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Issue 13 2009/2010 £1.75 Newsletter no 13 Bird Hospital registered as a charity in 1996. All care is given to patients totally free of charge, but it does cost money. It currently costs around £50,000 a year to run Gower Bird Hospital which is a relatively small amount This male sparrowhawk (above left) had hit a window whilst for the work we do – a chasing a bird. Thankfully there were no broken bones and the salary for one person next day we were able to release him where he had been found . in some big charities! The eyes of a mature adult male sparrowhawk can be deep We depend entirely on Iolo Williams (one of the patrons of Gower Bird Hospital) chatting to orange. donations. Members of Simon and Karen in the treatment room. The young male sparrowhawk (above right) was brought to the public, the RSPCA Gower Bird Hospital covered in oil. A large factory had closed and private vets bring our supporters’ kind donations and down and he had mistaken a pool of waste oil for water. The over 1600 patients to us every year — standing orders. Thank you! sparrowhawk spent 20 days at the Hospital receiving treatment without Gower Bird Hospital there simply and the picture shows him cleaned up and being put into one of wouldn’t be anywhere for most of them to our rehabilitation aviaries before release. Note the difference in go to receive the specialist help they need. eye colour due to his age. Gower Bird Hospital only exists because of

Born to be a hunter What’s inside Pages 6-7 Page 10-11 What people can do is look at the e often receive phone calls Hedgehogs are Wasking us how to stop position of their bird feeders. If your Getting our regular visitors to sparrowhawks taking birds from feeders and/or bird table is in an open patients up and the Hospital and about and back peopleÕs gardens. ItÕs important to area giving you a good view of the sometimes the into the wild is utmost skill is remember that sparrowhawks have birds, what may be happening is that you are providing the sparrowhawk our number one needed to save been hunting birds for thousands of priority. their lives. years and have evolved to be very with extremely easy targets. efficient hunters Ð they canÕt eat A clear flight path with little cover Pages 8-9 Page 12-13 anything else! makes it a lot easier for the How we stay Sometimes we sparrowhawk to catch the birds. Most in touch get some RSPB studies have proved that with old friends surprising visitors sparrowhawks do not reduce birds forage for food near natural cover with an eye always open for after they’ve flown rooting around songbird populations and a good the nest. the place. sparrowhawk population indicates a danger. Positioning feeding stations good healthy population of close to hedges or shrubs provides Published by Gower Bird Hospital. Designed and typeset by Eifion Jenkins ( 01834 813251. ( songbirds. more protection for the birds as they All pictures © Gower Bird Hospital & Chinch 01792 233649 (except where indicated otherwise) can dash for cover very quickly. Printed by AST, Cardiff ( 02920 493711. Cover picture: Tawny owl

2 3 Nurture needs special skills Pictures tell the story Sad but true

Rearing a young bird on its in a tale of our tits own, talking to it and letting it become used to people is doing it no favours. Sadly, we get calls every year from people who have hand reared a young bird and are wondering why it won’t fly away. It won’t fly away because it has been reared as part of a human family and doesn’t know how to interact with wild birds. A hand reared bird can become humanised – it’s The blue tit nestlings. tame but also thinks it is human and looks to people for food and may even try to If a single nestling is brought to the Hospital, we have so many inpatients during mate with you. A sad, the busy fledgling season, there is a good chance that we are already confused and usually short rehabilitating some of the same species. These blue tits are not all siblings but life as people quickly are quite happy socialising with their new family group. BLACKBIRD NESTLINGS BEING FED — the bird is facing become fed up with bird away from the person feeding it and is responding to the droppings all over the movement of the tweezers. As well as not talking whilst feeding house. the birds, we also try to keep their focus on the food, not us.

ver a third of wild bird casualties and start feeding it. Obrought to Gower Bird Hospital Is there magic or special skill or a are babies -young dependant birds relationship involved in the act of whose nests have been disturbed or feeding a baby bird? destroyed. Hand rearing these The skill is in avoiding youngsters is not just about feeding. developmental psychological For the best chance of survival in the problems. The relationship is in the The blue tit fledglings. wild they must be fed, but equally social grouping with other birds of the important is the mental development. same species Ð not the person. A couple of weeks later and the blue tits are almost ready for release. As soon If young enough, a baby bird will The magic is in releasing the birds as they had enough feathers to keep themselves warm they were transferred open its beak and beg for food from knowing that they can interact with into one of our aviaries and we continued to hand feed. They soon fledged out of any object (cat, dog, human!) that their own species, find their own food their nests and started learning the skills needed to survive in the wild – comes close to it. Understandably and not just survive but also find a perching, flying, finding their own food and interacting with each other. people find this begging irresistible partner and raise their own young.

