he should put on weight more quickly.
Last Friday evening we released a female barn owl that had
been in care for a couple of weeks. The owl had been found tangled in fishing
line, and hanging from a tree. It had a badly strained wing. We released the owl
close to where it was found. It flew across the field towards farm buildings,
and almost at once we heard another owl calling. Hopefully the owl was
back with her mate.
4th October 2009 Andy and I were away last week, enjoying some glorious weather and great bird watching on North Uist. As you can see, we found the perfect place to park campervan. Mel thought it was great too.
We brought back 37 hedgehogs removed from Benbecula. Most of them are a good weight, and will be released soon.
Two unusual casualties came to the centre just before we went
away. First there was a barn owl. We treat quite a few barn owls every year, but
this was a youngster, maybe 3 - 4 weeks old. It is late in the year for such a
young chick. The owlet was in really poor condition; was put into a brooder and
given s-c fluids. It wasn't very encouraging that its sibling had been found
dead. For some reason the parents have disappeared from the nest site. Next
morning we were encouraged to see the chick standing up. We gave it more fluids,
then hand feeds of chopped up meat. Now she is looking quite grown up. She
has moulted most of her baby down, and has already made a test flight round the
hospital.
Late on Sunday evening came the next surprise. One of our members had been in Yorkshire for the weekend. He phoned to say he had found an owl, would it be alright for him to bring it. We were surprised when we opened the box to see a little owl. Little owls don't live locally, but of course they are common in Yorkshire. When the owl recovers it will be heading back down south.
When we returned to the centre on Friday, we were really
pleased to hear that Torrie, the otter cub, has started feeding himself. He is
being a bit fussy though. He will only eat trout or salmon!
25th September 2009 The very small otter cub from Callander is making good progress. This morning he weighed 700gm; he eats quite a lot of fish now, and yesterday picked up strips of trout from my hand. Up till then the fish had to be put into his mouth, he sucks it first, then chews and swallows. He still likes his bottle, and we will continue with milk feeds for at least another week. He is taking more notice of things around him, and is getting quite active in his cage. Pleased with his progress, we decided to name him, Torrie. Torrie isn't very co-operative yet about having pics taken, but here a few of the best, lots have been deleted!
24th September 2009 Do you remember the badger that came to Hessilhead a few weeks ago? She was unconsciousness for nearly a week. We fed her by syringe, just fluids at first, and then AD diet. As she became more active she managed to feed herself, then became strong enough to move outside. This evening we released her. We took her to a quiet lane, quite close to where she had been found on a busier road. We opened the box and waited. The box moved, the badger shuffled, then silence. Then the box rocked again. We waited, silently. Ages seemed to pass, then Andy moved towards the box. There was a dark streak as badger dashed from the box and disappeared under the hedge, and another blur as she dashed across the field. Nothing wrong with badger now! 24th September 2009 A window casualty sparrowhawk was brought to Hessilhead last week. There is nothing unusual about that, except that this bird was wearing 2 rings. One was a numbered BTO ring, the other a pit ring. Pit rings contain a microchip. The numbered rings can only be read if the bird is caught or found dead. is caught. Pit rings can be read with a scanner, and so breeding birds can be recorded at nest sites. The sparrowhawk in care is a young female, that was ringed at a nest near Newmilns, and subsequently hit a window in Kilmarnock. It will be released next weekend. Two weeks ago I opened the hatch in one of our tawny owl aviaries. I was surprised that the owls are still there, as tawny owls, even youngsters, don't usually waste any time heading for the trees. We decided to check some of the pellets in the aviary, and guess what. The pellets contain the remains of day old chicks, the food that I put in the aviary every day, and also the remains of field voles. The owls can only be catching voles by leaving the aviary at night. So they must go for a little adventure after dark, but return to the safety of the aviary before first light. This is good news for us; it proves that hand reared tawny owls can learn to hunt for themselves. We don't mind them returning for a daytime roost, but I expect they will eventually leave for a life in the wild. 23rd September 2009 44 Uist hedgehogs arrived here this evening. Most of the animals are a good weight, and should be ready for release by the weekend. There are a few young ones too, that have been put into heated cages in the main hospital. 22nd September 2009 We got a call from Ardeer today, asking if we could recue a roe buck that had fallen down a shaft into a drainage system. Off we went with ladders, ropes etc. We were taken to the shaft, and looked down on the adult roe buck, that was sitting looking up at us. This could be tricky. As you know, roe bucks have sharp pointed antlers, that could inflict a lot of damage. Andy slowly slid the ladder into the shaft. The deer stood up, but didn't look too frightened. Andy slowly made his way down the ladder, till he was level with the deer's head. Her grabbed the antlers, and at that pint the deer started to struggle. Andy then did his best ever rescue. He climbed backwards up the ladder, bringing the buck up with him. It seemed as if the deer suddenly realized that he was being helped out of his predicament, and reached for the rim of the shaft with his front feet. You will have to imagine the fantastic picture of Andy and the deer emerging from the shaft side by side, as we weren't allowed to take a camera on site! 20th September 2009 It has been a typical weekend for this time of year. The centre is quieter now, with most of the youngsters that were hand reared over the summer, out and fending for themselves. The last few swallows were released today, and this evening Andy took 4 more fox cubs to a release sites on the south side of Glasgow. While Andy was out, I took a call from the police, asking if we could help with a deer that had been injured on the road. As luck would have it, that was on the south side of Glasgow too. So Andy returned a while ago, minus the fox cubs but with a roe deer. The deer is badly concussed, but no bones broken. It has been settled in a shed for the night. Other arrivals this weekend included a buzzard, that was brought from Livingstone. The lady who brought this buzzard had been on a raptor first aid course, and she put this training to good use. The buzzard had been given fluids by crop tube, and was well packed for travelling. It is underweight, but not critically so, and has a slight back injury. Today it has been feeding itself, so is strong enough to tear at food, but when I approach its cage it crouches down. I think this bird will recover with time. Andy and Chantal collected a swan that had crashed into a roof in Irvine, and then toppled down into the garden. Obviously the swan is rather battered and bruised, but it certainly didn't like being in a cage in the hospital. It has moved to the swan hospital now, but can't stand yet. Several autumn juvenile hedgehogs came this weekend. This is quite early in the year for these little hogs to be getting into trouble, but some of them are needing lots of attention. Anyone finding a small hedgehog at this time of year, should put the animal in a cardboard box with cosy bedding, and either put the box beside a heat source, or put a hot water bottle in the box. It is better not to give these young hogs food, but certainly offer them a drink of warm water. These hogs need to come into care as quickly as possible. They need a variety of treatment, including antibiotics, wormer, fluids and heat. A greenfinch was brought in by one of our regular couriers, Eric. The bird had crashed into his window, but he suspected it maight also be suffering from trichomonasis. This is an infection that we have often seen in pigeons and doves, but was only recorded in finches a few years ago. Sadly, affected finches don't usually survive. On Saturday evening a badger was brought to Hessilhead from Tarbert, Argyll. The animal was unconscious on arrival, and doesn't look very much better today. 10th September 2009 Remember the tiny otter that came into care 3 weeks ago? Well, he certainly caused us problems. He didn't gain weight on the first milk substitute we gave him, and the next milk that was recommended made him scour, so that he was in danger of becoming dehydrated. As Andy and I were away for a week, Leianne put in a lot of hours to keep him well fed, and worried about him too. After 10 days we changed his diet. It took a while for us to be sure that this suited him, but now he is looking well, is gaining weight, has a longer coat, has opened his eyes and is becoming a character. He certainly doesn't like posing for the camera, but this pic will give you an idea of his progress.
Fyn the otter is living outside now. He has become quite
grumpy and snappy, always a good sign. In the daytime he likes to
hide beneath a log.
31st August 2009 The wet weather has kept patient numbers down, and has also meant postponing some releases. On the the occasional dry day we have taken the chance to release more house martins and swallows. it has been great to see them fly off to join the mixed flocks feeding over the field behind the centre. A sparrowhawk was taken back to Cardross to be released, as was a pipistrelle bat. A buzzard made a fast recovery and was released too, and the people who found a barn owl near Milton of Campsie, were pleased to collect the bird, and release it in its own territory. The rta badger is now outside, and well on the way to release, and as soon as we have a settled spell of weather, our hand reared foxes will be heading for freedom. 19th August 2009 The badger that came in on Saturday is making steady
progress. Although not completely conscious she moves around her cage a lot, and
is now taking food, with enthusiasm, from a syringe.
At lunchtime today we moved 4 of the young deer to the big woodland over-wintering enclosure. It was a dull miserable day, so photos not too good. The deer thought it was wonderful, eating tasty new vegetation straight away, and then bounding around the enclosure together.
One of today's new arrivals is going to be a real challenge. This latest otter cub is between 2 and 3 weeks old. He weighs 414 gm, his eyes are closed, and his short smooth coat is still greyish rather than brown. Like many of the casualties that come our way, his is a sad story. While people were walking their dogs in the Trossachs, an otter came towards them, stopped, startled, dropped something, and ran away. She had dropped the cub. The people left the cub on the path. Two hours later, in heavy rain, it was still there. I think they did the right thing to take it into care then. Let's all hope we can rear this youngster.
17th August 2009 A busy weekend brought in a variety of patients, and we also did a hedgehog training day, attended by 9 enthusiasts. With lots of young hedgehogs in care now, there were plenty of patients to see, feed, weigh and examine. On Sunday we had a work party making new steps to the bat hospital.
The first casualty of the weekend was a badger, picked up on the road at Stewarton. The animal arrived here in the front of a car, unconscious. It has been treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, given fluids and anti-biotics, but three days later remains unconscious. We are still quite hopeful of a full recovery. There appear to be no broken bones, and the badger is moving around much more now than on Saturday.
and a juvenile great black backed gull came in from Greenock. The bird has a back injury, but with good reflexes we hope it will recover. These birds are BIG, even this youngster.
14th August 2009 A barn owl was the first patient to arrive today. This poor bird had been stuck down a chimney for a few days. It was dirty, very thin, and not too pleased. We cleaned its eyes, nose and mouth, and after giving fluids gave the owl food. It didn't take long for the owl to eat, so hopefully it will soon be ready for release.
12th August 2009 Yesterday evening Andy and I picked up a swan from Doonfoot. It had fishing hook in its leg, and was trailing a lot of line and a float. We brought the swan back to the hospital, removed the hook under local anaesthetic, and gave antibiotics. Today the swan was returned to her family. The swans at Doonfoot are interesting. Last year we brought a female and 2 cygnets here. The female's mate had died (or disappeared,) and when the cygnets hatched they were attacked by another pair of swans at Doonfoot, that also had cygnets. This year we had reports of a swan sitting on eggs a little way up the river, and this swan didn't appear to have a mate. Another pair of swans had a territory at the mouth of the river. Now there is an unusual situation. There are two female swans at Doonfoot, both with cygnets, and one male swan. All appear to be living happily together.
11th August 2009 It isn't often that a juvenile lesser black backed gull becomes the star patient of the week. We have over 60 of them in an aviary, and a few others dotted around the centre. But it was noticed that 'star of the week' had a worm in his eye. The worm was alive and quite mobile, and we could only imagine that the sensation of it moving around inside the eye ball was unpleasant, to say the least. I sent photos of the eye, showing the worm, to Tom Pennycott, a vet pathologist who helps us a lot. He identified it as a fluke, cyathostomes. These parasites usually live in the sinuses of gulls; this was wayward fluke that got lost. The next person to help was our vet, Alastair Lawrie. He skillfully removed the fluke, and the gull is back at the hospital. It has been on antibiotics and eye drops 4 times a day, and it looks great. I think it will be released with the next batch of young gulls that are ready to go.
The first common seal pup of the year was brought across from Arran a few days ago. It has nasty wounds on his flippers and infected bites on his back.
8th August 2009 Today one of the SSPCA Inspectors brought in an otter. The
animal was emaciated, and had been hanging around Port Patrick harbour for
several days. On examination, we found that this was an old animal with very
worn teeth. This explained why it was so thin, the otter hadn't been able to
catch food. The otter was quietly put to sleep. Its suffering ended.
4th August 2009 This evening we were called to Irvine, where there was a disturbance between 2 neighbouring families of swans. The swan family from the Rivergate had gone over the weir, into the territory of the harbour swans. The harbour swans have 3 big cygnets. The Rivergate swans have 3 young cygnets, only 2 weeks old. By the time we arrived at the battle scene local people had managed to rescue the 3 small cygnets as the harbour swans had been trying to drown them. The harbour swans had then attacked the parents of the rescued cygnets, and these 2 swans were now against the sluice gate, with water pouring down on them. They were out of our reach, and the harbour swans were keeping guard. We called Fire and Rescue, and within minutes help was on hand. A fireman got a rope round one of the swans, and it was pulled to safety, very wet, but otherwise unharmed. This caused its mate to make a break for freedom, but the harbour male followed it, grabbed it by the neck and for a minute or two, seemed certain to drown it. Eventually the Rivergate male broke free, but he was unable to walk up the weir to escape, and wasn't getting a chance to take off. He tried hiding amongst some rocks, but was attacked again, then swam down the river and walked up the slip, where he almost jumped into Andy's arms. Now the family has been reunited at Hessilhead. We haven't decided yet where to release them.
3rd August 2009 This morning we were called to the rescue of 2 cygnets at Ardeer Rec, Stevenston. They were tangled in the same length of fishing line, and lots of weed had got caught round the line and floats. When one cygnet swam it towed the other behind it. It didn't take long to entice the family to the bank with bread, and when one of the cygnets came in reach Leianne grabbed it, pulling the other ashore too. Fortunately there was no serious damage, although the line was tight round one cygnet's leg. They were soon released and back with their family. The other 7 cygnets had been watching from a safe distance; the parents were watching from just off shore.
Early this evening we got a call about an otter cub that had been found on the road at Dalmally. Arrangements were made for us to collect the cub at the Western Ferries terminal at Dunoon. He is a tiny cub, but fiesty, and really enjoys his 4 meals a day.
Mally the otter cub
30th July 2009 Many of the hand reared young birds have been released now, though some late in the season arrivals are still demanding regular feeds in the hospital. The first batch of young gulls was released yesterday, and an oystercatcher was taken to the coast this morning. The ringed plover chicks are looking very smart, and will be moving outdoors tomorrow. We still have some mallard ducklings, and of course the cygnets. They will be here for quite a while yet. Most of the corvids are released now, though many are returning for food. We still have some blackbirds and thrushes, and the last starlings that were released are often seen around the paths and lawns at the centre, behaving just like wild reared starlings. There have been some interesting new arrivals this week. On Saturday a young cuckoo was found near Carradale on the Mull of Kintyre. It was put on the ferry to Arran, where it was met by the Arran Ranger Service. They transported the bird acrss Arran, and put it on the ferry to Ardrossan, where it was met by Andy. There was some concern that this bird had been caught by a cat, and it certainly had a few tail feathers missing. It had antibiotics, and a few days rest with regular feeds of mince and mealworms. It is time for cuckoos to migrate now, so we thought it best that it should be back in the wild as soon as possible. Hopefully it is now heading south on its way to Africa.
Late on Monday evening we had a call about a young deer, tangled in a children's goal net in a Greenock garden. When we arrived the deer was dragging the goal frame around with it. We soon had the deer cut free, but it was in a garden in a housing scheme. We couldn't release the deer there, so it is back at Hessilhead. Although quite stressed when we released it, the deer has settled in well, and eats a big pile of wild vegetation every day. On Wednesday we received a call from the shores of Loch Fyne. People had found an otter cub, and wanted advice. They put the cub in a cage, and left it on the beach for more than an hour, while they watched, hidden, some distance away. The cub called, but mother didn't arrive. The little cub was taken to the vet at Dunoon, given emergency treatment, then sent on the ferry to Gourock, where it was met by one of staff, Chris. The cub seemed very gentle and subdued at first, but when Leianne was putting fish into the cage later, it bit her finger!. a sure sign that the cub was feeling better.
Also on Wednesday a nest of pied wagtail chicks was brought
to the hospital. they were brought by transport firm, Malcolms, after they'd
been discovered in the engine of a truck. They are quite well grown and always
hungry. They even beg to one another in the hope of getting fed.
Yesterday morning we had a call about an injured 'kestrel' in Kilmarnock. When the bird arrived it was a very bad tempered peregrine falcon. It has a right shoulder injury, and will be x-rayed at the vet's tomorrow. rarely have we had a bird that looks so angry!
Later yesterday we had another surprise arrival. This was a little grebe, found on the ground at the Glen Park in Paisley. Apparently a cat was stalking nearby, which may explain the missing tail feathers ( and little grebes don't have much of a tail to start with). In case the bird had been catted, it was given antibiotics, and then allowed to swim on our swan pool today. It was a thrill to watch this little grebe diving and swimming underwater. They are perfectly designed for catching fish, but it was easy to see why they have such difficulty getting around on land.
Our main hospital is beginning to look like a hedgehog nursery. Most of the hoglets are feeding themselves now, and gaining weight, so soon they will be moved the hedgehog hospital. The 3 little hogs that came yesterday will be bottle fed for a couple of weeks. As you can see they like their food.
Three oiled eider ducklings came in today, following the oil spill at Faslane yesterday. They have been stablized for the night, and will hopefully go for cleaning tomorrow.
And here is Mel, thinking it must be time for a coffee break!
