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March 2008

Open season began as usual at half term in February, and we were blessed with good weather and resultant good attendance. In spite of everyone being busy getting back into the swing of the daily activities for visitors, work managed to continue on the two main winter projects, both of which have been big and ambitious.

The new aviary for the black kites was finally finished, and the birds are now installed and looking very happy with their lofty perches. This is an exceptionally large area and for the first time netting rather than wire has been used to cover the entire enclosure above handrail height. This system has many advantages, including better visibility both in and out of the aviary, ease of maintenance, and reduced stress levels on the supporting structure. The new, larger Gymnogene aviary at the bottom of the park, being rebuilt by Campbell Murn, is also covered in netting.

The other main project, which is due for completion by Easter, is the seating area in Reg’s meadow for the Valley of the Eagles flying displays. The whole mound behind the seats has been restructured by being levelled on top (vast amounts of extra soil were added to achieve this), and then three terraces have been added so that the seats will now be arranged in tiers. This will give the audience of the future the superior views that up till now only the falconers have been afforded!

Meanwhile things are starting to busy up in the maternity department, with a baby Burrowing Owl now almost fledged and two White-backed Vulture eggs currently in the incubator. Yours truly had the privilege of actually seeing one of them being laid! It is too soon to know yet whether either of these is fertile.

Lou Richie, Editor

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