Hawk Conservancy Trust Newsletter Spring 2021 Issue 87

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SPRING 2021 ISSUE 87

We are absolutely delighted to be able to open our doors again and welcome you back. Thank you so much for all of the support you have shown us in the past year and, now that we are open again, we can’t wait to share our wonderful birds with you again, and for you to see what we’ve been up to while we’ve had to close. Find out more about what you can look forward to on a day visit to us this year on page 3. We’re open again!

We have all of our COVID-19 measures in place to keep you safe, as well as that of our staff and volunteers. For the time being, we are still limiting the number of guests on site each day and we are asking that you continue to pre-book your tickets so that we can manage our capacity carefully. You can pre-book your tickets at www.hawk-conservancy.org/book-your-tickets-to-visit or call us on 01264 773 850. You will need your membership number (shown on your card) to be able to book your slots.

Although we are able to open now, we’re not out of the woods yet as we continue the tough challenge to raise the funds that we lost over the past year. Thank you to all the kind supporters who have signed up to be a Guardian of the Meadow, this has allowed us to take a significant step forwards in this challenge and we are grateful to you all. You can find out more about this appeal on page 4. We’ve also been working hard on our 2021 events calendar – find out more on the back cover or go to www.hawk-conservancy.org/events.

HAWKTALK SPRING2021 ISSUE 87

A message from our Chief Executive Penny Smout CEO

In this issue

Things to look out for in 2021 On Friday 12 March, we were delighted to spot a small chick on the nest camera (right) that watches Angus and Satara, our White-headed 1

Chicks at Changa Manga!

Spotlight on Tawny Owls

2020 Hospital Report

We are so happy to be back open again. We have really missed all of our lovely members. I was worried that the gorgeous spring flowers would be long gone before we could share them with you, but we reopened just in time.

Farewell to Jane, Matt and Ria 2020 Photographic Competition Results Tribute to Scarlett

Vultures. This pair are renowned superstar parents and this is their fifth youngster! Last year, we received a generous donation to improve our nest camera setup and now the nest camera screen is accessible for all to see. So, next time you visit, make sure you stop at their aviary at the top of the grounds to see how this wonderful little (Critically Endangered!) youngster is getting on. Not one but two! We have a second chick at the Trust and we are over the moon. An African White-backed Vulture hatched in our large Vulture Restaurant aviary on Sunday 11 April and is a sibling to Simba. Keep an eye on Owl Message and our social media for updates. We are thrilled to breed this Critically Endangered species again! Last summer, we welcomed a young Bald Eagle to our team. We named him Wallace and paired him with Simon Christer from our Bird Team for training. Over the winter, the pair have been working hard and we’re overjoyed at how quickly they’ve progressed. Wallace flies superbly and, during lockdown, has been showing off with some really impressive flights over our meadow and out into the East Cholderton Valley. appearances in displays or where we’ve shared their training. However, it is with much excitement that we can now share with you that the time is right for them to join our display team full-time. Previously, Angus and Satara flew in our displays and they were wonderful to watch but for the past five years they’ve been busy raising a family (including Mamba herself). The youngsters will have big boots to fill but we have full faith that you’ll love seeing Mamba and Ravenclaw take to the Hampshire skies. They will take turns to be part of displays initially and won’t be in them every day, but in time we’re hopeful that we may be able to fly them together! 2 4 3 Our White-headed Vultures, Mamba and Ravenclaw , have been in training for a number of years now with Miriam Nicholls and Ryan Stephens. Some of you may have been lucky enough to have already seen them in action as they make odd

If you have already visited, you will have seen that we have been busy during the latest lockdowns, and have accomplished some significant achievements despite many people being on partial furlough and a frugal approach to the projects. So that we can accommodate more visitors safely, we have expanded our arenas. These changes are exciting and bring new angles to view a display from. We are still completing the work in the Savannah Arena as we are going to install a second watering hole for those magical fishing moments. We have also expanded and refurbished aviaries. Snowy Owl Sweeney Todd’s aviary in particular has been transformed. You might not notice the hedges that have been tamed, but they were getting rather unruly. Rather like some of the team’s hairstyles. You won’t have missed that we have started work on our new hospital annex. This will enable us to completely separate the care of wild birds from the care of our resident birds. This will mean we have more capacity to care for wild birds and that the biosecurity risk to our birds will be greatly reduced. We are really grateful to Animal Friends, the pet insurance company, and to Rita and Graham Morgan, Life Members, for their support of this project. The conservation team have also barely missed a stride, although the work in South Africa is still off limits for the UK-based team at the moment. It is good that we have the collaborations with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (South Africa) and WWF (Pakistan) to keep it all ticking over. We have been busy looking for alternative funding streams for this work too, and of course to support our ambitions for how we can increase our impact for birds of prey and their extensive habitats. Some really exciting ideas. There have been some team changes in the last few months. We were sorry to lose both Matt Williams and Ria May from the Bird Team to new careers, but we are delighted to be welcoming two new members to the team in late May: James Knight (not the same James Knight from before however) and Owen Lincoln. We have also combined the Catering and Retail Teams under the excellent leadership of Jemma Benton. On the topic of bringing in new members of the team, we are also looking for one or two new members of our Board of Directors. Our board have been brilliant throughout the last 14 months, providing guidance and support and even pitching in to help with the extra COVID tasks. As things begin to calm down a little, we’d be interested in expanding the roster. If you would be interested or have any questions, please contact Scott Jones, our Chairman, via scott@hawkconservancy.org. While we are all letting our hopes rise with the changes in the restrictions, we have taken quite a hit to our reserves and it will take us several years to fully recover (fingers crossed that we don’t have another setback). We need to get to almost double our current capacity to be able to break even, so a plea from us: please get vaccinated and be cautious as the regulations are relaxed, social distancing is still important. But, on a more fun note, please also help us by visiting, attending our events and planning to hold any celebrations or business events with us. Weddings are back! I’d like to close by thanking you all for your support through this time. It has meant so much to us to know you are behind us and that we will come through this. We are excited to see you at the Members’ Evening and to things being more “normal” whatever that might be. Thank you

