HawkTalk Issue 94 Summer 2023

SUMMER 2023 ISSUE 94

Historic vulture chicks at the Trust!

We’ve had an incredibly exciting spring at the Hawk Conservancy Trust, with the arrival of a White-backed Vulture chick and our first ever Hooded Vulture chick! Earlier this spring our Bird Team saw Etosha and Talavera, a pair of our African White-backed Vultures, sitting on an egg. The team were slightly cautious because these birds, without want for trying, had never successfully had an egg hatch before. The careful and considered decision was made to bring the precious egg into our National Bird of Prey Hospital™ to incubate and, using a well-tested and established method, the pair were given a dummy egg to continue sitting on in the meantime. Under the careful eye of our Bird Team, led by incubation specialist Mike Riley, the egg was kept warm at the correct temperature and humidity in our incubator, and weighed and candled to monitor the chick’s growth. In mid-April, the first signs that the little vulture had begun hatching were spotted! Mike stepped in for the vulture parents and ever-so-carefully helped the chick to remove the shell. This is a delicate and technical procedure, because the inside membrane of the egg is covered in small blood vessels that, if damaged, could cause difficulties for the chick. Once hatched, the chick stayed warm inside the incubator. The Bird Team kept a close watch on the chick’s progress, weighing and hand-feeding it four times a day.

This process was quite a sight to behold. The Bird Team member feeding the chick was required to wear a towel over their head to avoid the chick imprinting (thinking Bird Team members were their parents) on them. At 11 days old, it was time to return the quickly-growing chick to the nest, where the parents would take over raising the chick. However, with Etosha and Talavera no longer sitting on their dummy egg, the chick was carefully placed into the nest of our second pair of African White-backed Vulture parents – Heshima and Ruaha. These well-established parents had also been sitting on a dummy egg after having some bad luck breeding this year, so were perfect candidates for foster parents! The chick was gently placed into an open ‘reveal’ egg and swapped back into the foster nest. The pair took to the chick immediately, feeding and incubating the chick expertly – a testament to their parenting experience, and a touching sight to see. It won’t be long before it’s time for this chick to fledge the nest, so be sure to come by soon to take a peek at the foster family in action in our Vulture Restaurant aviary, and on our CCTV camera in the Discovery Barn!

Check out PAGE 3 to read about the exciting arrival of our Hooded Vulture chick …

A message from our Chief Executive Penny Smout CEO

In this issue

What’s new at the Trust?

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Sunset at the Trust 05 A tribute to Marion Paviour 06 Meet our Masters of the Sky 08 Owen climbs for 10 conservation Hot off the press! 11 Raptor Nest Box Project 12 A year in review Bravo Cedric! 14 Sunset at the Trust , Selected dates throughout summer International Vulture Awareness Day , Saturday 2 September Evening Owls , Selected dates throughout autumn Wildebeest in the Potting Shed , Friday 6 October Owl-O-Ween , Friday 27 and Saturday 28 October November closed period , Monday 13 November - Friday 1 December Members’ Working Day , Sunday 26 November Dates for your diary

It was fantastic to see so many of you at the Members’ Night on 3 June. It is always a treat to spend time with our friends and have a bit of fun together. I was so pleased to have Steve Egerton-Reed from Forestry England share his insights into the White-tailed Eagle project on the Isle of Wight. Still haven’t seen one of their birds myself yet. Must try harder! It has been a bit of a relief that the seemingly incessant rain of April has given way to a lot more sunshine, but we do need some rain for our meadow to flourish and provide the best backdrop for Masters of the Sky. The birds are really getting used to this now and creating some stunning displays. As you’ll know, no two days are ever the same. One special piece of news to share with you all is that we have become property owners. With Ashley living in Scotland and his sons moving out of their home in the park, we had the chance to purchase the main residence in the park. Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean that Ashley is gone permanently, he will still be here as often as before. We’re currently working on some upgrades so that we can apply for change of use and use the main part of the property as office space, which is desperately needed for our staffing plans. With all the recent developments and achievements, I am sad that we are no longer able to share our news with Marion Paviour. She was our inaugural chairman and passed away at the end of March. As a driving force behind our success, we certainly wouldn’t be where we are without her. I am eternally grateful to her for all she did and, personally, for recruiting me into my role. Rest well Marion. We have had another superstar performance on the team with Cedric’s amazing London Marathon completed in just 3 hours and 39 minutes. He was hampered by the congestion at the start, so would have been even faster otherwise. He has raised over £6,000, 50 percent more than his target – congratulations Cedric and thank you all for your support. He’s a hard act to follow, but Owen is going to give it a go with his Three Peaks Challenge in August. I know he’s going to put heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears into it. Please join me in supporting him – you’ve got this, Owen! Have you had a chance yet to try out our new Tree Trail? I love that it highlights the habitat created by Reg and Hilary Smith and includes both familiar and some less familiar tree species. Trees are important for many species of birds of prey and we are pleased to be working with the Hampshire Forest Partnership’s mission to plant 1 million trees by 2050. We’ve also got some new super Top Trumps cards for the Top Trumps trail, so look out for those for the summer holiday. With so much happening on the park, we are finding it challenging to keep up with regular maintenance and small projects. We’re fortunate to have some lovely volunteers helping but would be delighted to have some new members join the team. Ideally it would be great to have people join in on a regular basis, but it might be that we do a call out for an ad hoc gathering of volunteers to tackle a key project for a day. Would you be interested in either option? If you are, please contact Andy Hinton via andy@hawkconservancy.org – and thank you! We hope to see you regularly over the coming months, and that you get to relax and enjoy the displays and share our appreciation of trees!