4 5 It’s a wild wild world ... AndAnd that’sthat’s wherewhere wewe belongbelong

ur rehabilitation Oaviaries often mean the difference between life and death for our patients. The aviaries are camouflaged so people cannot see in as this would only frighten the inpatients or, in the case of young hand reared birds, make them too accustomed to people which would greatly reduce their chances of survival when released. ABOVE — Collared doves are also regular Inside the aviaries we inpatients at the Hospital. provide as much natural material as possible Ð RIGHT — This woodcock needed special care plants and shrubs, soil and after being wounded by a bite from a dog. leaf litter on the ground and an extra privacy screen at the back so the birds can Care tailored to suit What is feel secure and take cover if FLYING THE NEST — One of a nest of three hand reared song tame? they feel they need to. thrushes (the other two have already taken cover!) an individual’s needs Food appropriate There does seem to be some confusion about the word to the species is OUR rehabilitation aviaries can be adapted to supplied and we “tame”. A gentleman once said can supplement the suit different species. “I’ve got a tame robin in my natural diet of Woodcocks have long tapering beaks to garden, what’s wrong with that?” The answer is absolutely insectivorous birds search out their diet of worms, beetles, snails nothing, the difference is that with mealworms and other insects. They spend much of the day the robin knows exactly what it scattered on the under cover and are most active at night. The is, it was reared by its own ground. All our woodcock pictured here was brought to the parents - it is a wild bird. aviaries have CCTV Hospital with a bite wound from a dog. Robins also follow large cameras so we can animals (not so long ago it keep an eye on our The wounds healed well and being able to would have been wild boars patients without recuperate in one of our rehabilitation aviaries rooting around woodlands) so disturbing them. played a major part in its recovery. The privacy following you around as you dig the garden looking for insects TEMPORARY and natural environment reduced the stress of temporary captivity and enabled the woodcock and worms in the disturbed soil LODGINGS — isn’t too far from their normal Inside one of our to feed itself, foraging through the earth and behaviour. aviaries. vegetation as it would in the wild.

6 7 It’s good to stay in touchGoneGone butbut notnot forgottenforgotten

This great crested grebe was brought to the Goosander in aquapen. Gulls at the poolside. Hospital with a head injury resulting in a not so great crest. As well as our earth floored aviaries we also have waterproof and washing and preening is essential cormorants, shags, fulmars, gannets, kittiwakes, It received two aquapens – rehabilitation aviaries for water to keep the feather structure in tip top condition. coots, goosanders, great northern divers, little treatment from our vet and after a birds. The water pools are absolutely essential Many species of water birds have arrived needing and great crested grebes, mallards and tufted for all water birds as their plumage has to be ducks. couple of weeks these facilities including all species of gulls, recuperating in the aquapen was released fit What happens to our patients after weÕve and well. Chicks released them? We make great efforts away to find out if what we are doing is attacked by a cat, she had been treated and worthwhile. As many rehabilitated birds as rehabilitated at Gower Bird Hospital and six Gull chicks are routine admissions in possible are fitted with BTO rings, gulls also the summer and again it is vitally years later looked in fine condition and have a coloured ring (blue with a white Y) obviously a successful breeding individual. important not to humanise these birds. specific to Gower Bird Hospital, released Apart from the birds own welfare, large Good luck to her in 2009! birds like these, if humanised and hedgehogs are also marked. So far we have released would cause major problems. over 100 reports of our patients after release. Another successful blackbird arrived at Hospital in November 2008. He was attacked With no natural fear of people, they In 2009 a gentleman in noticed a would automatically assume people are by a cat in Neath and the RSPCA brought him going to feed them and their natural female blackbird with a BTO ring on her leg to us. He had a Norwegian ring on his leg aggressive behaviour would make them in his garden. Using a telescope with extreme which had been put on just 29 days before! a real nuisance. Fortunately, these little patience and perseverance, he eventually chicks don’t need hand feeding, they He had quite extensive injuries but, thanks to managed to read the ring number and we Gower Bird HospitalÕs excellent treatment are able to feed themselves which discovered it was a blackbird we had keeps our contact with them to an and rehabilitation facilities, made a full absolute minimum. released in 2003. recovery and was released fit and well Ð Originally a young fledgling that had been where will he turn up next?