In review

Dates for your diary

For Fawkes, our young Wahlberg’s Eagle , this year has marked a significant change. He was trained from the start by Jane Robertson who has, after 27 years with us at the Trust, now moved to Scotland. In preparation for this move, Jane worked closely with Ben Cox to hand over the reins. In 2020, Fawkes often featured in our pre-show slot for Wings of Africa, and we’re hoping that this year he may progress to flying in the main display team, though we’re not sure yet whether it will be Wings of Africa or Valley of the Eagles where he will be best suited, so you may even see him in both! In October 2020, we were very kindly gifted three White Storks by close friend of the Trust Mike Simmons at A World of Wings. Chalky, Daisy and Tiny are a fabulous addition to our team and our plan is that they will fly alongside Brandy and Blossom, our other two storks, in Wings of Africa. In addition to this incredible spectacle, this year our Northern Bald Ibis, Timon and Rafiki, have begun to fly alongside the storks in the finale of this display. The pair are teamed up with Kat Ralph and Gary Benton for training and are already proving to be a hit in their first displays! 5 6 Galaxy, our Spectacled Owl , is a relaxed and easy-going member of our team who usually opts for the more laid-back approach to life wherever possible! He is such a visually striking bird and usually chooses to show off his good looks in preference to his flying. However, over the past year, Ria May has been working very closely with Galaxy to encourage his naturally agile flight in the hope that he can join the Woodland Owls team later this year. He is so friendly and sociable, and we can’t wait for you to see him more regularly. Many of you will be big fans of Tolkien our Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl and so will be overjoyed to hear that his sister, Cavalli (left), has now returned to join our team having flown for a number of other collections for the past few years. They will be sharing duties and Cavalli is already taking part in Wings of Africa, so if you haven’t seen her in action yet, get ready for some characteristic, super low flying! 8 7

Sky Hunters at Sunset , Saturday 12 June and 17 September Exclusive Members’ Event , Saturday 5 June BioBlitz , Saturday 26 June African Sunset Safari , Saturday 10 and 24 July International Vulture Awareness Day , Saturday 4 September Wildebeest in the Potting Shed: Evening Talk with Ashley Smith , selected weekends during autumn Owl-O-Ween , Friday 29 October Tickets for above events all on sale at www.hawk-conservancy.org/events or call us on 01264 773 850. Thursday 30 September Owls by Moonlight ,

Hawk Conservancy Trust Visitor Centre, Sarson Lane, Weyhill, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 8DY T: 01264 773 850 E: info@hawkconservancy.org www.hawkconservancy.org

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youtube.com/user/hawkconservancytrust justgiving/hawkconservancy @HawkConservancy

The Hawk Conservancy Trust would like to extend its thanks to our corporate supporters:

… even more exciting things on the next page!

HAWKTALK SPRING2021 ISSUE 87

g our winter ce for your nd we’re so e great things

We were really busy durin closure getting plans in pla much anticipated return, a excited to share all of thes

DEFENDERS OF THE TRUST Guardians of the Meadow

with you now!

