The weather having been miserable for the previous couple of weeks, nature was kind to us on Saturday 9^th December and the morning dawned frosty and sunny as some 70 people turned up for our second members’ working day of the season. Thanks to them, once more a lot of work was completed, including leaf-raking all round the park, putting some of the wire up on the new aviary that is to house the Steller's Sea Eagles, and fencing round the new woodland flying arena.

The big news in the last month has been the arrival of twenty (yes, twenty!) African birds – six Hooded vultures, eight White-backed vultures and six White-faced vultures. They came from Italy where they were all being housed, having been seized by customs, and Ashley and Andy went to collect them, along with a BBC film crew who have been following the story, which is due to be aired on Chris Packam’s current affairs programme Inside Out in the new year. Before they went, twenty large boxes to transport the birds were sourced, cleaned and prepared, and as they all had to be lined and blacked out, this was a task that turned a few members of staff and volunteers into quite proficient carpet-fitters!

When the birds arrived, vet John Chitty was on hand in the hospital, the birds were lined up in their boxes outside, and a convoy of staff with vultures was seen walking into the treatment room while each of them was checked over, then out to the two aviaries where the birds are now living. The whole exercise was run with the precision of a military operation, the birds seem to be doing really well in their new homes, and the staff are very excited to have increased the number of vultures, which we are all fond of, so significantly.

Every corner of the park seems to be a hive of activity at the moment. Building of new aviaries and the woodland flying arena are coming along nicely, despite the mud. The gift shop is another area that is being concentrated on as it is having a complete refurbishment, including new wooden flooring. The study centre also has new a wood floor downstairs and the upstairs balcony extension has just begun.

Happy New Year to all our readers, and we hope 2007 will be prosperous for you. Please do come and visit the new-look Hawk Conservancy Trust once we re-open on 17^th February!

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