8 9 Hedgehogs in trouble On your Hedgehogs are regular patients at Gower Bird Hospital all year round. In 2008, 329 hedgehogs (including 94 baby hedgehogs between June and September) were brought to Gower Bird Hospital from all across South . Hedgehogs suffer from all sorts of illnesses and injuries. The key thing to remember is that they are nocturnal animals and a hedgehog out in daylight is usually in trouble and will need expert help quickly. marks, get set, go

READY TO GO — A marked hog and (left) ust as with rehabilitated birds, we Tom, one of our hedgehogs ready for release. Jneed to know what happens to our hedgehog patients after they have hedgehogs brought into the Hospital been released. with their ÒIDÓ clearly visible. SAVED — the We always try to release hedgehogs Another advantage of this way of surgical skills of our vet Brita where they were originally found as marking hedgehogs is that people can saved these two they will be familiar with their home identify ÒtheirÓ hedgehog if they spot young hogs. range and it maintains the natural it again. We have had many reports of balance. healthy hedgehogs from our ÒLocalÓ hedgehogs from areas close supporters. Saved from a painful death to Gower Bird Hospital are micro- We released a female hedgehog chipped as they are very likely to be marked with red heat-shrink sleeving THANKS to the quick action of one of problem was revealed. brought straight to us if in trouble, we in DeirdreÕs garden in Birchgrove and our supporters, Val, two young The netting was tightly wrapped can scan them and check if they have she was spotted doing very well in the hedgehogs were saved from a slow around their necks and had been there been previous patients. wild. Deirdre then emailed to ask if and painful end. for a considerable time Ð as the little Hedgehogs from further afield are weÕd released another one as her Val spotted the youngsters in her hedgehogs were growing the netting marked with coloured heat-shrink husband had seen two hedgehogs garden in daytime and discovered had got tighter and tighter and a lot of sleeving. The plastic tubes leave the with the same red markings. they were stuck together Ð both it had cut through the skin and was pointed ends of the spines exposed so Amazingly the second hedgehog entangled in one piece of green plastic buried in the flesh underneath. the hedgehog doesnÕt lose any of its was a male hedgehog we had released garden netting. Thanks to BritaÕs surgical skills the natural defences. about two miles away. Val quickly got the hedgehogs to the netting was carefully removed and These marks can last for around This just goes to prove how far these Hospital but the hedgehogs curled up the deep wounds cleaned. Both four years and we have had little creatures can travel. tightly when we tried to examine hedgehogs made a full recovery but if them. Our vet, Brita, anaesthetised Val hadnÕt spotted them it would An average hedgehog will use an area of them and the full extent of the have been a different story. It’s the truth around 20 football pitches on its travels.

10 11 Well,Well, looklook who’swho’s here!here!

As well as birds and hedgehogs, other wildlife is brought to Gower Bird Hospital.

Ready to take flight

A fulmar being released at Southgate. When releasing birds we never throw them into the air – if a bird is well enough to be released it will have the strength and ability to fly. After a few minutes of preening and assessing its surroundings, this fulmar flew gracefully out to sea.