Last year we launched our Giant Top Trumps Activity Trail – young adventurers can hunt down the cards and play against them with their Super Top Trumps card, there are six of these to collect in total! Plus, there are extra fun activities to do along the way. 9 For the last few years we’ve been crossing our fingers and hoping that our pair of Steller’s Sea-Eagles may breed. The pair came to us sexed as a male and female. Birds of prey can be tricky to sex and sometimes it’s incorrect, and in this case, it was. However, we were really excited to swap one of the males for a female. There’s not much to report from them yet but we’re hopeful that in the future they may have a youngster. Be sure to look out for them on your next visit. The female is very impressive and distinctly bigger in size with an enormous beak – one of the biggest in the world of birds of prey! Cooper, our young Variable Hawk , joined the team last summer and was paired with Mike Riley. Our hope is that we may be able to introduce you to her in some of our displays later this year. Some of you may remember her mum, Mace, who used to fly in our woodland and she was beautiful to watch in flight, so we hope that Cooper will follow in her footsteps! 10 11

Last year, to mark the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Reg’s Wildflower Meadow and in response to the devastating impact COVID-19 had on the Trust’s finances, we launched our Guardians of the Meadow Appeal. The challenges are not yet over but we are overjoyed to have you back visiting us again. We’ve used the time we weren’t able to open to come up with creative solutions to our financial situation, with this appeal being one of them. We are so grateful to all of you who have already supported us by becoming a Guardian of the Meadow.

If you would like to help secure the future of the Trust by adopting a plot and becoming a Guardian of the Meadow, you can find out more at www.hawk-conservancy.org/ meadowappeal. Guardians of the Meadow will: • Receive a certificate of adoption and you can choose from six iconic plant species seen in the meadow over the years • Your name will be displayed on a special sign celebrating Guardians of the Meadow • Help secure the future of the Trust and, ultimately, support the fortunes of birds of prey and their habitats.

Giant Top Trumps Activity Trail

We are now taking bookings for all of our experiences again, including our exclusive experience with Lloyd and Rose Buck and their amazing birds! If you would like to book an experience, please call us on 01264 773 850. Our events calendar is back for 2021 and we have some new events this year for you as well. For full details, please see the back cover or go to www.hawk-conservancy.org/events where we will continue to add events as they go on sale. 12 13 For those looking for a special treat, we have a fantastic new range of Beeswax products in our shop, amongst many other delights. This new range from The Great British Bee Company includes candles, soaps, lip balms and reed diffusers. They’re all handcrafted, and we can attest to their quality! 14

Chicks at Changa Manga! We are delighted to announce that three

and other harmful drugs, by establishing Vulture Safe Zones, within which we raise awareness with local communities and livestock owners, and monitor vulture populations. At the start of March this year, we received exciting news from the team at Changa Manga where they had spotted a wild Asian White-backed Vulture. This is the first time that one has been seen in the area for 10 years! The lone vulture fed on some carrion the centre supervisor left out for it, stayed overnight and then went on its way. Although it was fantastic to see a wild bird in Changa Manga, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are recolonising the area, it seemed to just be passing through. Wonderful for the team to see, nonetheless!

Asian White-backed Vulture chicks have hatched this season at our conservation breeding centre in Pakistan! The first chick hatched in late December 2020, followed by a second in January and the third at the end of February. All three are doing very well in our state-of-the-art breeding aviary along with their doting parents and the rest of the colony. This project is run in partnership with WWF-Pakistan, and is part of our work to conserve Critically Endangered vultures in south Asia. The project has been extremely successful in the last few years and there are now a total of 29 birds, including 15 adults and 11 immature birds, plus these three new chicks. The breeding centre is the only facility of its kind in Pakistan and the aim is that these birds will eventually be released into the wild, once the area is safe. Changa Manga Forest used to be home to the largest breeding colony of Asian White-backed Vultures in the world, until it was affected by the massive declines across south Asia when tens of millions of vultures (equating to 99.9 percent of populations) were killed as a result of consuming cattle carcasses that had been treated with the veterinary drug diclofenac, which is fatally toxic to vultures. Since then, significant efforts have been made to remove diclofenac

Cooper, Variable Hawk

New range of Beeswax products

HAWKTALK SPRING 2020 ISSUE 87

HAWKTALK SPRING 2021 ISSUE 87

Tawny Owls

Meet a Tawny Owl At the Trust, we have two adorable Tawny Owls on our team: Troy and Sage. Many of you will have met them on a visit to the Trust. Troy has been a part of our team at the Trust for many years and is best known for his fear of heights! For the past year, he’s been cared for by Ria May who has a wonderful bond with him: “I’ve absolutely loved working closely with Troy in the past year. He’s very chatty, particularly in the mornings when I feed him. He mainly calls with his baby call but, occasionally if he’s feeling grown up, he will also “t’witt- t’woo” very loudly! He often comes to sit with me while I clean in his aviary, occasionally stealing my sponge or playing with the leaves that I’m trying to rake up! He has a great character and is a well-loved member of the team at the Trust. Now that he has moulted, he looks beautiful with his chestnut colours, all ready to welcome you all back!”