17th July 2009 This week we've been rescuing casualties from difficult or strange situations. On Monday we took in 21 young pigeons that had been removed from a derelict building before the doors and windows were boarded up. Unfortunately the person who 'rescued' them put them under a wrought iron gate in a narrow passage. He thought they'd be safe there. Later that day 4 mallard ducklings walked into a barber's shop in Neilston Road, Paisley. Mum had apparently gone off with the rest of her clutch. On Tuesday morning we received a call that a large number of bats had been found in a disused office in Kilbirnie. Sadly 14 of the bats were dead. David gave the survivors rehydration fluid from a fine paint brush. This was repeated throughout the day, and then mealworms were offered to the bats. We made sure that the pipe that allowed the bats to access the room was closed off, and on Thursday night released the bats outside their roost. We counted over 70 bats leaving the roost and watched them foraging over trees. I even managed to get a couple of photos of them in flight.
the rescued bats rehydration being released bat leaving roost young bat climbing back to roost and adult flying past Later on Tuesday we received a call about a young deer trapped in a deep shaft at Ardeer. It was a miracle that this deer was found. The entrance to the shaft was overgrown, and few people pass that way. The deer just happened to call as a birdwatcher walked nearby, and he went to investigate. We'd to carry the rescue equipment a mile. A ladder was put down the shaft, which was about 10' deep and 2 feet square. Leianne climbed down, which of course made the deer panic. Leianne soon had the deer in a bag, and climbed back up the ladder. We'd hoped the release the deer straightaway, as she would almost certainly have met up with her mother. However she has a nasty gash on her leg and required veterinary treatment. She is now living in one of our 'quiet' sheds, and will eventually join our other hand reared deer.
entrance to shaft Leianne goes down grapples with the deer climbs out the deer sees daylight recuperating at Hessilhead
On Thursday we got a call from Kilmarnock, from a lady who had abandoned her house after a sparrowhawk had flown in. David went to the rescue, caught the sparrowhawk and let it go, and then caught a starling in the kitchen of the house. The sparrowhawk must have chased the young bird, which panicked and flew into the house, and the predator followed. Today another young deer got in trouble. It tried to jump a fence, but got a hind leg caught in the wire. It is now at Hessilhead , standing but with a very sore leg.
3rd July 2009 When I made the last entry in the diary, I commented that we'd had a busy weekend, with over 50 patients admitted in the 2 days. Yesterday we had 43 patients admitted. These included more starlings and blackbirds, another clutch of mallard ducklings, more gull chicks, the first young kestrel of the season (it has a broken leg, that we hope will heal), 4 ringed plover chicks, a quail and another baby bat. David, our batman, is rearing the baby bats. He has just put them into travelling boxes and taken them home for the weekend. When the bats are less than 2 weeks they are very demanding, requiring milk feeds every 2 hours. We feed a milk substitute, esbilac, from a fine paint brush. It requires a lot of patience. If you'd like to meet our young bats and then join in a bat walk, contact us for details of dates.
Wader chicks can be tricky to rear, as they need live food, but the oystercatcher and ringed plovers are eating well. They have been given mealworms and earthworms, but they are eating chick crumbs too. The 4 ringed plovers were found by children, but I guess they found them on a stony beach, and 'stole' them from their parents. One of the chicks is older than the others, who think it is their mum.
ringed plovers young oystercatcher
young kestrel with fractured leg collared dove recovering from head injuries
young starling demanding food young hedgehog learns to lap milk from bowl
SHEEP SHEARING AT HESSILHEAD. EWEY FEELS MUCH BETTER WITHOUT THAT THICK WOOLLY COAT
and for those of you who haven't seen Mel recently, here she is enjoying a few days on Mull
22nd June 2009 We've just had a busy weekend, over 50 new patients admitted. We now have 4 cygnets, all from Greenock, but possibly from different families. The first 3 came after adult swans tried to drown them. Presumably this followed a territorial dispute, and the winners were not the parents of the young. They were joined today by a cygnet rescued from a dog. 2 mallard ducklings came early today, rescued by firemen, from a drain in a shopping complex in Hamilton. They seem none the worse for their ordeal. They have been joined by 8 ducklings from Ayr. Their mother abandoned them in a busy road. A new roe deer fawn is taking his bottle well in the hospital. Soon he will move outside.
6 baby rabbits came today. They were found in a garden , no other explanation, and as you can see they are very nervous and trying to hide. Blackbird chicks are still coming in, and there have been a few young song thrushes recently. There are a few young starlings, probably from replacement broods, and now it is time for swallows and house martins too. Four house martin chicks came yesterday, after their nest collapsed following a heavy shower. At last we have a few finches. 2 chaffinches are feeding themselves now, and a greenfinch is being hand fed. Other arrivals this weekend included 2 bats, one hanging from a tree on a fishing hook, an rta tawny owl, a gannet, 2 great spotted woodpeckers, and a roe deer, another road casualty, from Dumbarton.
. mallard ducklings house martin chick rabbits song thrush greenfinch This evening, while I was bottle feeding a leveret in the hospital, I looked out of the window and there, in what had been our cabbage patch. was the hand reared leveret that we released a few weeks ago. We took her through the wood and into a field to release her, and find it amazing that she has returned and taken up residence in the overgrown garden behind the hospital. She sleeps just feet away from where she was reared. The pics were taken through the hospital window, so as not to disturb her, but you can see that she looks quite grown up now. 20th June 2009 The first part of the week wasn't busy, and we took advantage of some sunshine on Tuesday to release the the first of blue tits, great tits and great spotted woodpeckers. We also moved some jackdaws out of the hospital. What a difference that made. It was much quieter without their constant demands for food. We wouldn't really mind them calling for food when they are hungry, but they call every time some movement catches their attention. Some of them even begged to each other in the cage, and they do it all at a level of decibels that hurts! We had a surprise patient earlier this week. It was another young raven, found in a car park in the Trossachs. This bird is remarkably tame and we are wondering if someone has reared and released it. The people who found the bird left it for several days, but It looked quite weak when they picked it up last Sunday. Their tlc has worked wonders. Fechan is now bouncing around an aviary, and we hope that as he spends time with the raven already in care, he will learn to be a raven and lose interest in people. 15th June 2009 Yesterday was our Open Day. We were so lucky. After 2 weeks of sunshine we hardly dared to hope for another sunny day. The forecast didn't help. Thunderstorms were promised. When went to bed after 1am in the morning, the sky was clear. We hoped. It was sunny by 7am and it stayed like that all day. Crowds came, enjoyed the tours, played the games and searched for bargains on the bric a brac. We all had a really good day, and it was profitable too. Some of our volunteers took a long time to get home, because of flash flooding following heavy rain. Hessilhead missed it all.
10th June 2009 OSPREY RELEASE Yesterday we released the osprey, close to where it had been found on the Lake of Menteith. You'll remember that the osprey was in really poor condition when it came here. For the first couple of days we doubted it if would survive, never mind be released. Once the bird began to feed itself it made steady progress, and for the past ten days has been living in one of largest aviaries. As far as we could tell it was flying well, even hovering above the perch before landing. We had sprayed it too, to encourage preening. We had dome al we could for this bird. Quite a crowd gathered to see the release. There was the water bailiff who'd found the osprey, and taken it from the net. There were rangers from the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, who had brought the bird to Hessilhead, and Dave and Katie, who had ringed the osprey as a chick in 2005. It was a little nerve wracking for us. Until the bird is released and flies, we cannot be 100% sure it is as fit as we think. All went well, though the bird at first seemed reluctant to leave its box. With a little encouragement from Andy it flew high, across the loch. We watched it circling over the distant hills, then an osprey flew back towards us, the same bird, we think.
4th June 2009 It is pretty busy in the hospital now. Today Leianne counted over 60 baby birds begging for food in the nestling section of the hospital. In the cages there are fledglings, some of them beginning to feed themselves, though still being hand fed, less frequently than the younger birds.
Great tit chicks, in the brooder jackdaw chicks 3rd June 209 Last Sunday we had a call from one of the visitor centres on Loch Lomond. They had a red breasted merganser, tangled in fishing line, and with a hook through its eye. That didn't sound good. One of our regular couriers, Ali, and her mum, Elspeth, were willing to help. They brought the casualty to Hessilhead. It looked, at first, as bad as we had thought. But when Andy began to remove the hook, we found that it had gone through both the upper and lower eye lids. Unbelievably, the eye was not damaged, though there was a lot of tissue damage, and I'm sure the bird must have been uncomfortable. The merganser spent the night in the hospital, on pain killers and antibiotics, and next day moved to the pool in the seal shed. It soon began diving for the whitebait we had thrown into the water, and we decided that it should return to its own environment as soon as possible. Today Ali and Elspeth collected the merganser. They were thrilled to release it on Loch Lomond, and sent us these photos.
before the hook was removed the merganser recuperating at Hessilhead
the red breasted merganser released on Loch Lomond 28th May 2009 New arrivals this week include a young raven, found in a West Kilbride garden. It was one of 4 birds described as young ravens that day; the others all shrunk into crows before they arrived here! We have 2 roe deer fawns, one found at the roadside in Bearsden, Glasgow, the other from Inverness. The Bearsden fawn has been reluctant to take milk from a bottle, but today it has begun feeding well, which means that the 2 fawns will move to an enclosure together.
the raven has settled in an aviary the Inverness fawn, with the shyer Bearsden fawn in the background 22nd May 2009 Today was the kind of weather that you expect at this time of year. It was just what we needed, as the first leveret to be reared this year was ready to go. She was getting too big for her hospital cage, but we've learnt from experience that it isn't a good idea to move young hares to a half way house. They may panic and injure themselves. The leveret has been eating lots of grass and other vegetation, though she liked her rabbit mix too. She will have to make do without that now.
looking going gone
21st May 2009 Some of our youngsters are ready for release. Today 2 mallards and their ducklings were released on Kilbirnie Loch. Each family set off in a different direction, closely followed by obedient ducklings. It always amazes me that mallard ducklings do exactly what their mother tells them.
We checked out tawny owl nest box today, and found two healthy chicks about 3 weeks old. More tawny owls have been arriving at the centre. All have company now, are self feeding, and will grow up wild.
2 tawny chicks in the nest box 2 tawny chicks in the hospital Thanks to a grant from the St Andrew Animal Fund, we have 2 new high tech brooders in the hospital. They are ideal for small injured birds that arrive cold and in shock, and great for nestlings being hand reared.
20th May 2009 Good news about the osprey. It is making good progress, standing now, and tearing up fish for itself. It is ready to move out to a shed.
18th May 2009 It feels more like spring now, with a wider variety of youngsters in the hospital.
young heron from Arran 2 more leverets have arrived fox cubs are becoming more wary 16th May 2009 It was a surprise when we took a call from Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park today, asking if we could take in an osprey. The bird looks awful, is unable to stand, has been tangled in netting and struggling to get free. It has been treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, and has been hand fed. Fingers crossed 12th May 2009 Last weeks wet and windy weather slowed down the intake of young birds. The storms brought in some young rooks. They were almost fledged, but had been blown from nests and branches, and are just too old to beg for food. They don't like being force fed either, so there is lots of noise and tantrums. A few new young blackbirds are much better behaved, and the 2 young mistle thrushes are perfectly mannered. Starlings are coming in now, but by this time last year, the hospital was much busier with nestling birds. We have one little robin chick..............how about this for a hairdo?
4th May 2009 It has been a cold, wet and busy Bank Holiday Monday. The day started with a duckling rescue at Hessilhead. When Leianne went to feed the goat kid she heard ducklings calling, and spotted them beside the seal enclosure. One of the mallards that often waddles around the centre had nested under some sheets of weldmesh that leaned against the fence. It must have seemed a good nest site, safe from marauding crows and magpies. The ducklings must have hatched in the night, and for some reason some of them tried to climb the sheets of mesh. Three of them had got trapped and died, others were climbing the mesh as we watched. We rounded up Mum and the remaining 9 ducklings, and she soon settled in the shed...the ducklings will be safer in care till they are a bit older. Later another duck with 9 ducklings was brought into care. A deer was rescued from the grounds of a care home in Castlemilk. Deer often enter gardens through a gate, and then try to escape through the fence. This deer had been trapped for hours; it was caught, sedated, and released in woodland close by. Another deer was picked up from the central reservation of the A726. Sadly its 2 back legs were shattered. Other arrivals today included a hedgehog, 2 gulls, a crow and a jackdaw, and the biggest surprise of all, a young weasel. When I heard a young weasel was on its way here, I thought it must be really small, probably naked with eyes still closed. In fact this youngster is 7 or 8 weeks old. It feeds itself and is very active, although it was picked up for dead on a path this morning. With spring apparently on hold, it seems odd that a weasel should have been born so early in the year.
2nd May 2009 Andy and Stephen went on an unusual rescue today. A call from a fishery had reported a tawny owl, trapped beneath the netting over their nursery pools. Apparently the tawny owl was perched on a post, approximately 8' high. It didn't take them long to net the owl, which they released straightaway. At this time of year tawny owls will be feeding well grown young. It was important that this bird return to its family asap.
1st May 2009 Andy took Danielle and Cuan, 2 of our work experience students, on a duckling rescue last night. It turned into an epic affair. By the time they arrived at the garden in Alloway, the lady who called had tried to barricade the duck and ducklings in. They didn't like this, and had scattered over several gardens. Eventually, after scrambling through hedges and over fences, mother duck and 12 ducklings were safely boxed. But one duckling was missing. The rescue team had heard it calling, but all went quiet. Sadly they had to leave without it. This morning the lady from Alloway phoned. After dark last night, her security light came on, and there in her garden was the missing duckling. Now it is snuggled happily under mum, with all its siblings. 29th April 2009 And another young badger was brought in today. We heard about this cub last night. It has been following people on a farm near Lockerbie for the past few days. We suggested the lady who called us walked it into an outhouse; in fact she walked it into her kitchen! As far as we are concerned, there is never any doubt that a young animal behaving like this should come into care. It often means something has happened to Mum, and the hungry cub is desperate for help. This cub, known as Broch ( Leianne's influence, it's welsh for badger), has a swollen, probably infected leg, and infection in its ear too. Now it is on antibiotics.
24th April 2009 Andy and I are just back from a trip to Yorkshire. We took the two English otters to Jean Thorpe, of Ryedale Rehabilitation. Jean has arranged a release site on land managed by English Nature on the Lower Derwent valley, and not too far from where one of the otters was found. Jean was really excited about the release project. The otters will be kept in an electric fenced enclosure for a week or so, and after release, food will still be provided till the young otters catch enough food for themselves. After handing over the otters, we spent a few days in the North York Moors. It was wonderful. Sunshine all day every day. There are a few new arrivals in the hospital. Another badger cub, a female, and smaller than BB (baby badger) has been christened LBB (little baby badger). She is taking milk from a bottle, but soon should be eating from a dish. There are more fox cubs, including a litter of three cubs in poor condition, and several fledgling blackbirds.
LBB little baby badger 16th April 2009 The first ducklings of the season arrived today. First came 2 little orphans from the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. They had fallen down a drain, but luckily their high pitched squeaks were heard by maintenance staff. They fished out the fluffy youngsters unharmed. Now they are under a heat lamp, having eaten a supper of chopped worms. Soon afterwards Leianne and Joana arrived back from Helensburgh, with a female mallard and 12 ducklings. The duck had nested in a garden as she did last year. The garden was close to shore, but really, the shore at Helensburgh isn't a good place for ducklings to be. Last year's brood were all taken by gulls, and the people who lived nearby were anxious that this shouldn't happen again. The family will stay at Hessilhead till the ducklings are about 3 weeks old. They will be much bigger, more active and stand a better of chance of surviving then when they are released. This evening they have settled into a shed. When they were let out of the carrying boxes Mum called the ducklings to her, and soon they had disappeared into her feathers.
Andy couldn't resist going out with camera just before dark.
12th April 2009 Two more orphans were brought to Hessilhead today. The little badger cub is 7 or 8 eight weeks old. He was found in a field, all alone. The fox cub is little more than a week old, found on a pavement in Edinburgh. The fox cub is covered in tiny ticks. you can see them on her face in the photo.
10th April 2009 We had a couple of surprises today. First was a call about a badger. This one, another adult badger, was found in a new housing scheme in Lanark, apparently wandering around in circles. Sadly it is an old badger, with multiple problems, including poor and missing teeth, weight loss, tumours and overgrown claws, indicating a long term problem and that the badger hasn't been foraging normally. The answer for this one was to be put to sleep. Then came a call from Newton Stewart. A lady had been walking her dog, a normally very reliable retriever. Today it disgraced itself grabbing a goat kid. The goat kid screamed, which made the rest of the herd disappear over the hill. The dog dropped the kid, which ran into the loch, and the dog's owner had to go into the loch to retrieve the drowning kid. Hilary the wild goat kid is at Hessilhead now. She is probably a month or 6 weeks old, has a wound on her side, but is already nibbling vegetation.
9th April 2009 Andy and Michelle came back from a rescue very pleased with the outcome. They responded to call from Cessnock in Glasgow, reporting a fox trapped in the yard of a basement. They borrowed a ladder and climbed down to the fox, that was looking quite dishevelled and exhausted. They soon had hold of the fox and discovered she was vixen feeding cubs. The best thing was to release her so she could return to her family as quickly as possible. Releasing her at the entrance to the basement may have resulted in her running along the pavement to the busy road nearby. So they took the fox round the back of the building where a quiet lane gave access to the gardens. The fox ran away, and Michelle will have a good story to tell when she returns to her animal care college in Yorkshire. 8th April 2009 We have had some unexpected patients this week. On Monday morning a fox was brought to the hospital. It arrived wearing a harness and lead. Apparently it had been taking food by hand from the people who brought it. They thought it was surprisingly tame, but we suspect that it is ill or concussed. The fox is certainly underweight, and was quite badly dehydrated. Now it is eating and becoming much more lively. Today brought a mixture of patients. Chris arrived at work carrying a small box containing a bat that had been found at the sports centre where her partner works. The bat was found in a room that had been closed for several days, and was very slow and lethargic. Chris knew that the bat needed fluids, and had given it several small drinks last night. then it ate some bits of chopped earthworm. The surprising thing was that this is a daubenton's bat, a species that doesn't frequent buildings as much as pipistrelles or brown long eared bats.
