The Accipiter - Online magazine from The Hawk Conservancy Trust

Monthly Diary - December 2006

A general monthly overview of the park by Tracey Smith.

Although this page will always be retrospective, we shall seek to provide important breaking news by news flash on the front cover of the magazine.

5th Dec

Members of Trust staff and birds travelled to Northampton to take part in a management training course organized by Festo. The conference looked at individual personalities of staff and their particular training needs, and is based around the similarities to the training of Birds of Prey. The day was a great success, and Festo will be running several more training sessions along the same lines at the Trust throughout 2007.
Festo have become corporate sponsors of the Trust, and are helping to support the summer ball planned for July 2007.
Pictured (L to R) Jane with Bateleur Eagle, Kim with Harris' Hawk, Andy with falcon (hooded) and James with Milky Eagle Owl.

6th
Dec

Ashley and Anya travelled to the National Portrait Gallery in London to attend the Heritage retail conference.

7th Dec

Basingstoke College of Technology attended a training course at the Trust.

9th Dec

Second working day of the winter, and it was 'all hands on deck' to help move telegraph poles from the car park to the new aviary sites, replace fencing, move felled trees and branches from around the grounds, and a general tidy of leaves. Pictures below.

11th Dec

Students from Sparsholt college gamekeepers course, attended a day at the Trust.

14th Dec

The Trust has joined force with the Imber Conservation Group to work on their Barn Owl box project. Samuel Hunt spent a day with Major Nigel Lewis and other members of the group putting up boxes in new sites.

15th Dec

Chris Packham and the production team of BBC Inside Out programme visited the Trust to film a link shot for the Italian vulture broadcast in January.

19th Dec

New RSPCA inspectors spent a training day at the Trust learning about critical care, bird restraint, handling and identification. Two more courses for other newly qualified inspectors are planned for January 2007.

22nd Dec

A chance for staff and volunteers to let their hair down at the Trust’s Christmas party.

24th Dec

Christmas at the Trust. With most staff away for the Christmas break it was down to a skeleton staff to feed and check on all the stock. They were also kept busy with a number of new patients brought into the hospital.

Throughout December work carried on around the grounds. The two new large aviaries at the top of the grounds are having wire fitted to the sides, and the fencing stakes are now in all around the new woodland owl arena. Maurice the woodman came back to the park and removed some of the trees surrounding Madeleine's aviary and the deer enclosure, allowing more light in. Progress is being made at the study centre with the new veranda taking shape, and new electrics for heating and lights being fitted. The Trust shop refit is underway with volunteer Scott giving up his Christmas break to fit the new cladding to the shop walls.



	The members' working day in pictures

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