Sage is the younger of our Tawny Owls and belongs to Tom Morath who raised her from a tiny chick: “I’ve been working with and taking care of Sage from the very beginning: we first met when she was eight days old. Since then, she’s grown into a beautiful mature Tawny Owl who flies well in displays and is happy to try new things. She’s even started to learn how to fish from a shallow bowl of water to show off a rarely seen natural behaviour. Sage has lived at various centres and met lots of people with me as I’ve travelled around flying birds. She has a feisty side to her character, which I really love. Tawny Owls are well known for their fierce defence of their territory, shouting at the top of their lungs to proclaim their territory and the Bird Team members who live on site tell me that Sage can be very noisy!” You can see Troy and Sage in displays this year; Troy will be part of the Woodland Owls display team from when we open and, once Sage has finished moulting and is ready to re-join the team, the pair will swap duties.

The iconic sound of British woodland, “t’witt-t’woo”, comes from the beloved Tawny Owl, a species that is heard far more often than it is seen. Though a nocturnal species, they are sometimes active during the day through the breeding season. Their mottled, chestnut brown plumage makes for perfect camouflage when they roost during the day, often in thick foliage, close to the tree trunk. This species is distributed throughout Europe and there are three plumage variations in this range, chestnut being most common in the UK.

Conservation This species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, though in the UK it is Amber Listed which means that there is reason for concern. At the Trust, we provide nest boxes for birds of prey, including 113 for Tawny Owls. These are monitored by our UK Conservation Biologist, Dr Matt Stevens. Matt is researching the ecology of nest box use and how this affects the populations of the species we provide them for. Nest boxes provide a safe place for Tawny Owls, and other species, to nest and raise their chicks. Use of our boxes is monitored closely, and we check as many as we can throughout the season. These checks mean we can assess occupancy (which species are using the box and how this changes through the year), the date the first egg is laid at each nest, how many eggs are laid, hatching success and fledging success. We also ring all of the young from these boxes to help in both the Trust’s research and national monitoring programmes. Since this project began, we have ringed an impressive 180 Tawny Owls from our nest box project and a further 200 that have been released back to the wild after rehabilitation in our hospital! The number of birds ringed doesn’t quite tell the whole story as there are quite a few boxes each year where nesting attempts fail or the young fledge before Matt has had the opportunity to check them.

The Trust is also involved in Farmers Clusters, which are cooperatives of farmers and landowners working together to deliver benefits for soil, water and wildlife across the landscape. We help by providing advice on managing the land to provide suitable habitat for birds of prey and other species, giving talks and farm walks, and providing and monitoring nest boxes. Every year, Tawny Owls are the most numerous species we admit to our National Bird of Prey Hospital™. It’s quite common for young chicks to leave the nest site before they’re able to fly well enough to return to it. This means that although one might be found on the ground, its parents will continue to care for it. We recommend that if you do come across a Tawny Owl chick on the ground, leave it where it is, unless it is visibly injured or in danger. This species is also vulnerable to other threats that result in it being admitted to our care, particularly collisions with motor vehicles.

JUNE: Hatching to fledging takes 32-37 days so this month is the peak time for youngsters to fledge. JULY: Young Tawny Owls stay in nearby trees, close to their parents, for a while after fledging and will still beg for food. AUGUST: Juveniles begin to explore further, and the oldest ones will start to hunt for themselves but stay close to the nest. They remain dependent on their parents for up to three months after fledging. SEPTEMBER: Youngsters begin to move further from the nest, as they become more independent and proficient at catching their own prey. OCTOBER: Most juveniles will now be independent of their parents, they can fend for themselves and have dispersed away from the nest, though typically not very far. NOVEMBER: Late autumn is the best time to listen out for Tawny Owls.

Breeding activity begins in DECEMBER . JANUARY: Tawny Owl pairs will continue to defend the territory around the nest and will continue mating. FEBRUARY: Tawny Owls can lay their eggs as early as February. Laying is ‘asynchronous’ which means there is a gap of around 48 hours between the laying of each egg, helping to increase the chicks’ chances of survival. MARCH: The middle of this month is when most pairs will begin to breed and incubation begins. Clutches typically consist of 2-9 eggs. APRIL: Incubation takes 28-30 days so chicks will start hatching this month. MAY: Tawny Owlets will leave the nest before they can fly, in a phase called ‘branching’. They will walk, flutter and clamber around nearby trees and, even if they are unable to return to the nest, will continue to be looked after by their parents.

Cedric Robert with a hospitalised Tawny Owl

If you come across a bird of prey chick or injured bird, read more about what you should d o at www.hawk-conservancy.org/injured-birds/

Tawny Owl chicks in a Trust nest box

HAWKTALK SPRING 2021 ISSUE 87

2020 Hospital Report The important work we undertake with wild birds in our National Bird of Prey Hospital™ is some of the most challenging and yet fulfilling work we undertake at the Trust. Last year, we admitted 153 birds to our care.

Thank you Jane, Matt and Ria We are sad to say farewell to Matt Williams and Ria May, and there’s been a change of pace for Jane Robertson. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for all they have done for the Trust and wish them the best of luck with their next adventures!