As expected a delivery of 37 hedgehogs arrived early this evening. This is the first batch of Uist hogs to be relocated this year. We had spent a lot of time over the weekend sending our overwintered hedgehogs off to release sites. This left plenty of space for the new arrivals. They soon settled into their cages and started eating. Most of them are really good weights for hedgehogs that have come through hibernation. They will soon be off into the wild. While the hedgehogs were being unloaded Andy and Lucy were in Glasgow, rescuing a badger that had been found in a storm porch. This is a bit of mystery patient. The badger isn't badly injured, though there are some old wounds, but it was in an area quite a distance from known badger setts. At this time of year badgers sometimes move quite a distance. Maybe it was looking for a new home.
7th April 2009 I thought you might like to see how much the young tawny owls
have grown in a week at Hessilhead.
2nd April 2009 The first tawny owl chicks of the year arrived at Hessilhead this week. They were found in Roukenglen Park (hence their names, Rouk and Glen), on the ground, and with a mouse beside them. This suggested they had fallen from a nest, perhaps due to the winds of the last few days, and their parents knew they were there. It was sad to think that a parent owl may have left a chick for the youngsters, but they are far too small to be out of the nest, and had no chance of surviving on the ground in a park that is used regularly by dog walkers. Of course the other possibility is that the mouse fell from the nest with the owlets. Maybe the parents hadn't left it beside them on the ground. The owls are being hand fed; they are too young yet to tear
up food for themselves. They spend most of the day snuggled together in a box
.
Mel finds it very boring when I'm working on the computer,
but a little yoga helps to pass the time!
30th March 2009 Those of you who read the diary regularly will know that we
have had rather a ,lot of otter cubs this winter. On Friday an adolescent otter
was brought in. He was found on Ayr beach, dreadfully thin and unable to walk
properly. When Andy and I arrived home he had already drunk 2 bowls of
rehydration fluid, and was half way through a bowl of water. Later that night we
gave him a very small fish, and the following day he was given several small
feeds of fish. He began to show more interest in his surroundings. The vet's
diagnosis is damage to a radial nerve. This will have prevented him from getting
around properly, and explains his poor condition. Hopefully with rest he will
make a full recovery.
Today we got the first phone call at 6.30. It was Ayr police, telling us they had an injured otter in the dog kennel at the police office. It was unbelievable. Two otters from Ayr in 4 days. Today's otter is a big male. He has a badly damaged leg and foot, two broken canines and bites all over his body. He is still with the vet, his injuries are being treated, and we'll hope that he too will make a full recovery. 28th March 2009 Andy and I came back from England last night, to find another fox cub in the hospital. This one is about the size that Ginger was when he arrived. He is feeding himself and seems quite content. Another cub was brought in this morning. This little soul, eyes just opened, was found on a Glasgow pavement at 6am this morning. It was icy cold. The family who found her did all the right things. They made the cub a cosy nest in towels, and put this in a cardboard box on a hot water bottle. They felt the cub's tummy, and it felt round and full, so they decided not to feed the cub. At 9am they called us for advice, having been told by other organizations to put the cub back where they found her. We asked them to bring the cub to the hospital, and they did this willingly, only too pleased to know that their cub would get the best care. They called her Furbie.
cub number 2 from Linwood and Furbie
17th March 2009 Today was one of those days that make you think that spring is just around the corner. Thinking of spring makes us think of releasing hedgehogs, and with over 70 hedgehogs in care, we must find some new release sites. So Andy and I spent today in S Lanarkshire, checking out some woodland and garden locations that people have offered as hedgehog homes. All of the sites were good, with plenty of ground cover and access to short grass where the hedgehogs will feed. Andy is making notes now, but we should have locations for at least 20 hedgehogs. Lets hope the weather remains mild. On our way to the hedgehog sites we released a sparrowhawk that was brought in about 10 days ago. She was found near some woodland walks at Lesmahagow, probably having been clipped by a car. Although badly concussed when she first came in, she made a full recovery and flew off over the hedge, as sparrowhawks do! 13th March 2009 Today is the first day of spring at Hessilhead. We decided it must be so, as the first fox cub was brought in to the hospital this morning. The cub was found yesterday, on a building site near Holytown, Lanarkshire. It is thought that after being disturbed the vixen moved the other cubs to safety. As you can see, Ginger is a really chubby, healthy looking cub, and it is very tiring work being a fox cub!
28th February 2009 A good day today. 11 of the swans that were oiled at Irvine 3 weeks ago were ready for release. They came back from Middlebank yesterday, all looking clean and healthy; their only visible problem being that most of them have lost neck feathers. These will grow in quite quickly. There was no doubt that the swans were pleased to be back on their own patch. First of all they all had a good bath, then came out of the water to preen. then it was play time. They swans flew around, checking out their old haunts, meeting other swans, head bobbing greetings, rearing out of the water, stretching and flapping wings. They looked so full of life.
Andy and I have been looking forward to today all week. Our friends Les and Sue Stocker from St Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital were due to visit. They were bringing an otter cub that was found beside the river Gt Ouse in Bedfordshire a few weeks ago. Otters, and therefore orphaned cubs, are not so widespread in parts of England as they are in most of Scotland. So this little cub was alone, and as you know, otter cubs do better with company. Les and Sue have devoted their lives to caring for wildlife, so thought nothing of making the journey to Hessilhead to give this little cub a good chance of returning to the wild. It was really good to see them; we always have plenty to talk about and wish we could meet up more often. The English otter has joined Nicholas and Rosa in their outdoor run. Salen, from Mull and Jarg from S Ayrshire are still in the hospital, but sharing a cage now.
Salen, the smallest of our cubs, from Mull 20th February 2009 Waders are not very frequent patients at Hessilhead. I assume
this is not because they do not get injured , but more that they occupy habitats
rarely frequented by people, We were surprised, therefore, that 3 waders, were
brought to Hessilhead today. They were woodcock, redshank and dunlin. The
redshank, unusually, was found in a garden in Troon. It has a head injury and
should make a full recovery.
16th February 2009 There was a surprise waiting for us in the hospital this morning. One of the bats that we've overwintered had given birth. The baby spends most of its time clinging to Mum, but as far as we can see, is doing well. Of course bats shouldn't give birth at this time of year, but they shouldn't be awake all winter either. The female bat is one that was removed from its roost, illegally. We weren't sure how to treat these bats, but opted to keep them reasonably warm in the hospital, and offer them food every day. The bats would have been pregnant, but normally the embryos wouldn't have developed till spring, and the young would be born in May or June. We created an early spring, resulting in an early out of season birth. 14th February 2009 A few days ago two of the otter cubs, Nicholas and Rosa, were moved into an outdoor enclosure. They were taken out in separate pet carriers, but a larger sleeping box had been prepared with plenty of bedding. When Leianne checked on them later in the day, Rosa had moved into Nicholas' box. That is Rosa in the foreground. Later that day Leianne got a nice shot of Storm, the otter that was washed down the river Ayr late last summer. Nicholas and Rosa have now moved into the more luxurious sleeping box. We were a bit worried about moving them out of the hospital when the weather was so cold. They don't seem to mind, and obviously spend much of each night playing in their water bowl, so that by morning their shed is wet all over! 13th February 2009 Taday we met Wriggly, the grey seal pup that was admitted in our absence. This was another successful rescue for Karen, our Greenock volunteer, and it is the biggest seal pup she has ever had in the boot of her car. The pup weighs 22 kilos, which is underweight for this time of year, but nevertheless, quite a bit of seal. Everyone at Hessilhead is relieved that the seal is self feeding. It has been wormed, and is getting rid of lots of tapeworms. Hopefully it will soon be gaining weight.
12th February 2009 Andy and I have just had a couple of days away, but not exactly away from wildlife rescue. We had only been gone an hour or so yesterday, when we found a buzzard standing in the middle of the road to the Trossachs. Of course we stopped and picked the bird up, wrapped it in a towel and put it in the shower cubicle of the campervan. Later we acquired a box from the shop in Aberfoyle. In contrast to many of the buzzards that we have treated recently, this one is in really good condition, and had a full crop of food. Perhaps that was a contributory factor in colliding with a vehicle. It was probably just too full to make a fast escape. The buzzard was very quiet yesterday, concussed, and with a bruised wing. Today it is looking brighter, and now in a cage at Hessilhead, it is eating well. We will look forward to releasing this bird back where we found it. Its mate watched the rescue from a roadside tree. 10th February 2009 Today was a big day for Dotty, the young red deer calf that we reared last year. We had arranged a few weeks ago that she would join the herd of red deer at Culzean Country Park, as she has outgrown her enclosure at Hessilhead, and become quite playful. Playing for Dotty involves standing on her hind legs, and boxing people in the enclosure. This can be quite alarming if she takes you by surprise. It was a worrying day for me, as Dotty had to be sedated for the journey to Culzean. This was done under veterinary advice, but even so, there is a risk that something will go wrong. Once Dotty was sedated, she was carried to the ambulance, and we set off for Culzean straightaway. There was not a sound on the way there. This was good, indicating that she was sleeping soundly. But was she alright? We met Ian, an old friend of ours who looks after the deer at Culzean, at the top gate of the deer park. We opened the ambulance door, relieved to see Dotty breathing, but still asleep. That didn't last long. She woke as soon as Andy and Ian lifted her, but they managed to get the antidote into her before she broke free. We watched Dotty for a while, still a bit wobbly and confused, then went for walk down to the beach. On our return we found Dotty at the bottom of the enclosure, near the car park, wide awake now, and with two white red deer hinds. Occasionally they chased Dotty, but she was feeding and playing with them, apparently content. She certainly has a lovely place to live, and hopefully it won't be too long till she is fully accepted into teh herd.
Dotty saying farewell to Mel and a getting goodbyel scratch from Andy 8th February 2009 The otter cub from Mull is feeding himself now, and still enjoying the comfort of a heated cage. He has been easy enough to handle, not like Nicholas, the Christmas day cub, but he is also quite independent. The snowy weather seems to have slowed down the intake of patients recently. There were swans of course. One came from Renfrew Ferry, a sad looking swan came from Richmond Park in Glasgow, and there was a road rescue cygnet from Erskine. The Richmond Park swan is eating now and looking much brighter. Yesterday morning we didn't hold out much hope for its survival. This afternoon a kestrel was brought in from Priestland. It had been found on someone's windowsill, watching the family eat Sunday lunch. The bird is seriously underweight, and wouldn't have survived without treatment. Why it was on the window ledge we don't know!
some of our swans on the quarry pond 4th February 2009 Andy and I had an early start today. We had to meet a ferry at 09.45 in Oban, and that meant leaving home at 7am. We were hoping that an otter cub would be on the ferry, but we'd to leave home before we could confirm that. The cub had been found last night, near Salen on the Isle of Mull. The person who found the baby otter had heard it calling all day, and there had been no sight of the cub's Mum. The man had no fish nor medical equipment, but he said he would keep the cub warm overnight, and put it on the ferry this morning. It was a lovely drive as far as Crianlarich, with the early morning sun casting a pink tinge on the snow covered hills, but snow set in after that, and just got heavier. The otter cub was smaller than we had expected, and quite cold, so we placed its box beside the heater, and headed for home straightaway. When we arrived at Hessilhead we gave the cub fluids from a baby's bottle, and a drink of milk later. He is sleeping soundly now in a heated cage.
29th January 2009 We were back at Irvine twice today, with volunteers from Shanwell Wildlife Rescue in Dundee. They brought a water rescue team with a boat. We have now rescued 24 swans, 4 eider, a shag and a merganser. Sadly we found 3 dead eider and a dead shag today. There is still a lot of oil in the river. No doubt more birds will be contaminated yet. There was good news today from Middlebank, the SSPCA centre where the birds are being cleaned. The oil is washing off fairly easily, and once cleaned, the birds are looking good. The first eider cleaned yesterday is ready for release. The swans will eventually be returned to Irvine Harbour, but of course that will not be until all trace of oil has disappeared. We will keep the swans at Hessilhead till that time.
a shag, an eider drake and a merganser, ready for transporting to Middlebank. The pillow case jackets prevent them preening and ingesting more oil. 28th January 2009 I expect you heard about yesterday's train derailment at Stewarton. We didn't expect there to be any repercussions for wildlife, but a phone call at 6am this morning made us realize that was not the case. A swan was reported to be oiled at the Rivergate, Irvine, and when we had rescued that swan, we went to check the harbour. The smell of diesel was awful, and lots of swans were on the bank, frantically trying to clean their contaminated feathers. We got 5 swans that first trip, 9 swans, a goose and an eider the second trip, and 4 swans, 2 eiders, a shag and a red breasted merganser in the afternoon. All have been given activated charcoal, which will absorb some if the ingested oil. Most have already been taken to Middlebank, the SSPCA wildlife centre in Fife, that has good oiled bird cleaning facilities. We will be back at Irvine tomorrow, hoping to collect more of oiled birds, but the longer it is before they are rescued, the less likely they are to survive.
waiting to be rescued on its way to Hessilhead Shelby on the slippery rocks under a heatlamp
swan being given charcoal 27th January 2009 Early yesterday evening we got a call about an injured owl. It was sitting at the roadside, at a crossroads on the A736, only a few miles from Hessilhead. As we drove there we kept our fingers crossed that the owl hadn't been flattened by another vehicle. We found it easily, a barn owl, standing motionless right on the corner. When I lifted it there was no movement. The owl was clearly in shock. We soon had it back at the centre, gave it anti-inflammatory treatment, cleaned its bleeding eye, and put it in a heated box. This owl was fortunate that we were able to respond to the call so quickly. We would usually recommend that small wildlife casualties be moved to safety as soon as possible. It would be so easy for them to be involved in another accident. 26th January 2009 It couldn't have been a nicer day for releasing a seal. It was calm and relatively mild, and we knew that Dundee was ready to go. He weighed in at 46.5 kilos last week
They've drained my tank So this is my new home I'll give it a go It's deeper than my old tank
Bye, and thanks for all that fish and Mel came too 25th January 2009 January is always a busy month for swan rescues. Some are swans in poor condition unable to cope with the cold weather. Others have been involved in territorial disputes, some have been injured when landing on roads, some have been trapped, others have injuries caused by hooks and line and a few have been attacked by dogs. Today we admitted a swan from Victoria park in Glasgow. There are 30 or so swans on the ponds there, but this individual spent most of its time off the water, and was bullied if it did try to swim. One of the park keepers had befriended the swan, and made sure it always got food. He realized it needed treatment though. Its feathers are in very poor condition, stained pink with the mould that grows on surplus bread given to swans at sites like this, and not waterproof. This swan will be a long term patient. The good thing about dealing with so many swans, is that most weeks we have swans ready for release. Most of these are released into non breeding flocks, such as Hoganfield Loch in Glasgow, or the Auld Brig on the river at Ayr. Last week Shelby and two volunteers took a territorial swan back to Greenock. The swan had recovered from a torn wing sustained when it crashed into a fence. The swan's mate was on the dam when our team arrived, and at first showed signs of aggression. Once our swan was out of the bag the two swans swam towards each other, and soon started bobbing heads, displaying and renewing their pair bond. This is one of the delights of wildlife rescue. 22nd January 2009 Last night I was in bed earlier than usual, relieved that I didn't have to blend fish for an ungrateful otter cub. At fifteen minutes past midnight the phone rang. A fox was in Charlie Smith's pub in Largs, refusing to leave even though it was well past closing time. I thought I was dreaming! but no such luck. Andy and I arrived at the pub, which is on the busy corner just across the road from the ferry terminal. The fox had the run of the lounge bar, and although it had been taking food from the barmaid's hand, it wasn't too keen on being caught. After a few circuits across tables and under chairs we netted the fox, and soon had him in the carrying box. There didn't seem to be anything wrong at all. So now we have a problem. Why was this fox in Largs Main Street, apparently hungry, determined to go inside and reluctant to leave. Could someone be on holiday, someone who has been feeding the fox? He certainly seems quite confident with people, though not exactly tame. The busy main street doesn't seem like a good location to release the fox, Yet if we release him in the hills, but he has been depending on handouts in the town, he may not do well. We are still considering the options. 21st January 2009 Yesterday morning we had a surprise phone call from Rosemary Green. Rosemary and husband Jim were involved in otter surveys and rehabilitation for many years. They took most of the cubs found in Scotland, and several from Ireland too. They pioneered radio tracking otter cubs after release. They still do survey work, and they farm in South Ayrshire. On Monday evening they were surprised to hear the high pitched call of a lost otter cub, just outside their house. They took the cub in, and syringe fed it a mixture of lamb milk and blended fish. They were tempted to rear the cub, and release it from the rehabilitation pens still on their ground. Of course they knew that the cub would do better with company, hence the phone call. So we met Jim today, and he handed over one of the prettiest, most gentle cubs we've seen, female, naturally. She has already started eating fish, and guess what, Nicholas ate fish last night too. The 3 cubs should soon be together.