www.hawk-conservancy.org/events 01264 773 850

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

REGISTERED CHARITY NO: 1092349

@HawkConservancy

youtube.com/user/hawkconservancytrust justgiving/hawkconservancy

OFFICIAL PARTNERS

CORPORATE SPONSORS

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Historic vulture chicks at the Trust! CONTINUED

Hooded Vultures, Vinnie and Nougat, with their first chick.

Vinnie and Nougat, two of our Hooded Vultures, successfully hatched their first chick together in an off-show aviary on 23 April. This was extra special, as National Bird of Prey Hospital™ Manager Cedric Robert, who is in charge of looking after this important pair, was told the news after just completing his London Marathon run! Vinnie, an experienced dad, came to live with Nougat at the Trust in 2018 in the hope that the pair would form a close relationship. They’ve spent their time getting to know each other in their secluded aviary and have formed a really strong bond. The Bird Team were thrilled to see the hatching of the new chick, captured on CCTV cameras to avoid disturbing the new parents. The Bird Team are happy to report the chick has been doing really well and is growing fast! It will soon be time for the chick to fledge the nest – we’ll be sure to keep you updated on it’s progress. The Hooded Vulture is the third Critically Endangered species of vulture that has hatched chicks here at the Trust, alongside African White-backed Vultures and White-headed Vultures.

Aside from being incredibly cute, these chicks are particularly precious. Many vulture populations are in decline, resulting in them being – overall – the most threatened group of birds globally. Of the 23 species of vultures in the world, more than 70% of them have an unfavourable conservation status, meaning that they’re at risk of extinction. These important birds are part of international breeding programmes that work to create healthy and safe populations of birds in collections, which could mean the survival of the species if they become extinct in the wild. The animals in collections can be key to repopulating the species numbers should their wild cousins disappear – and there are many examples where this has happened – so these breeding programmes are very important and really do work. With your continued support, we can continue to care for vultures both here at the Trust, and through our Conservation and Research projects with wild populations.

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What’s new at the Trust?

Masters of the Sky If you haven’t already, come and see our biggest daily flying display ever! Trails Come along and be inspired by the wonderful world of trees on our brand new Tree Trail, and be sure the kids pick up a brand new SUPER Top Trumps card (coming this summer!)

Featherstone aviaries On your next visit, head to the top of our grounds to spot Sage the Tawny Owl and Charlie the Barn Owl in their beautiful new aviaries! New in the Trust shop Swing by the Trust shop to browse our newest items, including our very own branded beers, cuddly stork soft toys and more!

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Meet our newest team members

Ellie CATERING AND CORPORATE SUPERVISOR

Denise OFFICE ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

Abbie CORPORATE EVENT AND CATERING SUPERVISOR

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE TEAM ONLINE!

Darren COMMIS CHEF

Jenny PRINCIPAL EDUCATOR

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You’re invited to a brand new evening event this summer, where you’ll meet a variety of our feathered friends, and enjoy getting to know more about our dedicated Bird Team working alongside them. Explore our 22 acre grounds after hours! As our doors close to our day visitors, you’ll be welcomed into the Trust grounds at this tranquil time of day. Stroll through our woodland and wildflower meadow away from the crowds and take time to spot our birds in their aviaries settling down to roost for the night. Enjoy two spectacular shows as the sun sets As twilight falls across the Trust grounds, you’ll witness the stunning beauty and powerful flights of our birds in two separate shows over the course of the evening. In Reg’s Wildflower Meadow see soaring birds over the beauty of the English countryside. In our Savannah Arena, take a journey to golden plains as the light fades and our birds come close. Our Bird Team will, as usual, be delivering their entertaining and inspiring commentary, showing you the extraordinary bonds between them and our birds. They’ll introduce you to birds who may not fly during our daily timetable and entertain with tales of working alongside these incredible creatures. We hope you come away knowing our team of birds (and humans!) even better than before. Really get to know us!