Also in July, we admitted a Goshawk to our care; a species that we don’t often see in our hospital. This individual had, in fact, flown into a window at Chris Packham’s house. It hatched in the New Forest and fortunately, with Chris at hand he knew to bring it straight to our expert care and facilities. On arrival, we could see that it had an injury on its foot and above its right eye. A full examination from our vet, John Chitty, and an x-ray revealed it had fractured one of its toes. It responded well to our treatment and care, and we were delighted to return it to the wild in early September. One of our great successes last year was the release of one of our long-term patients. In July 2019, we admitted a juvenile Red Kite that had fledged with very poor feather condition and was unable to fly. As a result, it was also very thin. After some initial care that we provided, in November of that year we moved this bird to a long-term rehabilitation facility owned by one of our members. It stayed there until last summer, moulting through a full new set of feathers. It came back to us for four weeks for us to assess its flying ability and we were delighted to be able to release it back to the wild in early October.

Matt Matt Williams has been an invaluable member of our team since 2018. We’re sad to see him go but are delighted to wish him luck in what sounds like an exciting new chapter of his life as he takes on the role of Lecturer in Animal Management at Abingdon and Witney College, near Oxford. Matt has been a visitor to the Trust from a very young age and always wanted to work with birds of prey. He was a huge asset to us, and a great member of the team. He excelled in public engagement, and his way of explaining the natural world was very professional and inspiring. His knowledge of birds of prey was extensive and he was a key person to represent the Trust’s mission through our work. “My first memory of the Trust was when I visited around the age of 10. Of course, seeing the eagles fly across the valley and all the way home was firmly etched Since then, Jane has gone on to help in so many areas of the Trust, she is truly an unsung hero, unbelievably dedicated to her work and a fantastic colleague to have on the team. Many of you will have seen the work she undertakes as part of the Bird Team but you may not be aware of the number of things she contributes to behind the scenes. She has held a variety of responsibilities within the Bird Team over the years and has been our Registrar for 19 years, diligently keeping records of all the birds in our care. Jane was instrumental in getting the Trust’s apprenticeship scheme up and running, and has expertly kept us all on track with all health and safety protocols. If you’ve ever adopted one of our birds, you’ll likely have had contact with Jane as she managed this for many years with great care. Jane In January this year, Jane Robertson stepped back from her position on site at the Trust as Registrar and member of our Bird Team, moving to Scotland. We’re so grateful that she has agreed to keep working part-time for us though, as Bird Team Administrator and Coordinator of the African White-backed Vulture European Endangered Species Programme. Jane first visited the Trust in 1994 and loved it so much that she signed up as a member straight away. She started volunteering at the Trust later that year and, in 2000, joined as a full-time employee.

In 2017, she became the Coordinator of the European Endangered Species Programme for African White-backed Vultures, a role that she will continue from home. “I have so many highlights from my time here though there are a few that really stand out. The first time Fraggle the White- bellied Sea-Eagle stooped in to land on my fist and releasing Danebury the Bald Eagle for the first time were incredible. The first bird I trained (Galaxy our Spectacled Owl) and the last (Fawkes our Wahlberg’s Eagle) are both highlights! Now living in the Scottish Highlands, Jane is going to be kept busy launching Tanleys B&B and a hypnotherapy business. We wish her all the very best of luck with this new venture.

CEDRIC ROBERT, HOSPITAL MANAGER 2020 was a particularly tough year.

There were a few particularly interesting cases to note for the year. In mid-July we admitted a female Peregrine Falcon that had fledged too early, landed badly on the ground and suffered a bruised right shoulder. Other than the injury, she was in good condition and had clearly been well cared for by her parents. The nest was being monitored and we knew that she had a brother who started flying by the end of the month and so we had a really short window of time to be able to rehabilitate and return her to the nest. Within four days, we had her in a rehabilitation aviary to assess her flying ability, and with two further check-ups from our vet we were confident to return her to the wild in early August. This was a great success as it meant that she could continue to be cared for by her parents and learn to hunt from them.

“Working with a great team of people and birds and the thought that I am giving a little back to nature is what has kept me at the Trust for over 27 years!”

Admissions for 2019 and 2020 Species Tawny Owl 2019

2020

33 17 3 14 4 24 9 12

53 11 1 32 5 31 5 12

Barn Owl Little Owl Kestrel Peregrine Falcon

Buzzard Red Kite Sparrowhawk Goshawk Merlin

Ria Ria was the first to graduate from the Trust’s apprenticeship scheme and has been part of our team since 2016. She has been such a valuable member of the Bird Team and has delivered so much for the Trust over the years. She has a very experienced eye for the welfare of birds of prey and is an exceptionally skilled bird trainer. She has integrated her passion and skills throughout the organisation, whether it is caring for our team of birds or for wild birds in our National Bird of Prey Hospital™.