19th January 2009 We thought we had finished for the day when we took a call from one of our
member/couriers, Maureen. Maureen had picked up a fox casualty that she found
lying unconscious on the road in Bearsden. She lay it in the passenger foot well
of her car, away from her 3 dogs in the back. A few miles down the road the fox
made a rapid recovery. It jumped onto the dash board, ran from side to side,
then made for cover in the driver's footwell, making driving impossible. Maureen
abandoned her car, and called for assistance. Goodness knows what her dogs were
thinking! Andy went to Maureen's rescue, and returned to Hessilhead with the
biggest fox we have ever seen. There doesn't seem to be much wrong with the fox
now. Hopefully it will soon be back in the wild.
David and Donna called in this afternoon. David is our site manager, and Donna, his girlfriend used to work here too. They are members of Ayr Dog Training Club, and brought a cheque for £500, a donation from the Club. We really appreciate support like this, which helps us build new facilities, as well as provide veterinary care and food for many casualties. Donna was pleased to visit her old friend Fergus (fox), and Dotty ( red deer) was keen to get to know Donna.
16th January 2009 This morning Emma, an ambulance driver for the SSPCA, dropped off a swan that had swallowed fishing line. It is often possible to remove the line by applying gentle pressure, but this time Andy felt a lot of resistance, and located a treble hook just out of reach. So Andy went off to the Vet's with the swan, that would have to be anaesthetized so the hook could be removed surgically. Andy hadn't been gone long when I took a call from Karen, our volunteer in Greenock. I could hear Karen's teeth chattering down the phone as she told me that in order to rescue a cormorant, she had been in Murdieston Dam. The cormorant was hanging from a branch, over the water, with a very large fishing hook through its wing. In the hospital we gave the cormorant a shot of local anaesthetic, then cut and removed the hook. The bird's wing is badly strained and abraided, and it will need antibiotics too. Karen tells me that there are more hooks and yards of line hanging from branches. She will return over the weekend to collect it.
13th January 2009 We took advantage of today's good weather to release more patients. First to go was the buzzard that I had picked up at Hessilhead just before New Year. We had been feeding 2 free flying buzzards, or so we thought, during the frosty weather. We assumed they were birds we had released. Then I found a buzzard trapped under bushes between the fox enclosure and the buzzard aviary. It had been trying to reach the food from the captive buzzards. I was surprised that this bird wasn't ringed. That meant it wasn't a bird we had released. The buzzard had a foot infection, which could easily lead to a painful condition known as bumblefoot. We put it on antibiotics straightaway, and the infection cleared up quickly. Today it flew off strongly into its favourite tree. The day after I rescued this buzzard, there were still two buzzards on the aviary roof, waiting for food. So we had been feeding 3, not 2 buzzards! Later today David took a buzzard back to Dalrymple, and released 3 swans on the river at Ayr. David was pleased with the buzzard release. It is always great to see a bird fly off, having recovered from a broken wing. One of today's new arrivals is an otter cub, found by staff at a care home in Glen Rosa, on Arran. The cub was alone and calling for Mum. It is a little female, and I'm pleased to say, started eating fish straightaway. Nicholas, the Christmas day otter, is still refusing to eat whole fish. He takes blended fish and milk from a bottle, with occasional chunks of finger and thumb. Hopefully Rosa will teach him to eat! 11th January 2009 Meet Mel, the new Hessilhead puppy, getting up to mischief in the hospital
9th January 2009 Andy and I were on our way to Clydebank yesterday morning, to look for an injured fox near the canal. A call from base reported a trapped squirrel, could we deal with that too? We found the fox easily enough, but the lady hadn't said that it was inside an 8' high enclosure, topped with barbed wire. Fortunately some of the chain netting had been broken and patched before, and we found a loose bit that Andy managed to squeeze through. Getting the fox out through the same gap was a bit more tricky; it was badly injured, and we didn't want to cause it any more distress. Carefully I took the fox from Andy, and laid it on blankets in the transport box. The Vet in Clydebank kindly put it to sleep. The squirrel rescue had a happy ending, The greedy squirrel had climbed into the open top end of a cylindrical peanut feeder, presumably to reach nuts at the bottom. Like many of us after Christmas, the squirrel discovered that its hips couldn't squeeze into the same space as its head and shoulders, and it became firmly wedged in the feeder. When we arrived the owners of the garden had taken down the feeder, cut the bottom off, and then put squirrel and feeder into a cat carrier. There was quite a lot of blood, and they thought the squirrel could be badly injured. The poor squirrel had its head peeping out of the bottom of the cylinder. Its hind legs hung out of the top, The squirrel couldn't move at all, it was as if it was squeezed into a straight jacket. And I didn't have a camera! Andy managed to cut the heavy metal rim from the top of the feeder, but still the squirrel couldn't move. Then we cut the mesh up the length of the feeder. Still holding the squirrel tightly, Andy went outside. He opened up the mesh tube, and the squirrel scuttled to the bottom of the garden and soon took refuge in a tree. All the blood had come from a broken toe nail. There was no serious injury, and the squirrel would soon clean itself up. I wonder if it stays away from peanut feeders now? 8th January 2009 Today the Boxing Day owl was released. Karen took it to Dunlop on her way home from work. She met the family who found and removed the owl from the barbed wire fence, and together they went to the wood. The owl flew from the box as soon as it was opened, straight into a nearby tree. Another wildlife casualty back in its own territory. 6th January 2009 Today began with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. The roe deer that Sara brought in before Christmas was ready for release, hence the excitement. To be transported back to Loch Lomondside, it would have to be sedated, and that is always a little bit worrying. It would be dreadful if something went wrong at this late stage. When we arrived at the release site the deer was still unconscious, good news, as it had to be carried across some rough ground. The deer was given the antidote, and we waited. Andy rubbed the injection site, helping to circulate the drug. Nothing happened. We all began to fidget. I walked back to the car, maybe thirty yards, to check that the pup was behaving herself. When I turned round the deer had gone. Apparently it lifted its head, stood up, and walked away, all in one movement. We watched as it made its way uphill, disappearing in dips then crossing open ground, we lost of it behind bushes, then there it was again, gathering speed, on familiar territory, finally bounding out of sight. A happy ending for a Christmas week casualty. 2nd January 2008 Good news today. We moved the Boxing day tawny owl from the hospital to a shed. Remember the owl's wing was badly damaged by barbed wire, and we were not sure if it would make a full recovery. We were surprised to see the owl flying well, though there is still a lot of scar tissue. We will give the owl a few days to exercise in the flight, then it should be ready to return to its territory. I am sure this is a territory holding bird as it is such a good weight and very strong. It won't be long now till tawny owls are laying. Hopefully this bird will be back in the wild in time for the breeding season.
2007 - 2008 30th December 2008 Andy and I have enjoyed working more closely with the patients while our staff have hopefully been enjoying the festivities. We have had plenty of help from our dedicated volunteers and Karen, our new centre manager has been working too. We appreciate this help; it has allowed us to spend more time with our new puppy, Mel. We have had new arrivals every day over the holiday season; some of course take up more time than others. Two days before Christmas Sara called. Sara is one of our trustees, and I expect that the last thing she needed when on her way to Sainsbury's for her big Christmas shop, was to find an injured roe deer on Loch Lomondside. Sara got help to lift the injured deer into the back of her vehicle, and drove straight to Hessilhead. The deer didn't look good, bleeding from its mouth and badly concussed, it was barely conscious. We didn't hold out much hope. Today the deer panicked when we opened the shed door. That is always a good sign. Over the past few days it has been eating well, and we expect it will be released early next week. Christmas Day brought a surprise patient from Beith. The little otter cub was curled up in an old tyre beside a track used frequently by dog walkers. The cub was much too small to be out of the holt; the usual reason for this is that Mum has gone missing, and the hungry cub has followed her scent, desperate for food. The cub must have run out of energy, and now it was really cold too. We hurried back to the centre and put the cub in a heated cage. We soon discovered that this cub has attitude, sharp teeth and doesn't like fish. With several punctured fingers, I have now called a truce. The cub is drinking milk from a bottle, and only gets angry when the bottle is empty. I leave fish with the otter every night, hoping it will realize that otters eat fish. So far no luck. I'll have to try hand feeding it again in a day or two. Fingers beware!
On Boxing Day a family arrived with a tawny owl that they had found hanging from a barbed wire fence. The owl looked awful, lying in an open box. it could have been dying. We made the owl comfortable on a heat pad, after giving it painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Later examination revealed a badly strained shoulder, and a lot of tissue damage to the wing equivalent of our forearm. The owl made a remarkable recovery from the trauma. From night 2 it was feeding itself, and chewed its way out of the cardboard box. The owl is really fit and strong, but we are still not sure whether the wing will recover fully. An owl that cannot fly perfectly cannot return to the wild. 11th December 2008 A couple of days ago Gareth and Lisa from Shanwell were back. This time they had a whooper swan with an injured wing. Whooper swans are a totally different patient to our resident mute swans, that frequently literally eat out of our hands. Whooper swans are wild and stroppy. They are difficult to feed in captivity. For two days the swan has been confined to a shed, where it has hardly eaten anything. Today we moved it to the wildfowl enclosure. Here it has company of mute swans, and will hopefully join them at feeding time. The swan certainly looks more relaxed than it did in the shed, but I guess it might be a different story when it is time for antibiotics tomorrow, and we have to catch it!
10th December 2008 A few days ago we got two more pipistrelle bats that had been disturbed in a roost. This posed a problem for us. These bats would have been hibernating in these sub zero temperatures, and it was a bit difficult knowing whether to warm the bats, and feed them, or keep them cool, and hope they would hibernate in care. We decided it would be best to give them rehydration fluids , then decide. They are quite active, so they are in the heated hospital, and are being fed each day for the time being. This evening we admitted another bat. This is a long-eared bat that was found lying on frozen ground outside a farmhouse. Presumably there is a roost in the roof space, and for some reason the bat came out. No wonder it was found moribund. It had little hope of surviving without being rescued.
long eared bat roosting waking up, ears extended 9th December 2008 A week ago we arranged to release seals today, weather permitting. The weather couldn't have been better. It has been a bright sunny day with just a light wind, although at Portencross that wind went straight through fleece jackets. Two seals were taken on the first trip, and set off to sea with barely a backward glance. We made another trip with the Renfrew seal, as he was also up to weight, and we wouldn't get a better day for him to go. This seal set off riding the waves. How do they know how to do that when they haven't been in the sea since they got into trouble as small pups several months ago? He swam a little way out, then came back. It seemed he wanted to play the waves again.
What is going on today? Wow, look at all this water! Freedom Are you sure I'll be ok The release was filmed by a team from Advocates for Animals. It will be used in the campaign for better legal protection for seals. For more information see their web site www.lookoutforseals.org 8th December 2008 This morning one of our buzzards was collected for release. It came from Crocketford, near Dumfries, a week ago. The bird had flown straight through a bedroom window. That was bad enough, but when the house owners went up to see what had caused the breaking glass, they found not only the buzzard, but also the rat it had been carrying. This bird was in good condition, just a little concussed and confused. It was good that Emma, an SSPCA ambulance driver, could collect the bird and take it back to its own patch. Hopefully it will avoid windows in future. 5th December 2008 I had a call this morning from Gareth, who runs Shanwell Wildlife Rescue, based in Dundee. He was wondering if he could bring a grey seal pup to Hessilhead. The volunteers at Shanwell do a great job covering a wide area of Tayside and Perthshire, rescuing a wide range of wildlife. However, their facilities for keeping long term patients are limited, hence the call for help. Gareth and Lisa arrived mid-afternoon. They had already given the pup fluids, and treated the wounds on his back and flippers. He needed more fluids when he got here, and we gave him antibiotics and wormer too, as he has a nasal discharge. Hopefully the pup, named Dundee, will soon respond to treatment. he is our first grey seal pup this year 4th December 2008 Karen, our volunteer in Greenock, never fails to carry out a successful rescue. I'd a call this evening about a seal pup on the slip at The Royal Gourock Yacht Club. The person calling said the pup had been there for 4 days. It was odd that we hadn't been told about this seal before, but if it had been there all that time, it certainly had a problem. Karen was keen to go, although it was dark, and the pup was said to be close to the water. I wasn't surprised to get a call an hour later, from a jubilant Karen, saying the pup was in her van. There was a slight problem. On her way to the rescue, Karen had stopped for fuel. In her excitement she'd put unleaded petrol in her diesel van. Her car spluttered to Gourock, and after completing the rescue she topped it up with diesel. Rather surprisingly, she arrived here safely, and the van got her back to Greenock too! The seal is a common seal pup, suffering from lungworm and associated infection. It has been given fluids, wormer and antibiotics. Hopefully we will see an improvement by morning. 2nd December 2008
In the afternoon there was another swan rescue. A swan had landed on the roof of the Rivergate Shopping Centre in Irvine, and had been spotted by residents of the nearby high rise flats. We have rescued swans from this roof before. The roof comprises a series of ridges, and a swan in the dip between the ridges is unable to spread its wings enough for take off. Neither can it climb up the ridge. This particular swan was quite obliging, and came walking towards Andy. Its cut leg will soon heal, and we'll release it on the river where the swans are fed by many people every day.
30th November 2008 We were a bit puzzled today when we received a call about an injured hawk trapped in a gully. I asked if anyone could catch the bird, but a second call indicated that this would be impossible. It was a great day for an outing, so Andy and I set off for Stair to assess the situation. We could see the problem. The buzzard was on a branch at the bottom of a disused lade. The sides of the lade were vertical, smooth concrete and about 8'deep. There was some water in the bottom of the lade, and an unknown depth of mud. Reaching the top of the lade involved scrambling down a steep bank, with little vegetation and loose soil and frost. Both ends of the lade were closed, but the section where the bird was trapped was about 80 yards long. Then it went under the road and continued for another 200 yards or so. So assuming the bird could not fly, if someone went into the lade, and didn't sink, it would be possible to catch the bird, Andy slithered down the bank, and lowered himself into the lade. He then decided he'd like the long pole, that was in the van, the van key was in his pocket. So it was my turn to slither down the bank to collect the key. Key in pocket, I tried to retrace my steps. Impossible. I kept slipping down the bank, and if I missed the tree at the bottom, I'd be in the lade too. The two men who called us out came to my rescue and hauled me up the bank. Andy felt more confident with the pole, but soon discovered that the ankle deep water went over the top of his wellies! The buzzard made a feeble effort to escape, then tried to hide in a rhododendron bush. Andy didn't even net the bird. He lifted it from the branch, then used the net to pass the bird to the team on the bank. Then came the real problem. How was Andy going to get out of the lade. When standing on tiptoe, his finger tips just reached the top of the concrete. There was no-one in at the 3 nearby cottages, where I'd hoped to borrow a ladder. Eventually Andy found a crack in the concrete, close to a flimsy bush on the bank. With much huffing and puffing, he hoisted himself up, till he was within reach of helping hands from above. Whew!. I thought we were going to have to call for help! 28th November 2008 By the time I was giving the deer their late afternoon feed today, it was already frosty, so the last thing we expected this evening was a call about a bat. This particular bat was flying around the restaurant at the Uplawmoor Hotel. I gathered that customers and staff were not amused. Of course, in the heat of the restaurant, the bat was very active, swooping over heads and around the Christmas tree. Andy and Leianne went to the rescue. It didn't take them long to corner the bat among some tinsel. The bat is an adult pipistrelle, and looks as if it is good condition for the winter. We can't release it during this cold spell of weather, but as soon as we get a mild evening, we will take the bat back to Uplawmoor. 25th November 2008 It didn't come as surprise when someone phoned a couple of
days ago, saying they had picked up two injured birds, that they thought must
have escaped from an aviary. A dozen or so of the birds had been feeding outside
their office all day, eating berries. We knew straightaway that these would be
waxwings. Hundreds of these migrants have arrived in Glasgow during the last
couple of weeks, having flown all the way from Russia. They feed mainly on
berries, especially berries on ornamental trees planted in parks and gardens.
They allow people to approach quite closely, and they look very exotic. It isn't
surprising people that people think these birds are escapees . 20th November 2008 We have admitted lots of buzzards recently, but today it was the turn of a sparrowhawk to get into trouble. It is a lovely adult female bird, with dark orange eyes, and was found in a garden in Ayr. I expect the bird had collided with a window while in pursuit of prey. She is slightly concussed, has a left shoulder injury, and I'm sure feels fairly sore all over. For the short term the sparrowhawk will stay in a cardboard pet carrier. Sparrowhawks are nervous restless birds, and in a cage they fly against the bars, often damaging their face or feathers. On admission the bird was given rehydration fluid, and a little while ago she was hand fed a chick. Maybe she will she one of the few sparrowhawks that learnt to feed themselves quickly. Some of them are reluctant to feed while in care. 17th November 2008 Today was special. The little red squirrel that has been in care for the last month, has gone home. The squirrel had a nasty leg infection, that required several visits to the vet and a minor operation before it healed properly. In fact it hasn't healed 100%, but the squirrel dashes round its cage with ease, and we hope it will have no trouble coping in the wild. The squirrel has returned to its own garden on the Isle of Arran, where it, and 10 other squirrels are regularly seen at the peanut feeders. 15th November 2008 Although hedgehogs are winning the most numerous casualty award, buzzards are coming in fast too. Most of these are road traffic victims, and fortunately, most of the recent arrivals have had minor injuries and made good recoveries. Today we released the Hessilhead reared buzzard. The Bishopton buzzard was released last week, and tomorrow a lovely big bird will be released close to the papermill near Irvine. I expect it hunts rabbits at the roadside, and that may get it into trouble again. 12th November 2008 Without a doubt, hedgehogs have been the most numerous patients recently. Most of the arrivals have been autumn juveniles, that are too small to hibernate successfully. They are usually found wandering in the daytime, and this tells people they may have a problem. they certainly do. The average weight of recent arrivals is about 250gm. to hibernate, a hedgehog should weigh 600gm. So these youngsters have a lot of feeding and growing to do. It looks as if our hedgehog hospital will be a busy place this winter.
