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January 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR READERS!...

While our final Helping Hands article last year was from one of our youngest, most recent volunteers, we start off 2008 with memories of how the park was in the good old days, by Don Mutch, a long-standing helper who received the well-deserved Volunteer of the Year award in 2005.

Our weekend opening has been proving popular, especially when the weather is good, and some of the old flying team are being used for displays over the winter, including Sirius the Caracara, Charlie Brown the Lanneret and Avon the Barn Owl, while other newer members include Cavelli the Milky Eagle Owl and Gucci the Malay Wood Owl. Of course the Harris’ Hawks are still flying to guests on our experience days too.

Four of the Hooded Vultures, who came to us last year in the African group that was confiscated by Italian customs, are being trained to join our flying team this year. They are currently being manned prior to starting their flying training, and are proving very steady, gentle and lovely birds. We think that they are going to be great fun to work with.

In the study centre. Clive has set up shop over the winter weekends. As well as selling memberships and being on hand to chat to visitors, he is also running some activities for children, including pellet dissection, bird call and identification quizzes…somewhere warm to pop into between flying displays.

Up in the meadow a pair of Red Kites are seen regularly and we are hoping that this coming season will see them breeding and a further increase in the numbers of these wonderful birds in our area. This is one of our conservation success stories.

Meanwhile work is progressing well on two new aviaries – the Black Kite one I mentioned last month, which is a major undertaking and will be about twice the size of their previous enclosure, and another at the bottom of the park next to the dragonfly pond, for the breeding pair of Gymnogenes. Again this will be considerably bigger than their previous one. Both enclosures have gained large amounts in height as well as ground area, and will be netted rather than having wire, down to hand rail level. And look out for our new-look Valley of the Eagles seating area when we re-open next month.

Lou Richie, Editor

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