2 1 119

3 0 153

Totals

Injuries Wing Starving Trauma (collision with vehicle) Trauma (other) Infection Exhausted Juvenile Unknown Outcome Died/Euthanised Released Aviary (continuing rehabilitation)

2019

2020

12 8 21 24 4 4 35 11

17 7 23 40 10 7 48 1

“From a young age, birds of prey always intrigued me. I visited the Trust when I was given an

Juvenile Red Kite at admission

experience day as a present, and remember watching the Valley of the Eagles display when a Peregrine Falcon was flying. The speed at which he flew past me when coming out of a stoop

in my mind! The core values of the Trust are what motivated me to want to work here particularly, being a part of making a real difference to the lives of birds of prey. Now, having had the opportunity to work with those same eagles that I watched over 20 years ago, is a massive highlight of my time working here.”

inspired me and I knew then that it would be something I’d love to do and work with birds of prey in the future.” Ria was a key member of the team and will be greatly missed. We will certainly find it difficult to fill her shoes! She is now training to be a Pharmacy Assistant at Winchester Hospital.

2019

2020

35 80 3

75 74 4

Juvenile Red Kite after rehabilitation

HAWKTALK SPRING 2021 ISSUE 87

Simon Christer with Wallace, our young Bald Eagle

100 Club In March, you will have received an email about the 100 Club, and it produced a wonderful response. By the end of that month, we had 221 shares allocated to 178 members, the highest numbers the 100 Club has seen in its 27 years of operation! Thank you!. The easing of lockdown regulations meant we were finally able to carry out our four postponed monthly draws, albeit al fresco in a neighbour’s garden, and we are now thankfully back on track. Congratulations to the 12 winners who recently received their cheques. Our page on the Trust’s website is updated monthly with the latest prize money and donations figures: www.hawk-conservancy.org/support-us/100-club. So far this year, the 100 Club has donated £1,000 to provide materials for new nest boxes to be used by Dr Matt Stevens as part of the Raptor Nest Box Project, and will meet the cost of some specialist equipment for his use. We also plan to pay for materials to build new night quarters for Angola the Secretary Bird. The rest of our funds are to be allowed to build up so that the Trust has a usable amount at their disposal should they need it. Due to poor weather our planned special evening for 100 Club members has been postponed to Friday 11 June. We’re looking forward to enjoying this evening with you, and it will include a flying demonstrations and a tour of past projects, a presentation or two, and refreshments. Numbers will have to be limited still, but we look forward to meeting as many of you as possible on the night – all suitably masked, sanitised and distanced, of course. A quick plea from us: data protection regulations prevent Trust staff from advising us of members’ changes of address or other details. Could 100 Club members please try to remember to contact us as well as the office if any changes in personal information needs to be made? Thank you. With all good wishes for a safe and enjoyable spring. Thelma and John Cobbold

This event will include: • Introductions to the newest members of our team, and a chance to see some of their early flights and training. We hope to introduce you to Wallace and Sam (Bald Eagles), and Arthur (our newest White-headed Vulture). We’ll also be flying some of our young birds still in training, which may include Sarabi the Lugger Falcon! • Overview of all our latest work in the National Bird of Prey Hospital™ with Cedric Robert • Updates of all our conservation and research work from the past year, with Hannah Shaw • An insight to our latest education work with Miriam Nicholls • Announcement of the overall winner of our 2020 Photographic Competition ( June event only) • Barbecue (£5 per person) This event is FREE to attend for all members* and this year we are asking you to pre-book your place through our website. Please go to www.hawk-conservancy.org/events or call us on 01264 773 850. You will need your membership number (shown on your card) to hand and there will be an option to pre-book your barbecue at the same time. We look forward to seeing you!

Exclusive Members’ Event Each year, we invite you to our exclusive event to thank you for your continued support. Last year, we held this event virtually but, pending further lifting of government restrictions, we hope to be able to hold this on site this year. Due to the need for social distancing, we are limiting the number of attendees at this event and to cater for popular demand we have two dates for you to choose from: Saturday 5 June or Saturday 4 September. Please only book one event so that we can welcome as many of you as possible.