5th November 2008 We are never surprised to get a call about a woodcock in the autumn. The call usually coincides with the arrival of European migrants, and what surprises most people is that most of our woodcock come from Glasgow. We think they must get confused by bright lights. The woodcock that came in today has an eye injury, and is a bit subdued. It was given fluids as it didn't seem likely to eat. Hopefully it will start eating tomorrow. The trouble with woodcock is that the only food we can ever persuade them to eat is earthworms. They eat an awful lot of earthworms. Digging will commence tomorrow morning!
There was a surprise in store this evening, when Leianne met
someone coming along our drive, with a tawny owl perched on the front passenger
seat of his car. He had lifted the owl from the middle of the road, barely half
a mile from the centre. Not surprisingly, this owl was ringed, and we soon
discovered that it was one of the young birds reared and released this year. The
good news is that the bird is in really good condition. Bad news that it was
clipped by a car, but no bones broken.
3rd November 2008 This evening we were on our way to a meeting of the Scottish Ornithologists Club in Glasgow, when we received a call from a lady in Kilbarchan, telling us there was a goose on her doorstep. She lived in the village, and we assumed that the bird would be a domestic goose that had wandered away from home, not too far away. We said we'd collect it on our way home. Leianne went into the house to collect the visitor from the back door, and we were surprised to see her returning carrying a Canada goose. Presumably the goose had collided with overhead wires, and tumbled onto the lady's step. it must have been at least confused, perhaps a little concussed, as it had been there for several hours. We arrived back at Hessilhead, with the goose still sitting on Leianne's lap. Although it can stand, it seems reluctant to do so. This is another indication of a crash landing. 29th October 2008 Yesterday we had an unusual call, reporting a tawny owl caught in a Larsen Trap. Andy and I went to rescue the bird, which looked really miserable. Although the people who found the owl had opened the trap and moved away, the owl hadn't left. This was a sure sign that the bird was cold and stressed. A quick examination indicated no serious problems, but we decided to take the owl back to the centre, as it didn't look up to coping on its own. Larsen traps can be used legally for trapping crows and magpies. A decoy bird is kept in one compartment of the trap, and the other compartment is set to catch visiting birds. The intention would not have been to catch an owl; that was accidental. However, I bet the owl had suffered a miserable night, being scolded constantly by two magpies. By this afternoon the owl was bright and active. It had eaten, and we decided that it should be returned to the wild as soon as possible. It flew strongly from the carrying box. Hopefully it knows all about Larsen traps now, and will keep its distance.
24th October 2008 We had a call from an SSPCA Inspector today, asking if she
could bring an injured buzzard to the hospital. Of course that wasn't a problem,
but what a surprise it was to discover that the young bird was wearing a BTO
ring, and it was one of the young buzzards that we had reared at Hessilhead
earlier this year. You may remember that the youngsters were dumped in a black
bag at the Vet surgery in Maybole. We had no idea
where they came from, though we guessed that someone had felled their tree. We
released the youngsters from Hessilhead in August, and now this bird was back.
It had been picked up in a garden outside Mauchline, so it had travelled quite a
distance. It is a fairly good weight, so has been faring well, and has probably
been battered in the storms of the last two days. There are no serious injuries,
and this evening the bird is eating well in the hospital cage. Hopefully it will
be soon be off on its own again. 21st October 2008 You can probably imagine our disappointment today, when a lady called to inform us that a fox was caught in a snare near Kilwinning. We went straightaway, and found a very distressed and muddy fox struggling to escape from a snare that was attached to a fence wire. The snare was set beside a ditch, so as the fox struggled, it had made mud, and when Andy lifted the animal muddy water poured from its fur. We soon had the snare off the fox, and the fox into a carrying box. Its mouth is damaged from where it has been chewing at the snare, but fortunately there are no other injuries. We will keep the fox for a couple of days. It will clean itself up and hopefully the swelling on its gums will subside. We must release it in the woods where it was found. Hopefully there are no more snares there.
19th October 2008 We've just had a busy weekend, that started with the arrival of an injured tawny owl late on Friday evening. The owl looked fairly concussed, but a quick examination indicated that no bones were broken. The owl was treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, made comfortable in a cardboard box, and left on a heat pad overnight. On Saturday morning the owl still looked a bit groggy, but there has been some improvement now, and we are hopeful of a complete recovery. On Saturday morning patients were queuing up for treatment. There were two swans from Hoganfield Loch in Glasgow, one with a tumour, the other too weak to stand. Three hedgehogs, two of them very small, late autumn babies, and an older hog with front leg injuries. A guillemot was found on Irvine beach, a pigeon came with an old wing injury, and a barn owl, another RTA, came from Dunoon. This owl sadly was in a really bad state, with one wing almost severed. The only option for that bird was euthanasia. During the day 11 Uist hedgehogs went off to their release sites, and a tawny owl was collected by the people who found it. They were delighted that the owl had made a good recovery from a fractured leg, and were pleased to take it back to St John's Town of Dalry. At lunchtime Andy and John went to the assistance of a swan on Kilbirnie Loch. Someone had noticed the swan having trouble swallowing. Andy discovered a common problem. The swan had swallowed fishing line, and a loop of line had caught under the beak, preventing the tangle of line down the throat from being swallowed completely. Andy was able to put pressure on the line, feel a little movement, that told him there wasn't a hook, then pull a little harder. A great tangle of line and food was pulled from the bird. It must have felt a whole lot better then, and went off to feed straightaway. When Karen left after her day of volunteering, she took a barn owl that had been found not too far from where she lives. The owl had been found on the road a few weeks ago, and had a shoulder injury. We had given the owl a test flight, and knew that it had fully recovered. Karen met the finder, and the owl was released close to where it was found. I bet that seeing the owl fly free was a memorable sight. We finished the afternoon feeding and thought that was it for the day. Then the phone rang. Someone had moved a deer off the Stockiemuir Road in Glasgow. He would stay with the deer till we arrived. So off we went, with blankets and a sedative for the deer. The man with the deer couldn't believe that a driver had hit the animal and then driven away, nor that other people were driving past it! Today has been quieter, with only 7 new patients. Would you believe that one of them, a hedgehog, came from St John's town Of Dalry. That is a long way from us, yet it has featured twice in 2 days! We had hoped to release more hedgehogs this evening, but the weather has turned very wet and windy. We've decided to put that off till the weather improves. 16th October 2008 It is a week for unusual patients. Today we had a call reporting a small seabird found on the beach at Fairlie. The bird was tangled in thread, and tangled in the same thread was a dead bird of the same species. It was lucky that one bird had managed to get ashore. I was a bit puzzled when I saw a grey and white head with a black beak peeping from the box. I had to take the bird from the towel to identify it as a black guillemot in winter plumage, so not black at all. The giveaway was its bright red feet, and the large white wing patches. The guillemot's leg and wing, where the thread had been pulled tight, are very swollen The bird is very lively though, and we hope that it will soon be back at sea.
13th October 2008 The roe deer is recovering slowly from concussion. She can stand on her own now, drinks from a bowl and eats slices of apple that we slip into her mouth. Her eye is still sore and swollen, but we think she will make a full recovery. A red squirrel was brought across from Arran today. She has
an abcess on her hind leg, probably the result of being bitten. She will be
treated with antibiotics and hopefully will be fit to return to Arran sometime
next week.
12th October 2008 The long-eared owl was really restless when I moved it to an
indoor flight yesterday, so early this evening we took it back to Crosshill, a
village not far from Maybole. The owl was out of the box
straightaway. It flew along the river then up into trees. The owl had been found
lying on the road a few days earlier. It had certainly recovered well from its
accident.
11th October 2008 Andy and I were away for a few days this week, so we've spent today getting ourselves acquainted with new arrivals. In the hospital there are more juvenile hedgehogs. Most of them were found out in the daytime, trying to find food that will help them to put on weight for the winter. There isn't much food available now, and most of these hedgehogs would die if they were not brought into care. Even in a heated cage some of them struggle to survive. They have been so long without sufficient food, and for much of the time they have been cold and wet. So all these juvenile hedgehogs are pampered. They are treated with antibiotics and vitamins, they are kept on heat pads till they weigh over 250 gms, and are offered a wide variety of food to tempt them to eat. It looks as if the next few months might be busy with over-wintering hedgehogs. We were pleased to see that most of the Uist hedgehogs that weighed over 600 gms had been released in our absence. There is no point in keeping these healthy hogs. They need to be released in time to make nests for hibernation. A young gannet had arrived yesterday. It seems strong and stroppy, so should be heading back to the sea soon. Other newcomers include a long-eared owl, a badly concussed roe deer and a guillemot. 5th October 2008 Andy had an unusual rescue today. We had a call from Saltcoats, reporting a squirrel trying to climb the sea wall. The squirrel had been in the sea and its feet were bleeding. Andy encouraged the squirrel up the wall, whereupon it ran off quickly. We wondered why the squirrel was there. The area around the harbour isn't really squirrel country. Surely someone hadn't trapped the squirrel then tipped it into the sea as a convenient means of disposal. On other occasions we have had calls from people who have used humane traps to catch squirrels in their loft, then wondered how to get rid of them. I wonder why these traps are described as 'humane'.
4th October 2008 We have had a few barn owl casualties recently. There have been road traffic casualties, a youngster found tangled on a barbed wire fence, and an oiled bird. I washed the oiled bird today, a bit of a worrying experience. Barn owls don't look all that tough, there isn't very much of them under their soft white body feathers, and I wondered how it would take to a wash and blow dry. The owl looked pretty miserable while the washing was in progress, but its feathers dried quickly in the gentle heat of a hair drier. I returned the owl to its cage with an electric radiator on high, and soon the owl was preening and looking relaxing. It isn't pristine clean yet, so I guess another wash will be required. 2nd October 2008 Andy and I are just back from Stevenston Point, where it was
pretty wild and windy. It was a good trip though. We released the Red Throated
Diver that was brought to Hessilhead last night. The diver was found sitting in
the middle of the road at Fenwick. It must have made that classic mistake of
landing on a wet road, thinking it was water. The person who found the diver
said that it was really lucky. As he drove around a bend there was the bird,
sitting in the road. It was sensible of them to stop and lift the bird. as it
would have probably been impossible for the diver to take off from land. Divers'
legs are right at the rear end of their body, designed for maximum propulsion,
not for walking or taking off. Before heading off to the coast, we gave the
diver a swim in a our seal shed. It looked 100% fit on the water, diving
straightaway. It has been a real privilege to handle such a special bird.
Certainly a day to remember.
29th September 2008 There has been an influx of fishing tackle casualties recently. First to come was a well grown cygnet, that had a length of line hanging from its mouth. Someone noticed that the cygnet had difficulty swallowing. A large tangled mass of line was pulled from the cygnets throat, but still a couple of strands of line remained, and when pressure was put on these, there was resistance. Luckily Andy arrived home then. He is the expert with this problem, and seems to know instinctively if there is a hook in the throat or not. Obviously, if there is a hook, it isn't wise to pull the line. But if the line has been down the throat for days, it does take quite a lot of pressure to remove it. Gently Andy pulled the line; nothing happened for minutes, then a swelling appeared half way down the neck, and as Andy maintained the pressure the swelling rose up the neck. Another ball of line and food emerged, much to the relief of the cygnet. A swan from Eglinton park was caught and had hooks removed from her leg, and a shag was brought up from Troon, tangled in hooks and line. three hooks were caught on its wings and legs.
23rd September 2008 The hand reared bats have left the tunnel now, and some juveniles that came have now moved into the tunnel prior to release. We had a more unusual bat visitor recently. This was a Natterer's bat, found in a factory complex at Dalry. It looked a bit sad when it first came in, but within a few days it was eating well and then we gave it a test flight in the hospital. It was much larger than the pipistrelles, and flew really well. David enjoyed releasing the bat close to where it came from, and managed to track it with his bat detector. 20th September 2008 During the last 2 weeks, we have been busy releasing the last of the summer's hand reared birds, and all of the fox cubs have gone too. The fox cubs cubs were released in suburban areas, as that is where all of them came from. They are released at night, and often we se resident foxes foraging in gardens, waste ground and shrubberies. This is an indication to us that we have chosen a good area. Our foxes will follow the resident ones, and will soon discover where food can be found, and where people are leaving food for them in gardens. Blackbirds and robins where among the last garden birds to be released, but as usual, the last small birds to go were house martins. We had reared a lot; they came mainly because their nests had collapsed in spells of rainy weather. They are time consuming to rear, but they do eat quite large helpings of mince, supplemented with mealworms. All were released at house martin colonies, so straightaway 'our' hand reared birds had adults and more experienced youngsters to follow. They have time to practice flying and feeding before heading off to Africa for the winter. The hand reared kestrels and some of the tawny owls were released at Hessilhead. Then came the birds that had been hunting for themselves, kestrels, buzzards and sparrowhawks, all taken back to where they came from.
11th August 2008 Like other parts of the country we've had our share of heavy
rain recently. Yesterday brought the first casualty from the floods. The otter
cub was noticed on the banks of the River Ayr, close to the town centre. It was
squeaking loudly, which attracted attention, and trying to scramble from the
water. The Fire and Rescue Service were soon on hand to help the cub, and by the
time we arrived at the Fire Station, the cub had rubbed itself dry in a dustbin
lined with shredded paper. He is eating well, but we feel quite sad that we
don't know where he came from. He must have slipped into the water, and been
carried downstream. If only we knew where his mum lived, we could take the cub
back.
9th August 2008 I have been away quite a bit recently, enjoying some fantastic weather in the Highlands. There was lots of wildlife, amazing scenery and hardly any people. We walked, we relaxed and we watched porpoises, otters, sea eagles, red deer, divers and lots of sea birds. Back at Hessilhead many of the patients are growing up. The shelducks, the kestrels and two young buzzards have been released. Two batches of young gulls have been taken to Troon harbour, though another 50 or so are still eating lots and messing lots. They do take quite a lot of time to care for properly. The young bats are feeding themselves now, and late at night we see them exercising in their tank. Soon they will move to the bat tunnel, prior to release. Some tawny owls have moved to a release aviary, but several young barn owls have recently come into care. The weasels have gone, and we heard that they often return to their pen for food. Finches, sparrows, robins and dunnocks have been released too. We have a long eared bat in care. It was rescued from a fly paper, and is still a bit sticky on its back. We have 4 common seal pups. Two of them came from Arran, one from Prestwick and one from Culzean. The Culzean pup had fishing hooks in its mouth and flippers, was tangled in line and lucky to be found before it drowned. The other pups must have been separated from their mums and were underweight when they came here. Two of the pups are eating well now, the other two have be tube fed with blended fish, but hopefully they'll learn to eat whole fish soon.
the Prestwick seal Brodie from Brodick Dustin from Culzean Arran no 2
6th July 2008 It is still busy at the Wildlife Rescue Centre, We admit between 10 and 20 patients most days; many of the youngsters are growing up, feeding themselves and becoming independent. In the hospital there are fewer baby birds to hand feed. Most of the finches, blackbirds, dunnocks, robins and tits have moved outside, though I dare say there will be a few latecomers. House martins and swallows are occupying the heat pads. Most came from nests that collapsed during the heavy rain of the last week or two. Some of them were close to fledgling when they got into trouble, and have already been released.
We are into the baby bat season. Rearing bats is time consuming, with those less than two weeks old requiring feeds every 2 hours. 12 came from one abandoned roost in Fife, and others have fallen from roosts and been found in the living space of houses. David and Shelby have been taking the bats home in the evenings and at weekends. This has saved a lot of time in the hospital. This evening I'll need to do a few bat feeds though. Another 7 bats have just arrived.
We have also taken in a several young raptors. There are 7 kestrels and 2 young buzzards. The buzzards were left in a black bin bag at a vet surgery in Maybole. I guess we'll never know what happened to their nest. There is also a young barn owl, still white and fluffy, that fell from a nest that was difficult to access.
It is the height of the young gull season. Some have been only a day or so old when brought to the Centre. They had fallen from rooftop nests. Most of those coming in now are well grown, and some will be flying in another two weeks. At this time of year we get a lot of calls from people wanting us to take away gull chicks, because they don't like the adult gulls coming down to feed their chicks, or swooping at people to protect their offspring. We already have 75 young gulls in care. The last thing we want to do is take healthy young chicks from their parents. If people don't like gull chicks in their garden, they should take steps to prevent the gulls nesting on their roof before the start of the breeding season. Recent releases have included the Canada geese that we reared this year. Also a leveret and several rabbits. The stoats and weasels are living outside now, soon to be released. Many young mallards have flown from our enclosure to the quarry pond, but fly back for visits. The duck that nested beside our seal tank is back on the lawn every day with her 11 ducklings. Most of the hand reared crows, rooks, jackdaws and magpies have also been released, though many of them are still returning regularly for food.
18th June 2008 An early call today saw Andy and I heading to the south side
of Glasgow, where a family of swans, 2 adults and 5 small cygnets, were camped
out in someone's garden. We discovered they belonged on a dam the other side of
the motorway. They left the dam via a burn, then walked along the tunnel under
the M77. It was a long walk for such small cygnets, and not a safe place to be.