Tickets available to book online for selected dates this summer!

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A tribute to Marion Paviour It is with great sadness that we share the news that our former Chairman, Marion Paviour, died earlier this year.

‘I first met Marion in 1976, when she became a friend of my family and helped us with the work of the Hawk Conservancy. My father’s last request to Marion was to keep an eye on his family, and she stayed true to that promise and was by my side as a wise counsel for many years. She always thought big, and wanted the Conservancy to grow into an international conservation organisation and was the driving force in helping us achieve my father’s ambition for ‘The Hawks’, as she affectionately called us, establishing it as a charitable trust and becoming its first chairman. As with all her passions Marion was determined and would fiercely fight for what she thought was right. She could also be very fiery and was not afraid to deploy it for effect, for which she had a reputation. On one occasion, after I had been in discussion with the County Council for nearly two years about having new tourist board signs erected, eventually I said if things didn’t progress, I would have to pass it onto our chairman. When he asked who that was, I informed him it was Mrs Marion Paviour. His reply was “Thursday, I will have the signs up by Thursday.“ Marion was one of a kind; an independent lady who was so proud of her family and all they achieved, and fiercely protective of those she cared for.’ Marion was a champion of young people, rooting for them, offering support and providing opportunities. It is from this legacy that the Marion Paviour Award was created in 2018 to support early-career researchers working towards conserving birds of prey. Most recently this award has supported the study of Martial Eagles in Malawi. Marion touched so many people’s lives, making lasting impressions, and inspiring so many. We will miss her.

Marion was Chairman of the Board of Directors from the inception of the Trust in 2002, until she stepped down from this position in 2017. Marion’s vision for the Trust from its outset was to create a world leader in bird of prey conservation, and she worked tirelessly to achieve that. Under her guidance the Trust transformed into a highly-regarded conservation charity with international impact, and a visitor attraction that has gone from strength to strength. Ashley Smith, Life President and Founder of the Hawk Conservancy Trust, reflected back on Marion’s dedication towards the success of the Trust:

WINNER

Congratulations to Bernadette Grima, the overall winner of our 2022 photography competition! Her stunning image of Boe, our Egyptian Vulture, aptly named ‘Handsome Profile’ was selected as the winning image by Hawk Conservancy Trust President, Chris Packham! An exhibition showcasing all winning and highly commended images from the 2022 Photographic Competition is on show now in Feathers Restaurant. You can also purchase our 2024 calendar that features all these beautiful images from the Trust shop and our online web shop. If you would like to enter your photographs in our 2023 competition to be in with a chance of winning a private experience at the Trust, head to our website today!

enter 2023 competition here

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NEW FOR SUMMER 2023!

Holly

Horse Chestnut conkers and leaves

As you already know, here at the Trust we are all about conserving birds of prey and their habitats: trees are a vital part of the habitats for many birds of prey, and also the food they eat. Our 22 acre grounds are home to over 80 species of tree, the most abundant species on site include Elder, Silver Birch, Hornbeam, Hazel, Beech, Ash and Hawthorn. As well as native species, we also have 45 non-native tree species that create a home and increase habitat opportunities for our beautiful wildlife. Most of the trees on site were planted by the founders of the Hawk Conservancy Trust, and we are planning on planting more native species in the coming years!

On your next visit, be sure to collect your handout and join us on this inspiring new addition to our timetable to find out why trees are so important and what we can do to help conserve wildlife. Fun for the whole family, follow the trail around our grounds to see and learn about 11 tree species, as well as the conservation and research we undertake at the Trust to conserve birds of prey and their habitats. Bringing children along? Get the kids involved with deciphering the secret message we’ve hidden along the way! Join us on this fascinating Tree Trail to discover all about trees, which species call them home, and how we can help trees that benefit our beautiful native wildlife.

An Atlas of Endangered Species by Megan McCubbin

get your copy here

This May, we were delighted to welcome friend of the Hawk Conservancy Trust, Zoologist and Wildlife TV Presenter Megan McCubbin to the Trust to celebrate the launch of her brand new book – An Atlas of Endangered Species .