Tribute to Scarlett

It is with much sadness that we share with you news of the passing of our cherished Red Kite, Scarlett. She has been a member of our team since 2010 and was best- known for her striking good looks and raucous calling! She was a really cheeky and lively character, and enjoyed keeping our team on their toes. You would often hear her calling to members of our team near her aviary, as well as to nearby wild kites. Scarlett was a wonderful bird to have on our team and will be sorely missed. Scarlett lived at a number of other collections before she joined us at the Trust. She was even in the care of Miriam from our Bird Team before she too joined the Trust! In her time with us, she has proven to be an absolute favourite amongst photographers lucky enough to capture her beauty in Photographic Experiences. She has also flown in some of our quieter displays and experiences, preferring smaller groups of people. Tom Morath, who had most recently been caring for and working closely with Scarlett, said, “I am very sorry indeed that Scarlett has passed away, having worked with her for around six months. She was a beautiful bird of experience and true character. She’d look at me with a knowing eye and probably trained me more than I trained her – she’d done it all before! I had the great privilege during that time to fly her in Reg’s Wildflower Meadow – just her and me and even a handful of times for our British Bird Encounter. To see her up in the air, alongside her wild counterparts and commanding the sky, was magical. I’ll also miss her morning greeting as I walk to get ready for the day – she always had something to say to anyone who passed by.” In the autumn of last year, Scarlett was diagnosed with a heart condition linked with old age. She received treatment for this and responded well. However, just before the New Year she quickly took a turn for the worse and was rushed to our vet. Sadly, there was nothing more that we could do for her and so we took the heart-breaking decision to have her put to sleep.

*Excludes off-peak members

As with previous years, we were amazed at the incredible entries to our 2020 Photographic Competition. In 2020, we had the highest number of entrants to the competition we’ve ever had and this provided our judges with an extra challenge to select their winners who are as follows:

Category

Winner

Highly Commended

Portrait

Jeff Wade

Sharon Bolt

Action

Martin Aves

Carole Zimmerman

New Life Members

Flora and Fauna

Monica Johnson

All winning and highly commended images will be displayed in Feathers Restaurant this year and will be featured in the 2022 Hawk Conservancy Trust calendar. The overall winner, as judged by Chris Packham, will be announced during our Exclusive Members’ Event on Saturday 5 June, when the calendar will also go on sale. Working Relationship Carole Zimmerman Paul Tiller In the Wild Keith Elcombe Laura Holm Impression Joanne Cattle Sara Yates

We welcome all new members and appreciate their support. We are pleased to have on board Elizabeth Burak, Mark Pearce, Miranda Shelton, Tim and Rosemary Bancroft, and Andrew Gibbs.

If you’ve taken any striking photos of birds of prey, why not enter them into our 2021 Photographic Competition via www.hawk-conservancy.org/ your-visit/photographic-competition

HAWKTALK SPRING 2021 ISSUE 87

Brilliant bird beaks

In review

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD OF BIRDS OF PREY?

For birds of prey, their beak is one of their most important tools for survival. Beaks come in all shapes and sizes and they can give us clues to the types of food that bird eats, and how. One common characteristic of all birds of prey is that their beaks are curved. Can you match the beak images This eagle is skilled at catching prey with its huge talons. It also scavenges and its big and powerful beak can tear into the tough hides of large carcasses. HOODED VULTURE Hooded Vultures have small, thin beaks, perfectly adapted for quickly picking and eating small scraps from carcasses, and reaching into small spaces to grab morsels of meat. BARN OWL This species has a short, curved beak. It swallows small prey items whole, and coughs up undigested parts such as fur and bones as a pellet later. The beak is also perfect for tearing larger prey items while gripping with their talons. KESTREL This species has a short, stout beak for eating small prey such as small mammals, birds, worms and insects. Falcons also have a notch in their beak called a ‘tomial tooth’. RED KITE The sharp, hooked beak which is the perfect size and shape for a varied diet, helping them scavenge for food as well as eating things like insects and small mammals. to the bird of prey? STELLER’S SEA-EAGLE

LATEST RESEARCH Could use of rat poison be a cause of Kestrel declines? Rats and mice are controlled using Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (rat poison) to reduce agricultural damage. However, when predators prey on rodents that have eaten rat poison, they too are exposed to the toxins, which can be lethal. This study investigated whether use of rodenticides may have contributed to the recent widespread declines of Kestrels across the UK. The researchers found that more than 66 percent of Kestrels tested between 1997 and 2012 had traces of at least one rodenticide in their livers! Adult Kestrels had higher concentrations than younger birds, suggesting that the toxins accumulate in the birds’ bodies over the course of their lives. They also found a negative correlation between Kestrel population size in any given year and the concentration of rodenticides in the livers of Kestrels in the same year, which suggests that these poisons may have a population-limiting effect on Kestrels. This work is significant because it sheds light on the recent declines of Kestrels, however it also indicates that further work is urgently needed to examine in more detail the effects of rodenticides on Kestrels and other raptors. Roos, S., Campbell, S.T., Hartley, G., Shore, R. F., Walker, L. A., Wilson, J. D. (2021) Annual abundance of common Kestrels ( Falco tinnunculus ) is negatively associated with second generation anticoagulant rodenticides. Ecotoxicology . https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-021-02374-w Snowy Owls are nomadic breeders, and it is assumed that they will sample different patches by making stopovers as they migrate in order to select summer breeding sites. Scientists examined the spring migratory movements of nomadic Snowy Owls in the USA and Canada to determine whether the sex or age of birds affects when and for how long they make stopovers. To do this they fitted 24 Snowy Owls with GPS trackers during the overwintering period to follow their movements. They found: • both adults and immature birds departed for migration around the same time • adults completed migration earlier than young birds • there was no difference between the age classes • all owls were more likely to make a stopover at the beginning of the migratory route, usually to forage or roost. These results suggest that Snowy Owls use stopovers to build up reserves, and rest, while on migration. The infrequent use of stopovers later in the migration, while in their summer range, suggests that the owls are able to select summer breeding sites via short overflights without the need to sample different patches extensively when looking for a place to breed or settle. Brown, A., McCabe, R. A., Therrien, J., Wiebe, K. L., Weidensaul, S., Brinker, D., Gauthier, G., Elliott, K. H. (2021) Nomadic breeders Snowy Owls ( Bubo scandiacus ) do not use stopovers to sample the summer environment. Ibis. doi: 10.1111/ibi.12950 Why do Snowy Owls make stopovers on their spring migration?