We have arranged for a barrier to be built across the tunnel entrance, so the
family can still safely feed in the burn, then return to the dam.
There was sad news later today. The deer fawn that was injured in the fire looked very sad this morning, and has since died. Poor little thing. If only people would think of the consequences before setting fire to grassland for 'a laugh'. Two female mallards with ducklings in tow were released from Hessilhead today. We also opened aviaries for magpies and greenfinches. The Canada goslings are growing well, and seem to be intrigued by their new neighbours, a duck and ducklings rescued from the Caledonia University campus.
17th June 2008 A TV crew from Animal 24/7 have just spent another 2 days at Hessilhead. They were keen to film the 2 otter cubs, Yorkie and Brook, especially as Brook had already been filmed when he was in care at Secret World in Somerset. The otters are secretive and nocturnal now, but with patience and tempting bits of fish, they were captured on film, playing in their pool and snuffling around their enclosure. I didn't think the stoats would co-operate at all, but when they were moved to their new enclosure, they were keen to explore the branches, logs and leaf litter. They should be stars. I checked the stoats sleeping box today, just to make sure they were ok. An angry hiss made me jump back. I was certainly not invited to the house warming party. Also featured for the programme was Sausage, the little weasel that we have hand reared. He opened his eyes yesterday, just in time to look his best. By coincidence another weasel was found yesterday. It had been left on a path for nearly 2 hours, and was really cold when he came to Hessilhead. He spent the night under a heater, drank warm fluids, and looks fine today. So sausage will soon have a friend, and arrangements are to made for him to return to the area where he was found. The new weasel will be released with him. 15th June 2008 It has been a busy weekend of feeding, cleaning and moving birds to aviaries. The last thing we needed was a late call on Sunday evening. It was certainly an emergency. There has been a big grass fire on the hill behind Greenock, and the firemen have rescued two roe deer fawns. One of them is singed, both were distressed. Our volunteer in Greenock was soon on the case. The fawns were checked by a vet in Greenock, then two of Karen's helpers brought the fawns to Hessilhead. We have given them fluids, rescue remedy, and settled them in a cage for the night. One fawn has lost his outer coat, his eyelashes, and has a burn on his nose. He is certainly giving us cause for concern, but fingers crossed.
10th June 2008 It is a pity we can't stop patients coming for a few days around the Open Day. We have been really busy recently, with lots of orphan nestlings and fledglings, that demand huge amounts of time. Today there was a deer rescue too. David and Leianne went to the Diageo complex at Braehead. A young buck had wandered in through the main entrance, and had spent 24 hours pacing up and down the fence, trying to find a way out. It was unlikely he would find the gate again. Our team soon had the deer netted, and he was released in woodland away from the busy roads. This evening we released the last of the winter's seal pups, Honey. She had attained her target weight and was keen to go. As soon as she left the carrying box she was heading off to sea. she diverted to the pier at Portencross, perhaps curious to see what the anglers were catching.
9th June 2008 We are all feeling tired but very satisfied with ourselves today. Our Open Day yesterday was a great success. More than 1500 people attended, enjoyed the guided tours, chanced their luck on the games and bargained at the bric a brac stall. If you missed it, make sure you come next year. It will be held on the 2nd Sunday in June.
OPEN DAY 8TH JUNE WE ARE ALL BUSY GETTING READY FOR OUR OPEN DAY. IT IS GOING TO BE GREAT DAY. SEE YOU THERE. 7th June 2008 I apologise for the lack of news recently. It isn't that nothing has been happening. Quite the opposite. there has been so much happening I haven't had time to sit at the computer. We admitted 580 patients in May. So here is a quick update on some our patients. The best day was when we moved 46 hand reared starlings out of the hospital. Starlings are characters, but also noisy, greedy and messy. the peace in the hospital was wonderful. Yesterday we opened the starling's aviary. they got excited about that, chattering among themselves and moving closer to the open hatch. It seemed like they were saying ' Go on, you go first' . Later in the day there were starlings zooming all around the centre. We all felt proud! The hospital didn't stay quiet for long. There are blackbird
and thrush chicks, lots of blue tits and great tits, a nestful of goldfinches,
greenfinches, and even two cockatiel chicks.....no, they weren't found in the
wild. Jackdaw chicks are making even more noise than the starlings did. Most of the mallard ducklings are quite big now. there is a clutch of 3 smaller ones, and they have a little eider friend. We also have 5 shelducklings. A few mammals have been coming in too. There are two stoats,
both of them narky and independent. I don't think they will have a problem
returning to the wild. A little weasel is much more gentle. He still has his
eyes closed, is about 4" long, takes milk from a bottle and nibbles meat. We
call him Sausage.
The roe fawn that came into care last month has been joined by a really tiny fawn. I think she thinks the older fawn is her Mum. More unusual for us is a Red Deer calf. She was found beside her dead Mum at the roadside. No prizes for guessing how she came to be called Dotty ,
The last of the Uist Hedgehogs were delivered to us last Saturday. That made a total of 204 for this spring. Most of them have already been relocated. 18th May 2008 We have had a wide range of patients today, including 2 roe deer,( one a RTA and the other bitten by a dog) 2 fox cubs from different places, 3 swans, several starlings, a hedgehog, and two magpie chicks, still in their nest, though their tree had been felled. Two of todays patients have already been released. First was a swift, found on the ground with a cat nearby. The swift wasn't injured, and must have collided with something that brought it down. Once on the ground a swift cannot take off, owing to its very short legs and very long wings. The cat must have just been passing when it spotted the swift. As a precaution we gave the swift antibiotics, then it it into the field for take off. There was no wind, so Andy threw the swift, and straightaway it started flapping. Soon it was darting after insects. It was good to see it, steadily climbing higher and looking so much better in the air than in a cardboard box! Late this morning a collared dove was brought to the hospital. It had managed to get into a squirrel proof nut feeder, and while it was being removed its wing was damaged. In fact the damage looked worse than it was. We cleaned the wound, and gave antibiotics, and after a while tested the bird in an aviary. She flew perfectly, and later was returned to the garden and her mate.
17th May 2008 Today started well. We gave the female woodpecker, that was brought to us yesterday morning, a test flight in an aviary. She flew strongly, and although her eye was still sore, we decided it would be best if she was released close to where she was found. The bird almost certainly had a nest, probably with young now, and would be really stressed if we kept her any longer. We phoned Mr Dempster, who had found the bird on the road, and he was delighted to come and collect her. Hopefully by now the woodpecker is back with her family. 15th May 2008 It has been hectic here for the last 10 days, with 10 - 20 patients admitted each day. There have been several nests of starling chicks. Most have been removed from the roof space of houses, because people didn't like the noise of chicks being fed early in the morning. One nest, containing 4 hungry chicks, was found in a skip just before the contents were to be crushed. There are quite a few blackbird, song thrush and robin chicks, mostly cat victims, and we have 3 mistle thrush chicks, all doing well. It is always the case that most of our mistle thrush casualties come from the the city centre.
4th May 2008
We had the first call of the year about nesting starlings today. Usually, we won't remove starlings from the their nest, especially if the reason for wanting them removed is that people don't like hearing the chicks being fed at 5am. That is precisely why we won't remove them. Hand rearing starlings isn't easy. It involves early starts and feeds every half hour till dusk. Anyway chicks do better with their parents. House holders need to be patient. Within two weeks of a complaint the chicks will have fledged. Then the entrance hole should be blocked, so the starlings cannot nest there again next year. Today's case was different. The starlings had built a nest, a very substantial nest, in a cupboard directly above a bed in a fairly small bedroom. At the foot of the bed was the baby's cot. The starlings had accessed the cupboard via the hole that for the central heating pipe. The people in the house didn't really want to separate the chicks from their parents, but it really wasn't a healthy situation. So the chicks are at Hessilhead, only a few days old, but feeding well. 30th April 2008 It has been a day of rescues. The first call from a sheltered housing complex, Bonnie Leslie Court, in Stevenston. Some of the residents had been watching 2 fox cubs for the last few days . They were living on a small grassy bank in the burn that runs beside the unit, and because it was raining heavily today, they were concerned that the cubs may get washed away. We spotted one of the cubs almost straightaway. It was sleeping in the grass, which was unusual on such a wet day. We could see that the cubs must have fallen off the wall on the far bank of the burn, and although their mother may have been taking food to them, there was no way the cubs would get back up the wall for weeks. Andy went round the waste ground over the burn, and tried to sneak up on the sleeping cub. He was quite close before the cub heard him, and I was horrified when the startled cub jumped into the burn to escape. It ran up the burn, fortunately keeping to the shallower parts, crossed a small island, splashed through water again, then climbed onto another grassy bank beside the wall. Gaynor and I lost site of the cub then, and hoped that it wouldn't follow the burn under the road. Andy slithered his way across slippery stones, and found the cub trying to hide in long grass. He didn't even have a net, but the cub lay shivering, and he picked it up without any trouble. Sadly we found its sibling dead.
The cub sleeping on the bank Andy carrying the cub to safety Bonnie drying out at Hessilhead We arrived back at Hessilhead at the same time as Leianne and Katrine. They had been to Paisley, where a mallard duck with 13 ducklings had been found in a garden in a built area, a long way from water. It was unlikely that the duck would successfully lead her ducklings to water, as that would involve crossing busy roads. We will keep them together at the centre for a couple of weeks, till the ducklings are bigger and have a better chance of surviving in the wild. Then the family will be released together. 53 Uist hedgehogs were delivered late this afternoon, then Shelby went to get a swan from Castle Semple Loch. She was soon back with a swan with a very sore leg. It will be taken to the vet tomorrow. 29th April 2008 A fulmar was found on the road on the island of Great Cumbrae today. It was taken to the Marine Biology Lab there, boxed and put on the ferry to Largs, and one of our couriers brought the bird to Hessilhead. A fulmar is an unusual patient for this time of year. The bird is in quite good condition, both weight wise and feather wise, but looks like it might have had line around its legs. It may be a breeding bird, so we hope it will make a quick recovery and return to the coast.
28th April 2008 A couple of weeks ago we had problem with gulls getting caught in a net over a building near Prestwick airport. The net is there to stop gulls nesting on the roof of the building, and that is perfectly understandable. We kept getting calls to say that gulls were trapped in the net; one gull died after hanging for hours, and we can't reach the gulls, as the building is 4 stories high. We reported the problem to the owners of the building, and to the pest control company that had erected the net. We thought the problem had been solved, till today. Two more gulls were trapped in the net. Late this afternoon they were rescued, but both gulls have damaged legs, this evening they are unable to stand and needless to say, are very stressed. One of the gulls arrived with net still wrapped around it, and that explained the problem. Instead of a 1" net being used, a 3" net has been stretched over the roof. This is no use, as when the gulls land on the net, their legs go through, their wings get tangled, and sometimes heads get caught. We have again reported the problem, and hope that a 1" net will replace the 3" one that is trapping birds and causing them to suffer.
27th April 2008 The busy spell continued over the weekend, with several lots of nesltings now being reared. First came a nest of greenfinches, found after a tree had been felled. The a family of robins. Their nest had been built in an old exhaust tube (robins are renowned for using unusual nest sites), but had been found by children who taken some of the chicks away. Fortunately this was discovered by the mother of one of the children. She gathered the chicks together, returned them to their nest, and called us for help. The robin family are feeding well, and they are sharing their new woolly hat nest with a younger house sparrow chick. The sparrow is younger than the robins, but is often the first to beg when we open their box. 25th April 2008 Andy and I came back from a 5 day trip this evening. It was supposed to be a break before the busy season really got underway, but there was something wrong with our timing! Our dedicated staff had been run off their feet the whole time we were away, and had dealt with 75 new patients, several of which they had been out to rescue. Among the new arrivals is an adult weasel, that was sent here by the vets in Cumnock. Apparently she was very lethargic when she arrived; some heat, TLC and food seem to have done her good. She is now racing around her cage, and looks like she will soon be ready for release. A sparrowhawk was rescued and made a very fast recovery, It was released the following day. An otter was difficult for Shelby and Leianne to catch. It was found in the middle of Ayr, and was hiding under cars. At one time it was balancing on the exhaust of our ambulance, but eventually they had it caught, boxed and back at Hessilhead. She is a young adult female, very thin but eating well. 2 more fox cubs joined the 3 in care, and 2 more leverets came. That was sad. They had been born in a garden, a garden where hares were unwelcome, and we were asked to take them on. Reluctantly the staff had agreed, knowing that really they would be better with their Mum, but that the gardeners were not going to allow them to stay.
The first 20 mallard ducklings were rescued, more baby rabbits, an adult tawny owl, 33 hedgehogs from the Uists, a buzzard and a long eared owl chick. The owl was unfortunate too. Its nest was in a badly blown shelter belt that was being clear felled. I don't suppose the trees had been checked for nests, and the first anyone knew of the family was a single owlet spotted on the ground. There had probably been other chicks, but they weren't found. At least this one wasn't injured, has a good appetite and is very inquisitive.
These pics are just to show you how relaxed the resident birds are at Hessilhead!
19th April 2008 It feels more like spring in the hospital today. The first leveret of the year was delivered last night. She is less than a week old and is in good condition. She even had a full tummy of milk. Next came a family of 3 young blackbirds. They were all chased out of their nest by a cat, one of them has bites and crushing injuries. At their last feed of the evening, half an hour ago, all were begging for food and eating well. Other arrivals included another tawny owl chick, and a young collared dove, also dropped from a tree by a cat. We admitted 2 swans today too. The first one was rescued from Irvine harbour by a our volunteers Paul and Toni. It has a serious head injury, possibly caused by dog bites, and is a swan we know, ring number 3BIP. This swan must be accident prone; she has been here several times before. This evening Andy and I went to Loch Lomond for another swan. At first it looked like we wouldn't lucky. The people who called us had fed the swan almost a loaf of bread in their efforts to keep it close to the bank. This had worked, but when we arrived the swan wasn't hungry. We only got it because she chased the geese that were eating the bread we hoping to tempt her with. I bet she feels better now though. We have removed a treble hook from her leg.
17th April 2008 Andy and I were out this evening releasing hedgehogs, when we received a call about an injured bird of prey. A farmer had seen the bird being attacked by crows, and he had managed to get it into his car. We arranged to meet and collect the bird, which is a handsome female peregrine. She is underweight, and has an old injury to the end of her wing, and another on the back of her leg. Perhaps these two injuries made it difficult for her to hunt successfully, and brought her down in condition. The strange thing is, that when we collected the peregrine, she had a full crop of food. Peregrines rarely eat any food unless they have caught it themselves, but I guess this bird must have found something tasty. She has settled in a hospital cage now, and will move to aviary in a few days. Hopefully we will return her to where she was found. 15th April 2008 It is cold and wintry at nights, although during the daytime, when the sun shines, it can be quite warm, The frosty nights and chilly days seem to be holding back the breeding season, and perhaps some of the youngsters that have been in trouble, havn't survived in the cold long enough to be found and rescued. Nevertheless, patients arrive every day. Here are the stories of some recent casualties. Castle Semple Swan Reported as having a problem with fishing tackle. David went to check on his way home from work, and was soon back with a large male swan, with the biggest fishing hook we've ever seen embedded in its leg. Apparently these big hooks are for catching pike. The hook was removed, the swan given antibiotics for 3 days, then it was taken back to Castle Semple Loch.
Fox Cub no 2 Her eyes were just opening, she had been found in a school playground, she was small and weak. I was surprised when she showed an interest in tinned food later that evening, and before long she was feeding herself. Unfortunately this little cub has taken several fits. they occur less often now, and are less severe, so hopefully she will grow out of them . Greedy Heron This bird in breeding plumage thought it handed lucky when it spotted some large fish in a garden pond. Unfortunately it didn't see the fine strands of line across the pond, designed to keep herons out. the bird got well and truly tangled, had to be cut free, and some abrasions on its wing. It soon recovered from the ordeal, and was released 2 days later, hopefully to resume rearing chicks. Uist Hedgehogs A batch of 33 hedgehogs were delivered. We had hoped to get most of them out pretty quickly, but the day after their arrival we noticed that many of them were coughing. This is a sign of lungworm, with an associated infection. The hogs need treatment for 5 days, by which time most have recovered and can be released. Seal releases 4 more seals have been released this week. That cuts down our work load and our feeding costs too. Each seal has been eating approximately 50 herring every day. Blackbird fledgling The 1st young blackbird, a cat victim, is eating well and has moved into a cage. It will soon to learn to pick up food for itself.
6th April 2008 It hasn't been a good weekend, with a buzzard, a swan and a barn owl coming in badly injured, beyond repair, and needing to be euthanased. This afternoon things got better. Andy collected the first fox cub of the year from Nicky, an SSPCA Inspector. The little cub, about 3 weeks old, has been hiding in the back of a washing machine for the last 3 days. His name is Daz. He has settled down in the hospital, eaten some tinned food, and is snuggled up with a cuddly soft toy.