Did you know? After a particularly long period of heavy rain this mole was found on the road running alongside the kerb. It wasn’t injured in any way and had probably found itself on the road whilst trying to escape the very wet conditions in the fields. The fulmar has been used to monitor pollution in the North Sea! Although it ate the worms we provided, it was very distressed at being in captivity even for just one day. Fortunately the rain had stopped and we were How? able to take him back to where he was found and released him slightly uphill as A North Sea international study of fulmar stomach contents became possible as part of the the ground was draining. Save the North Sea Project. Dead birds washed up on the beach are taken to the laboratory where their stomach contents are examined and all the undigested items are counted, weighed and identified. A young snake was brought to the Hospital because the Why the fulmar? people who found it in their Virtually all tube-nosed seabirds like the fulmar mistake marine litter for food. It has been garden didn’t know what it estimated that the North Sea has to cope with 20,000 tons of litter per year and that was. On being reassured it was plastics can constitute 95% of the total amount of litter. a perfectly harmless grass Non biodegradable and indigestible items especially plastics accumulate in the stomachs snake (identifiable by the of these birds. Ingested litter may not be a direct cause of mortality but reduces fitness of yellow collar across the back the animal for survival and reproduction. of its neck) the finders were This is known as a sub-lethal effect - it doesn’t kill the individual animal but reduces the perfectly happy to take it back number of that species over time. The fulmar is used as the symbol of the Save the North and release it in their garden. Sea campaign.

12 13 Money, money, money and it’s thanks to you

huge Òthank youÓ to all our well supported by members of the Running jump for wildlife! Asupporters Ð thanks to your kind public so your donation helps us donations, Gower Bird Hospital can twice! continue to give injured, sick and In 2008 the Hospital received grants orphaned wildlife the specialised and donations from: treatment and facilities they need. The Gower Society, Pennard Each patientÕs care costs are Charity, Gower Friends, different. More than 1600 patients are Glantawe Trefoil Guild, Pettifor Trust, admitted every year and the average Llysdinam Trust, cost is £30 per patient. No donation is Development Fund, RSPCA too small, every pound is much (Ceredigion, Cardiff, Pembrokeshire appreciated. and Gwent branches), Royal Pigeon Gower Bird Hospital applies for Racing Association, Beryl Thomas THE RUNNER: Rhydderch grants every year. Grants are usually Animal Welfare Trust and Jean raised over £250 in only awarded to charities which are Sainsbury Animal Welfare Trust. sponsorship by running the 2008 Cardiff Half Marathon — since 2002 Rhydderch has Walking to Branston without getting in a pickle raised over £2,000 for Gower Bird Hospital. Wildlife is benefiting far beyond the 200 square miles of woodland creation and THE JUMPER: Dawn raised countryside transformation that is the over £350 doing a sponsored National Forest in Staffordshire thanks skydive at Swansea Airport. to Tracee and partner Ben. Tracee Picture: South Wales Evening Post raised over £300 by doing a sponsored 22 miles circuit walk from Jackson’s Bank to Branston in the National Forest. Tracee’s target was £170 to buy the OUR local ceilidh band Rough Edge decided to scatter his ashes at his special milk needed to feed orphaned organised a dance at Pennard Parish favourite places including the hedgehogs for a year and the extra Hall and raised £350. It was an coastline of South Wales. As a last money was put towards their “growing excellent performance from the band gesture, Steve wrote a note promising up” diet of mealworms and cat food! and the dancers! £50 to a charity chosen by the finder and sealed it into the empty urn. A Gower Bird Hospital also receives few weeks later, Steve had a phone donations in lieu of flowers at call from a lady who found the urn funerals. We are always touched by washed up on the shore at Ferryside this act of kindness at what must be a and she nominated Gower Bird sad time. Hospital to receive the donation. Steve from Birmingham telephoned Steve was particularly pleased as his Tracee and her partner Ben. with a wonderful story; his father had father had been a great nature lover passed away and the family had with a passion for robins!

14 15 GoodGood startstart inin lifelife

Our “Hook A Duck” stall at Pennard Carnival was extremely popular. It netted a very useful £200, helping us give these young tufted ducks a good start in life.

l If you would like to send us a donation but the form is missing from this magazine, please make cheques payable to Gower Bird Hospital and send to the address below, or if you would like to donate by card, you can do this securely via our website. Please include your name and address for our mailing list.

Getting in touch

Tel: 01792 371630 A phone call is always greatly appreciated prior to the admission of a wildlife casualty Gower Bird Hospital, Valetta, Sandy Lane, Pennard, Swansea SA3 2EW Website: www.gowerbirdhospital.org.uk E-mail: [email protected] Registered Charity No: 1053912 Trustees: Simon Allen, Christine Griffiths and Keith Hogben. Patrons: Paul Llewellyn MPhil, CBiol, MBiol and Iolo Williams broadcaster and naturalist