IN PRINT Back to Nature, by Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin This book is a wonderful combination of nature magic, inspiring real-life conservation, and thought-provoking realisations about the state of the planet. It explores the importance of nature and wildlife for human wellbeing, and very effectively throws

light on the awful truths about biodiversity loss, the climate crisis and the role we must all play to attempt to reverse the damage. Highly recommended, whether you are a seasoned conservationist, or just have an interest in the natural world.

Signed copies available from the Trust shop

WORTH A WATCH Birdsong Lessons with Lucy Lapwing

‘Hear lots of birds singing, but haven’t got a clue who’s who?’ Lucy Lapwing has a new YouTube series of short, informative and funny videos to help you on your birdsong learning journey! A brilliant resource for complete beginner birders, or those with a bit of birdsong knowledge under their belts looking to brush up. How many have you learnt so far? If you would like to hear more from Lucy Lapwing, go to youtube.com/LucyLapwing. She also featured on the February episode of our podcast Nature’s a Hoot, where Tom and Hannah chat to her about science communication and getting nerdy about nature. You can listen to this wherever you get your podcasts.

Adult male Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis)

fun facts Snail Kites have one of the most hooked beaks in the world of birds of prey. Their beaks have actually evolved and adapted to allow them to eat their preferred prey of snails with ease! Birds of prey have a special, sharp lump on the top of their beak known as an egg tooth. They use it to break their way out of their shell at hatching. This process can take up to three days! Soon after hatching, they lose this egg tooth.

Answers

D. Steller’s Sea-Eagle, E. Hooded Vulture

Brilliant bird beaks: A. Barn Owl, B. Red Kite, C. Kestrel,

HAWKTALK SPRING 2021 ISSUE 87

A Summer Full of Events! We’ve been working hard to plan a full calendar of events, giving you the perfect excuse to come and visit us more than usual! To find out more and to book, go to www.hawk-conservancy.org/events .

Sky Hunters at Sunset Saturday 12 June and 17 September Summer evenings offer excellent flying conditions for our birds, and we invite you to enjoy an evening of flying displays, to see them at their best. The birds will soar against the backdrop of our stunning grounds as the sun sets gently behind them, and after the sun has faded, there’ll be twists and turns in flight. The evening will include two flying displays, a delicious barbecue, and also an opportunity to explore the grounds, guided by our knowledgeable Bird Team, to see and learn about some of the birds living at the Trust and to find out more about our conservation work. Tickets: £35 adults, £21 children

BioBlitz Saturday 26 June

Calling all minibeast detectives, plant enthusiasts and nature lovers! We need your help at our annual BioBlitz when we will be discovering all the insects, plants, birds and mammals that call the Trust home. We’ve planned lots of fun activities for you to get involved with and discover more about biodiversity at the Trust, so you don’t need to be an expert already! This event is free to attend as part of our normal day visit. We’ll have a timetable of extra activities for you to attend throughout the day. Tickets to visit will need to pre-booked as usual.

Let us take you on safari and show you our team of African birds at their best.

Your safari guide will transport you to the Savannah for the evening, where our Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl will skim close overhead, our falcon will stoop from on high and our Secretary Bird will show its deadly strike. We’ll recreate a spectacle of African birds of prey, with vultures scavenging, the African Fish-Eagle fishing and our kites showing their aerial antics and we’ll tell tales of natural native life in Africa with a culmination of birds flying, theatre, music and special effects.

This wonderful summer’s evening event will begin with an opportunity to independently explore our grounds. Feathers Restaurant will be open to serve a range of delicious meals before the display or you might choose to bring a picnic to enjoy in our beautiful grounds. Date: Saturday 10 and 24 July Time: doors open at 6:00pm, display starts at 7:30pm Tickets: £19.25

The above ticket price includes a 10% voluntary donation to the Trust. The non-donation price is £17.50.

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