The next call was from the Police, asking if we could collect a roe deer that had been hit by a car. It is badly concussed, but there seem to be no bones broken. Of course there could be internal injuries, but it does seem hopeful. It has been treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs, and is lying quietly in a shed deeply bedded with straw. 4th April 2008 Andy and I have just had a couple of days away. We arrived back at Hessilhead just after the first batch of 20 Uist hedgehogs had arrived. There isn't space for them in the hedgehog hospital, which is full of the 50 odd hedgehogs we have over-wintered. The weather is warmer today, so hopefully we will start releasing these young hogs soon. The Uist hogs will be easier to release. They are mostly adult hedgehogs, that have survived hibernation on their own, and know quite a bit about foraging and nest building. We will release them in gardens with plenty of cover, and areas of grass where they will find most of their food. Anyone interested in releasing hedgehogs in their garden, either hand reared youngsters that need a pampered release, or Uist hedgehogs, that will be more independent, please get in touch with us. 27th March 2008 I'm feeling a bit sleepy this evening after last night's rescue. Fortunately we didn't have far to go. The fox had been found near Darnley, but someone had taken him home to Neilston. The fox was unconscious when we brought him back to Hessilhead at 1.30 am, so we gave him anti-inflammatory treatment and left him in the carrying box beside the heater. He was still unconscious this morning, but by late afternoon he was moving around, and earlier this evening I persuaded him to have a drink of lectade. Although he stands and turns around, he isn't aware of his surroundings. A lot of improvement is needed, but we are hopeful that he could make a full recovery. 25th March 2008 We released two grey seals today, Paddy and Sam, and the release was filmed for Animal24/7. It was predictable that Paddy, always the confident one, would be straight out of his carrying box and off exploring. Sam was hesitant to leave the box, and then he was hesitant to leave the safety of the harbour. He spent more than an hour exploring the shallows, sometimes we thought he would come ashore, and the first time he ventured a little way out, something spooked him and came back like a bullet. The harbour was drying out as the tide ebbed, and tired of waiting, the film crew left. They wouldn't have been back at their car when Sam decided the time was right to leave. He left by following the far wall, finally swimming confidently out to sea. The two seals had been good friends, interacting frequently, so we hope they met up again soon.
Paddy's release Paddy sets sail Sam in the shallows farewell seals! 24th March 2008 Andy and I returned from the sunny Uists to a cold, windy but mainly sunny Easter weekend. A variety of patients came into care, including 5 young rabbits dug from their burrow by a dog, a tawny owl, hit by a car late on Saturday night, and 3 barn owl casualties. One of the barn owls made a quick recovery, and as she had a well developed brood patch, she was released close to where she was found two days later. Another female barn owl was found at the roadside today, lying in a puddle. She has been rehydrated, had a small feed, and is enjoying the comfort of a box on a heat pad. Barn owl number 3 was taken straight to our vet, and we expect an update on her condition tomorrow. Several pigeons came into care, one of them with lots of thread tangled round her feet. It took quite a while to remove the thread, that had cut deeply into her flesh. A herring gull that had a hook embedded in the side of its mouth appeared to be asking for help when it refused to move from someone's front door. We removed the hook and the gull is eating again. Today we were called out to remove two swans that had misjudged their flight into Irvine harbour, and landed in the back garden of a house across the road. They were trying to get into the kitchen, as if they knew that was the way to the river. We were really surprised to get a call about a seal pup. Young grey seals in the wild should weigh over 50 kilos now, but this little fellow weighs only 18k. He was found on the beach at Dunure, feeling too weak to care about the crowd of people around him. Two foxes and a badly injured buzzard were also admitted, but didn't survive, and we released a kestrel and a heron.
16th March 2008 The weather was great today. It felt like spring and was really warm this afternoon. The first spring casualties arrived too. Three baby rabbits were dug from their burrow by a dog. The owner of the dog brought the rabbits here straightaway. She had them in a box full of hay, but the babies were lying on top of the hay, and were very cold. We gradually warmed them by putting their box on a heat pad, and I have just given them their first feed from a bottle. They all drank enthusiastically, so I hope they will thrive. Remember though, that if you come across some orphaned youngsters, their first requirement is heat. Put them in a box with cosy bedding, cover them with some of the bedding and put the box on a heat pad, next to a radiator or on a hot water bottle. Many baby birds and mammals cannot keep themselves warm, and certainly can't warm themselves up. They will probably get chilled in a room that you find comfortable. Keeping youngsters warm before they arrive here will increase their chances of survival
. Andy and I are heading for the Uists tomorrow, to finalise arrangements for this year's hedgehog relocation. We hope to enjoy some walking and wildlife watching too. 14th March 2008 At last, a day without wind and rain. We took the opportunity to release a chaffinch and a blackbird at Hessilhead. The chaffinch didn't look promising when it went into the aviary a few weeks ago, but it flew strongly when released close to our bird feeders. The blackbird has spent most of its time hiding in the conifer in the aviary, so we left the release hatch open, and it can leave when it is ready. Two kestrels were released too. The male kestrel returned to its own patch at West Kilbride, and the female was released close to where she was found just outside Dalry. I wasn't there, but I'm told they both flew well.
male kestrel female kestrel
I thought you would like to see a photo of the otter cub, Yorkie. He is doing well, eating lots of fish with a preference for salmon and trout. He doesn't like people, which is a good thing. When we take his food or clean out the shed, he stays in the sleeping box. If we happen to get too close he snarls, so no-one will be tempted to pet him!
10th March 2008 After a quiet week it turned out to be a fairly busy weekend. First to arrive was a tawny owl, picked up by Kirkintilloch Police during their night shift. It is probably the fattest tawny owl ever to come into our care. It was certainly in good condition for the breeding season. Unfortunately, when hit by a car, it has fractured the tip of its right wing. The wing is strapped up now, and we hope the owl will make a full recovery. On Sunday morning we had to ask the Fire and Rescue Service to help rescue a gull that was hanging from a television aerial. As usual they turned this request into an exercise, and soon had the bird down. It has a strained wing, but should recover. Sunday afternoon saw us heading to Biggar in South Lanarkshire. This is a long run for us, taking more than an hour to get there, but it did sounded like the 3 swans needed help. Last year, two pairs of swans had nested on the island in a small pond at a caravan site. Despite constant bickering, both pairs of swans had reared young, and the cygnets of one pair had flown away. The female of the other pair was killed when she collided with overhead wires, and since then, the dominant pair had kept her mate and 2 cygnets of the water. They were getting plenty of food from local people, but seemed to be trapped in a small area, that didn't give them enough space to take off and leave. We soon had the 3 swans in bags and in the back of the car, and released them with the flock of swans on Lanark Loch. They seemed pleased to have access to water again, and when we left all were thoroughly enjoying a bathe and preen. On the way home we collected an unusual adult male blackbird. It has white patches at the sides of its neck, a partial albino. Unfortunately it has a vision problem, and we doubt if there will be any improvement.
6th March 2008 Andy and I had arranged to drive down to Gretna yesterday. We were to meet up with a lady who runs a wildlife rehab centre in North Yorkshire, and collect a young otter cub from her. Although the cub was doing well with Jean, she doesn't have the facilities to care for it long term. We didn't go, as Meg, our black and white spaniel, has been really ill this week, and was still hospitalized at the Vet's. John, one of our volunteers, and a real otter enthusiast, offered to do the trip instead. So the otter, little Yorkie, is now at Hessilhead, settling in and eating well. We hope another cub will turn up soon. Otters love to play and he would enjoy some company when he's a bit older. (Meg is home from the Vet now, and on the mend).
28th February 2008 plastic This week the media has highlighted the damage that discarded plastic bags cause to wildlife. ....and there was an example on our own doorstep. We were called out to rescue a shag that had thick polythene tightly wrapped around its body. It was Tuesday, another stormy day, and the shag was standing on one of the pontoons at Ardrossan Harbour. We feared there was little hope of us catching bird; it was so close to the water we knew that it would jump in when we got close. Andy crawled along the pontoon, inching the net forwards. He was almost there when the shag jumped in, and there was nothing more we could do that day. We expected the bird to come out again, and people working at the marina, as well as the lady who had called us out, promised to call when the bird was seen again. So far we haven't heard anything. We doubt if the bird could have removed the plastic itself. The shag can still swim, but it probably won't dive and chase fish very successfully. Perhaps another unlucky victim of our throw away society.
25th February 2008
It has been wet and windy today, certainly not the sort of day we'd expect to collect our first young tawny owl of the year. The owlet was found in Coatbridge, on the ground, and taken to the local vet, who happens to be an experienced birder too. The youngster was unlikely to survive if put back out in this weather, although later in the year we may have thought that this was a good option. The chick is eating well, and we'll keep our fingers crossed that another youngster will come our way soon. Young tawnies always do better with company. 22nd February 2008 Andy and I have just had a few days away. On Tuesday we were at the Scottish Police Wildlife Crime Conference. This is always an informative and enjoyable day, with the chance to meet up with colleagues and acquaintances. We enjoyed a couple of days walking in central Perthshire, then returned home to hear the disappointing news that snares had not been banned. New regulations will be put in place, governing their use, but this will not stop the suffering experienced by every animal caught in one of these cruel and indiscriminate traps. 16th February 2008 Good news today. The egg bound heron was released on the football pitches, just outside Dean Castle Country Park. We chose to release her there in case she didn't fly properly. Herons are such big birds that it is hard to be sure they are ready for release, even in our biggest aviaries. In a wide open space we would stand a good chance of recovering her if she didn't do well. We needn't have worried. The heron went up and up, circled over the trees and then made a beeline into the park, presumably heading back to her nest.
14th February 2008 We have been working without our hospital for the last 3 weeks, as it is being completely refurbished. We have been managing well, with extra patients in the hedgehog hospital, some in the surgery, others in the mammal room, and some in cages in sheds. The last thing we really needed when we are short of space was a heron, and now we have not one, but two herons. Herons are difficult patients, that rarely feed themselves when they first come into care. So they usually have to be hand fed, but that isn't the end of it. After a feed, a heron must not be disturbed for at least 2 hours. If it is disturbed, it will probably regurgitate its last meal. After 2 hours, and the meal should be beyond the point of no return. Regurgitating food is a useful trick for herons in the wild, If disturbed, up comes dinner, and the heron is lighter for making a quick getaway. It doesn't make caring for an emaciated heron easy! Heron number one is enjoying the luxury of our heated large cabin. Talk about private health care! The second heron arrival spent a day there too, but she has moved to a shed now. We were quite puzzled why she had been picked up, lying in a field, unable to fly. She is fat and strong and apparently fit. Today we got the answer. A deep blue heron's egg lay in the corner of her shed, and the heron is much more lively. So we think the heron was egg bound. She will be released close to where she was found.
13th February 2008 It is always a good day when a patient is ready for release. Today it was time to take last week's roe deer back to Irvine. I didn't go, but I heard that it went off well, and that the release team watched it for while with the spotlight. Earlier today, David and Leianne went to rescue an owl that was trapped in a pipe in a builders yard in Dalry. The owl was wearing jesses, which told us it was an escaped bird. As it happened the owner had phoned us a few days ago, reporting the missing bird, and leaving his phone number. He soon came round to collect his pet barn owl. 9th February 2008 The first patient of today was a kestrel, brought from Lapwing Lodge, the Scout centre on Gleniffer Braes. The kestrel had been found in a water butt, but by the time it arrived here it was almost dry. I left it in a box in the surgery, and when I returned later to check on it, I found it sitting on the X-ray light box! The bird is underweight, so will be kept here for a few days . Already it is eating well, so we expect it will soon be returned to Scout HQ. The next call was about an injured heron in South Ayrshire. It had already been taken into care, and offered some tuna. We said we'd collect it later in the day. Things don't often work out in our favour, but as it happened, we had two birds ready to release in S Ayrshire. A buzzard from Barrhill had been treated by Girvan vet Alan Jeans, and then recuperated at Hessilhead till its fractured leg healed. We met the man who found the bird, and he took us to the exact spot where it was found. As soon as we opened the box the buzzard was off, flying well and landing on a tree at the edge of the wood. Another buzzard flew across to join it. We then collected the heron at Pinmore, and left a tawny owl to be released after dark. We arrived back at the centre to admit a barn owl that had been tangled on barbed wire. The wing isn't badly damaged, but the feathers are a bit of a mess. Hopefully we can sort them out so the bird can return to the wild without spending months in captivity waiting to moult. On examination we discovered that the heron had a large tear near the top of its leg, and was terribly underweight and dehydrated. It was stitched up, given antibiotics and fluids, and left on a heat pad for the night. Still the evening wasn't finished. A chaffinch was delivered from Dalry, possibly a window victim, and a very sick white dove was brought from Balloch. The last call of the evening was to say that the Pinmore tawny owl had been successfully released. 7th February 2008 David and I spent most of today filming with Truenorth Productions, making a TV programme for Animal Rescue Squad. We released a kestrel and a buzzard, which both flew really well. Look out for the TV programme soon. 6th February 2008 There have been some disappointments over the last few days. On Monday Shelby collected a seal pup from the Rangers at Culzean Castle. It was taken to the vets the next day, and they phoned later to say that, sadly, it had been put to sleep. The damage to its leg and flipper was too old to repair. Early this morning Andy and I went into Glasgow to rescue a fox. The poor thing had tried to jump a picket gate, but a hind leg had slipped between the pickets, and when we arrived, the fox was hanging by a shattered hind leg. It could have been there for hours, and was so tightly jammed that it took us a while to free the injured limb. The leg was too badly damaged to save, so the fox was PTS. On a happier note the RTA roe deer that Andy and Leianne collected last night is looking brighter this afternoon. It has even eaten a little food.
Shelby and Leianne went on a swan rescue today. They returned wet and bedraggled, but triumphant. A cygnet had been chased into a channel off the main pond at Ardeer Rec, presumably by parents who are thinking of nesting soon, and wanting the territory to themselves. They wouldn't let their cygnet back onto the pond, and it couldn't take off, or even get out of the water, from the channel. Judging from the state of Shelby and Leianne, the cygnet wasn't too keen on being rescued! 3rd February 2008 Busy Sunday The first patient of the day was a surprise, a fulmar found in a garden pond in Kilwinning. The fulmar is underweight, and was given rehydration fluids twice today. Now it is resting cosily on a heat pad. Next came a kestrel, found unable to fly in West Kilbride. This lovely male bird has a carpal injury. It will be going to the Vet tomorrow. We went to Renfrew this afternoon, well prepared to rescue a young swan, that was reported to be bleeding badly, and was staying on the island in the pond at Robertson park. Andy didn't really need the survival suit, for as it happened, the pond had been partly drained, and the water didn't reach the top of his wellies!. We didn't need the ropes either, as the cynget didn't try to escape. Neither was the cygnet as badly injured as had been thought. All the blood was coming from damaged toe nails. They always bleed a lot. Nevertheless it was a well to bring the cygnet into care. It was certainly quite subdued when rescued. We were half way back to the centre when we received a call about an injured deer. It had been moved off the road near Irvine, but no-one had stayed with the casualty. Sadly when we arrived the deer was dead. We got back to Hessilhead to find that an SSPCA Inspector was here, delivering an injured swan. This is one of the swans from Saltcoats, that has regularly been crossing the road from the Auchenharvie Golf Course to the School. One of them was sure to be injured sooner or later. Fortunately this swan has only a minor injury. Let's hope the swans go elsewhere soon. 28th January 2008 We have spent much the of time during the last few days taking everything out the main hospital building, which is to be completely refurbished over the next few weeks. Patients have been moved to the hedgehog hospital, the mammal room and the surgery. It will take a bit of getting used to, but at least we are not too busy at this time of year. By the time our busy season arrives the hospital should look like new. We had just about finished the removal work when we received
a call about a stranded seal pup at Saltcoats. Andy and Leianne were soon back
with a rather chubby, lovely pale pup, still with some of its baby white coat.
It had attracted quite a crowd of admirers on the beach......and they had
decided to call the pup Sandra. There was another trip to the 3 towns early in the evening. This was to release the fox that had been found in a bathroom. It went off at top speed, obviously pleased to be free.
24th January 2008 Andy and I have just been away for a few days, enjoying the snow in Central Perthshire. Apparently it has been pretty hectic here, with swan calls several times a day. One swan was quite badly injured when the Renfrew Ferry crushed its foot. Good news from the vet though. The swan will be ready to come home tomorrow. David and Leianne were on a seal rescue when we arrived home. They came back with one of the skinniest seals we have ever seen. It looks awful. As well as being underweight, people had been pouring sea water over the seal to keep it cool! It hasn't stopped shivering yet, but we are warming it up slowly. 19th January 2008 Fox in Bathroom! We are used to strange requests at Hessilhead, but this was the first time we'd been asked to remove a fox from a bathroom. the owners of the house often left their back door open in the evenings, so their dogs had access to the garden. Sometimes a fox wanders into the kitchen. This time the fox went further, but then became frightened. It took refige in the bathroom, and even though doors had been left open, it hadn't left. Johnny and Leianne went to the rescue. They found the fox draped across the wash hand basin taps. leianne soon had the fox by the scruff, and into the carrying box, and decided to bring it back to the centre to be examined. This was just as well. The fox has a deep scratch beneath its eye, and some cloudiness in the eye itself. It will benefit from antibiotics for a few days before returning back to its territory. It is a big dog fox, and as this is the foxes' mating season, I'm sure it will be keen to get back into the wild.
18th January 2008 Dudley the seal Good news today, Dudley has started to feed himself. It is always a relief when this happens, for the staff and for the seal. The staff would rather not force an animal to eat, and the seal must enjoy food better when it isn't being pushed down its throat. We expect that Dudley will start to gain weight more quickly now, and soon he'll move to an enclosure with a pool. 17th January 2008 This morning a deer jumped in front of a lorry near the Dalry Inn. The lorry driver stopped, knocked at a nearby house to ask for help, and the owner of the house brought the deer here. We nearly always have to collect deer ourselves. The deer was concussed and shaken, but by tea time he was standing, favouring his sore leg, but it isn't broken. Now we must persuade him to eat. 16th January 2008 Buzzards You have probably noticed, that over the past few years there has been an explosion in the buzzard population, and whereas ten years ago, you would expect to see buzzards in rural areas, now they are common in suburbia and along busy roads. Last week David rescued a buzzard from the Kilbarchan slip road onto the B737. The bird has been hanging around there for weeks. It must have been clipped by a car recently, as it has a shoulder injury and has lost some weight. It won't take long to regain the weight; the bird starting eating straightaway, and has now moved to an aviary, where it can get restricted exercise. Hopefully it soon be ready for release. Today Andy & I collected another buzzard from a farm not far from Lochwinnoch. The owner of the farm said the buzzard had been unable to fly since the storms last week, and he supposed it was injured when the tree holding a buzzard nest was blown down. This is not the case. The bird has a feather problem. This is a long standing problem, resulting from insufficient food when a chick. The feathers are weak, most of the tail feathers are broken, and the flight feathers are tatty and abraided. When the feathers are wet, it is impossible for the bird to gain any height, so it has been walking around the ground, eating earthworms, but is in surprisingly good condition, weightwise. The buzzard is now in an aviary, but will probably have to stay at Hessilhead till it moults out its old feathers and grows in new ones. This won't happen till late summer, and that is a long time for a bird to be in care.
14th January 2008 Anti-Snaring Campaign Andy and I went to Edinburgh today, to preview the cinema advertisement for the campaign to ban snaring in Scotland. There is no doubt at all that snaring is cruel and indiscriminate. If you haven't already registered your vote to ban these awful devices, please visit www.bansnares.com and do so. 13th January 2008
We finished today with a deer release. The adult roe doe was brought to the centre in December, by Karen, our reliable Greenock volunteer. Someone had knocked on her door early in the morning, to tell her about the road casualty, lying on Clune Brae, Port Glasgow. Karen was soon dressed and hurrying to the scene, and she arrived here later that morning with a concussed deer in her van. The doe made a slow recovery, responding to anti-inflammatory drugs, then being hand fed, and after about ten days feeding herself. There would be a day when the deer was jumpy, panicking when we took her food, but the next day she would be quiet again, obviously not quite ready for release. For the last 3 days there has been no doubt that the doe was ready for release. When we took vegetation or vegetables she was trying to get out of the back of the shed. So this evening she was sedated for travelling, taken close to where she was found, given the antidote and watched for a few minutes till she came round, recognised her surroundings, and toddled off to resume life in the wild. Hopefully she will be more careful when crossing the road. Other casualties taken into care today included a kestrel, a jackdaw, 2 swans and 3 pigeons. There will be trip to the vet tomorrow with some of these patients.
11th January 2008 Tawny Owl The tawny owl was found being attacked by crows on the cycle track south of Ayr. The person who found the owl took it home, then phoned Hessilhead for advice. He kept the owl warm and in the dark, till he could bring it to the centre later in the morning. We have never seen anything quite like this owl. It has a massive infection inside its mouth, that prevents the mouth from closing. The owls eyes were tightly closed, and there are swellings beneath them. Perhaps this is part of the same infection. We have cleared away some of the necrotic tissue, cleaned the eyes and opened them, and put the owl on antibiotics. We are not sure yet whether the owl will make a full recovery, fingers crossed. 10th January 2008 It seems like the quiet season is over. The first call today was about a guillemot that had been handed in to the Marine Reserch Lab at Millport. The bird was put on the ferry to Largs and we collected it from there. Its a little underweight and perhaps went ashore to escape the storm of yesterday. A short eared owl was delivered, but its wing injury was far too bad for the bird to ever fly again. Sadly it was put to sleep. An injured fox wasn't a survivor either, but a buzzard picked up from the roadside, wet and bedraggled, was looking much brighter by tea time, and a wet limping swan from Ayr looked happier once it had dried off and eaten., Two hedgehogs, delivered earlier this week, are doing very well. It is a bad time of year to get in underweight hedgehogs, so we are pleased that these two youngsters are gaining weight. 7th January 2008 Dudley the seal pup Andy and I were pleased to see all the staff back today. They'd all had a good holiday, which they thoroughly deserved, as they willingly work lots of extra time throughout the year. Having them back us a chance to catch up with paperwork and phone calls, but by mid afternoon we'd had enough of inside, and were keen to respond to a report of an injured seal pup lying on the beach at Fairlie. The seal was 200 yards along the beach, lying sleeping not far from the sea wall. It obviously had a problem, but certainly came to life as soon as Andy grabbed it. In fact it squirmed its way out of the blanket that we usually use for carrying seal pups. I'd to fetch the carrying box to get the pup back to the car. The seal is emaciated and has nasty bites around his hind legs and tail. He is getting rehydration fluids for 24 hours, antibiotics and wormer. He doesn't really seem to appreciate the care. 6th January 2008 The year got off to a quiet start as far as new patients are concerned, though there has been plenty to do at the centre over the holiday time. The 6 grey seal pups are almost a day's work in themselves, thawing fish, delivering the food and then of course cleaning out the seal pools. We are pleased with the seals' progress. All are self feeding and gaining weight. We have 6 young roe deer that are being over-wintered, an adult female roe deer who survived a road traffic accident, and McDougall, our resident roe buck. The deer eat rabbit food, carrots, turnip and apples, and every day 30lb of vegetables has to be chopped for them. Other casualties currently in care include 40 hedgehogs, 5 buzzards, 5 tawny owls, 3 barn owls, 10 swans and a variety of small garden birds.
1st January 2008 2007 came to a busy end, with several patients coming into care last night. Saltcoats Police arrived early in the evening with a swan they had removed from the taxi rank at the station. With a drooping slightly bleeding wing, it had probably been bumped by a vehicle, though why it was there in the first place we don't know. Then came an injured common gull, followed by a pouter pigeon. These brought the total of casualties for 2007 to 3332.
3rd December 2007 Seals When we released the 2 common seals, Sammy and Chubby, we were left with a grey seal pup, Paddy. He learnt to feed himself quite soon, and enjoys playing in the swan hospital pool. We didn't expect an influx of other seals so quickly. First to come was another common seal, a small, poor looking seal, dry eyed, hump backed, and really not too well. However, he does have a good turn of speed, and can clench his teeth determinedly when he doesn't want to eat. Then came more grey seal pups. Yesterday 2 came from the east coast, one from Gullane and one from Dunbar. The Gullane seal is a big dark coloured bruiser, eating quite willingly. Baby Dunbar is a young pup, still with some white puppy fur, who needed fluids yesterday, but is now eating fillets of herring. Two more pups were delivered today. Dee came from Aberdeen, looks quite relaxed after his long journey, but has some infected wounds. Another young pup came from the Firth of Forth. He has chronic infections. So it looks like we are going to pretty busy for the next week or so.
2nd December 2007 Sparrowhawk Sparrowhawks can be difficult patients, but we've worked out a good treatment regime, and rarely lose a sparrowhawk through stress. The secret is to keep the bird in an enclosed space where it feels safe. If you put a sparrowhawk in a cage, it will panic and damage feathers and face. One of our couriers, Kirsty, brought in a lovely female sparrowhawk while Andy and I were away a couple of weeks ago. Shelby diagnosed shoulder damage, kept the bird in a cardboard carrier, and hand fed it 2 or 3 times a day. We continued that treatment for a week; the bird was resting its injured shoulder, and keeping calm. After a few days it began to feed itself. That can be another problem with sparrowhawks. They usually need wild food, although we can usually persuade them to eat day old chicks eventually. When the wing improved and the bird became restless, she was moved to an indoor flight where she could get more exercise without putting too much strain on the wing. Next move was to a fully screened aviary, and soon the bird was flying perfectly. She wasn't too keen on being netted, ringed and boxed again, but it wouldn't take long for Kirsty to return the bird to where she was found. The bird had made a good recovery and was released in excellent feather condition. I guess she would continue life as before.
24th November 2007 Merlin
I asked Toni to collect a bird for us on Thursday. Toni worked at Hessilhead for 7 years, and although she now has a baby girl to look after, she still likes to keep in touch and bring casualties to the centre. She was very excited when she phoned later, to say that the bird was a merlin. Toni had noticed a mark and feathers on the window of the house where she had gone to collect the bird, and sure enough, the merlin was showing minor signs of collision. We treated the bird with an anti-inflammatory drug, kept it in a box for the night, and next day, when it was looking brighter, put it in a cage. It didn't take long for the merlin to eat. It ate a whole chick, beak, legs, everything. Then with a full crop, it had another sleep. This morning we flew the bird in a large aviary. It was magic, so light and nimble and manouverable. It seemed to be floating rather than flying. Toni and Paul collected the bird later, and released it close to where it was found. They too were thrilled to see it fly. Hopefully it has learnt to avoid windows in future
20th November 2007 Seal release
It was a big day for Chubby and Sammy today. They had achieved their target weights of 35 kilos, and the forecast was calm weather for the next few days. It was time for them to go off and fend for themselves. Chubby has been with us since August, when we rescued him from Saltcoats beach, a skinny little seal suffering from lungworm and tapeworm. Sammy came 4 weeks later, transferred from Secret World Wildlife Rescue in Somerset. The team there had saved his life and taught him to eat fish for himself. Now he needed company and more space to swim. He flew into Glasgow airport and arrived at Hessilhead none the worse for his experience. The seals were released at Portencross, and as so often happens we arrived at low tide, so the seal crates had to be carried to the mouth of the harbour. Chubby wasted no time in swimming away and exploring the sea, but Sammy wasn't so sure about this new world. He hung around the carrying box, and then stayed in shallow water for ages, returning to the box and watching us watching him. Chubby waited, looking back for Sammy, but he was impatient to get into deeper water. At last Sammy decided to go too, and we watched the seals swim to meet each other, diving and splashing and having fun. Hopefully they will son learn to catch fish for themselves.
1st July 2007 I got your number from a hedgehog. It has been so
busy for the last few weeks that we have hardly had time to keep up with the
work. We have 40 fox cubs, 33 tawny owls, 5 badger cubs, 5 deer fawns, 200
ducklings and have reared hundreds of garden birds. 4th June 2007 Never a spare moment Casualties are arriving fast. Most days bring more than 20 new patients, today nearly 40. Young crows, tits, wrens, and blackbirds are the most frequent arrivals, but over the last few days we have taken in 6 shell ducklings, 2 cygnets, a roe deer fawn and the first of the gull chicks. This evening a female hedgehog arrived with four 10 day old babies. That was in addition to the last 12 hedgehogs to be evicted from the Uists this summer; they went straight out to release sites. I am not too happy with the buzzard that came in on Saturday. Our first concern was his poor body condition. Now he is gaining a little weight, but his behaviour is odd. We suspect there may be some brain damage. The peregrine will move to an aviary tomorrow, and the little hand reared stoat should move outside too. A clutch of 12 ducklings was rescued from a deep sided treatment pool at a landfill site today, and tawny owl chick number 12 came in. So you see we don't have much spare time! 5th May 2007 Owls There was good
news for 2 adult tawny owls today. One of them has been in care for several
weeks, and for a while was totally blind. Even so, after recovering from
concussion, it learnt to feed itself in a cage. It was always easy to get hold
of, as it didn't see a hand approach, but would jump when touched. We were
beginning to lose hope that the owl would recovery, then during one of the
regular testing sessions we found it could see with one eye. That encouraged us
to move the owl outside, and it soon found the high perches, and located food
left in different places. Today we tested it again, and are pretty sure that it
now has good vision. It will return to its own territory. Another tawny owl, a
small male, has made a fast recovery from a collision with a car. It will soon
be back to help feed its family. 4th May 2007 Starlings There has been an influx of starling chicks at Hessilhead. I think the total so far is 22. All have been removed from roof spaces by house owners who were having their roofs repaired, or just didn't like having the chicks there. You can probably imagine that rearing chicks from a few days old is a lot of work, and fairly costly. Feeding starts at 7am each morning, and finishes about 10.30 at night. The chicks are fed approximately every half hour. Of course there are lots of other youngsters to care for too. Once the chicks fledge (in 7 to 10 days) they will move to cages. First they will learn to perch, then to drink, and after a week or so to pick up food for themselves. When feeding confidently they will move to an aviary, and be released a couple of weeks after that. The aviary will be left open for two more weeks so the youngsters can come back for food. If the chicks had been left in their nests for their parents to rear, they would fledge in 7 to 10 days and have their parents to show them how to survive in the wild. The roofs could have been repaired then, and Hessilhead would be a much quieter place. 28th May 2007 Buzzard and Peregrine It’s mostly juveniles that we admit at this time of year, but we've had a couple of surprises yesterday and today. A buzzard was brought in yesterday, found by a shooter while out shooting. The buzzard has an injured leg, and more injuries in its mouth and above its eye, but we expect it to make a full recovery. Today we admitted a female peregrine, a particularly bad tempered one. She has an injured wing, that is now strapped up, and we are hopeful of a full recovery for her too. 15th May 2007 Swift There is
always something to delight us at Hessilhead. Yesterday we had a call about an
injured bird in West Lothian, which is quite a long way from here. The people
who had the bird couldn't fetch it, but luckily two of our regular helpers who
responded straight away, and the bird was here an hour and a half later. 11th May 2007 Home from Uists Andy and I
have just returned from a trip to the Uists to collect more hedgehogs. There
were only 16 to come back today, but the total for this year so far is 206. We
took an extra day for the trip to enjoy the peace and quietness of South Uist,
and to watch some healthy wildlife too. We spent all of Wednesday on a white
sandy beach, watching Great Northern and Black throated divers, terns, waders,
hen harrier and arctic skua. You can imagine that it was difficult returning
home! 6th April 2007 Otter We got an otter week ago tomorrow. She is probably between 6 and 8 months old, is very thin and was found in a sewer. She has been quite friendly all week, coming out when anyone went to her enclosure, approaching closely and sniffing feet. No-one has spoken to her or encouraged her to be like this. We assume it is because she has been so hungry for a long time. She seemed desperate for all the food she could get, even though she must have eaten all she needed. Today was different. The otter stayed in her sleeping box in all day, and eventually I was so puzzled that I lifted the roof and peeped inside. She looked up and backed into a corner, reluctant to be seen. She is reverting to natural behaviour, a sign that she is feeling satisfied now. Hopefully she will gain weight and be ready for release later in summer. 28th April 2007 I'm a carnivore! Today we
decided to try the baby stoat and pine marten with meat. The stoat was first,
and did she get excited? She grabbed the chick liver between her front feet and
started eating. But she is still young; her eyes aren't even open yet and her
co-ordination really poor. So unable to remain in one position, and she
spiralled and tumbled round her cage, never letting go of her meat and chomping
all the time.She finished the meat but had got herself into a bit of a mess,
blood stained legs and chest and tummy. She began cleaning herself, with almost
as much enthusiasm as she had when eating, and after ten minutes she was
spotless, satiated and sound asleep. 27th April 2007 Growing Up The hard work of the past few weeks is paying off now, with many of the hand reared youngsters living outside, some of them getting ready for release. There are 32 fox cubs at the centre now, all living in family sized groups and most of them thriving. We are concerned about the 3 latest arrivals, all road traffic accidents, and still showing signs of head trauma. 21 starling chicks moved to the aviary this weekend, and though there are still some in the hospital, its a lot quieter there now. the outside bunch are eating well, and getting plenty of exercise in one of our largest aviaries. 3 healthy greenfinches moved out today. The are the best greenfinches ever reared at Hessilhead, all thanks to Emma. The pine marten moved to a bigger space in one of the sheds. She looks quite grown up now, but is really still quite babyish. She was thriled with her new accommodation, and spend time exploring the logs and crevices we had provided. She tried bouding and leaping, but her co-ordination couldn't cope. When her front end leaped forward, her rear end stayed put. No doubt she'll get the hang of it soon. 5 young tawny owls have moved to an aviary, and ducklings are always on the move to new premises as they convert grassy pens to mud! The two original badger cubs were pleased when a little sow was introduced to them. They all stayed out all afternoon, playing gently. 26th April 2007 Spring babies and Uist hogs There was
plenty going on at Hessilhead. The first patient arived at 1am this morning, and
the first phone call came at 6. Then Jo arrived to collect some Uist hedgehogs
for relocation at Drumchapel. We met Jo a few weeks ago when she brought a
family of fox cubs that had been rescued from a burning derelict building. One
of the cubs was unconscious on arrival, but after a few hours in intensive care
she was able to stand and eat a little. Next day she was back with her siblings.
The hedgehogs will have been released now, and hopefully will be foraging for
natural food. We have been a bit overrun with hedgehogs recently. Last week 100
came over from the Uists. they came in 2 batches, but most of the 1st batch were
still in care when the 2nd lot arrived. Our hedgehog hospital has never been so
busy. Gradually the hogs are attaining their release weight and moving out, but
we heard today that another 34 have been caught on the islands. We can expect
another consignment next week. 20th April 2007 Happy Ending to a Tawny Owl Saga The saga began
several weeks ago when a lady arrived at the wildlife hospital with a tawny owl
wrapped in a jacket. She said she had found the owl beneath vegetation while
tidying her garden. The owl was a small male bird, and it had a fractured wing.
I happened to comment that it was really unfortunate as the owl almost certainly
had a mate incubating eggs. Without her mate she wouldn't be able to hatch them.
The lady told us that her neighbour had an owl box in his garden, and she would
ask if it was being used. |
Last modified: 02/03/10 |
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
%20(2).JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
%20(2).JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
%20(2).JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
%20(3).JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
%20(Small).JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
%20(2).JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
%20(2).JPG)