Megan was joined by friends and family for an exciting day. After some close encounters with our Yellow-billed Kites during Wings of Africa, Megan hosted a live interview with our Head of Conservation, Research and Education, Dr Campbell Murn. They discussed Campbell’s long-term work to understand and conserve White-headed Vultures, which was one of the species Megan wrote about in her book! They also had a fascinating chat about conservation, writing and dyslexia – even carrying on through a flash downpour! Megan then met Arthur, one of our White-headed Vultures, working alongside our Deputy Head of Living Collection, Tom Morath. Arthur even got a close look at the chapter all about his species, and he gave the beautiful illustrations a good look over! We hope everyone will read An Atlas of Endangered Species – an important review of the challenges many species face – and are so grateful to Megan for shining a light on White-headed Vultures and Campbell’s work on them! You can pick up a signed copy from the Trust shop on your next visit, or via our web shop.

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This April, we launched a brand new flying display, Masters of the Sky, as part of our summer timetable. We really enjoyed seeing so many of our wonderful members at the launch day, and it has been lovely to see so many of you coming back to watch it again since! Here’s a closer look at some of the birds taking to the sky over Reg’s Wildflower Meadow in this awe-inspiring new display …

NUTMEG LANNER FALCON What better way to open our brand new flying display than with the exhilarating flight of a falcon? Nutmeg has been absolutely wowing our audiences with his precise flight and awesome speed, stooping and swooping between not one, but two lures! Nutmeg is a really wonderful bird. He is very gently natured and breath-taking to watch fly. It takes a very skilled and experienced member of the Bird Team to work alongside Nutmeg; he knows exactly how to use the warm air at this time of year to his advantage and can gain incredible speeds. Unlike the Bird Team members working with him, Nutmeg is totally unaware of the pressure of being the opening act, and flies beautifully in true falcon style. Keep a close eye on this small but mighty bird as he comes low and fast over your head!

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SAM BALD EAGLE After making his debut in our flying displays last year, Sam the Bald Eagle is a superstar in this brand new addition to our timetable. After working closely with Bird Team members Cedric Robert and Mike Riley, Sam has become well-adjusted to flying over Reg’s Wildflower Meadow since his arrival at the Trust in 2021. His powerful flights and impressive wingspan are glorious to see as he takes to the wing and flies between our two new 8m tall towers. His journey between the towers takes him right above the heads of our audience – it’s just stunning to see him so close. With the iconic white plumage around his head, strong wing-beats and distinct call, it’s not hard to see why Sam is a highlight of Masters of the Sky.

BOE EGYPTIAN VULTURE Boe, our Egyptian Vulture, is one of our most striking birds. Not only does she have possibly the funkiest hairdo of anyone on the team (and there’s some stiff competition there!) she’s also one of our highest flyers. Using the warm summer thermals to gain height, Boe can reach thousands of feet in the air before diving into Reg’s Wildflower Meadow at incredible speeds. Sometimes, she’ll even show off with a barrel-roll on her descent! Her cheeky personality is well-known, and it’s not uncommon for the commentator of the show to be seen hiding amongst the audience as Boe makes a beeline to sit on their shoulders! Boe is a unique bird to see take to the skies. Her spectacular flight is amazing to see as part of the grand finale of Masters of the Sky – something you definitely won’t want to miss!

FLO CRESTED CARACARA You may have met (and heard) our Striated Caracaras, but Masters of the Sky is Flo’s time to shine! Flo the Crested Caracara came to live at the Trust in 2008 as a young bird, and has a spot in this exciting new display demonstrating her nest-building skills! As is typical of Crested Caracaras, she’s very comfortable moving around on the ground, and eagerly shows off how she can use materials around her to create a nest. These birds spend much time foraging and hunting on the ground in the wild, but they will take flights low over the ground and up to high perches to search for food. She’s an incredibly elegant and intelligent bird and has really won over our visitors with her beautiful flight and skilled handiwork!

Come along and see our Masters of the Sky for yourself every day at 2pm this summer as part of our jam-packed daily timetable!

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Owen climbs for conservation This summer, Bird Team member Owen Lincoln is celebrating his birthday in style – by lacing up his hiking boots and taking on the Three Peaks challenge to raise funds for vulture conservation! With the tallest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales to conquer in just 24 hours, this is no mean feat. Owen is in training and has been spending his days off racking up the miles. So far, the longest walk he has completed in training is 34km, walking over 50,000 steps!

Owen is hoping to raise £8,000 for our Pakistan Vulture Restoration Project (PVRP) – an important part of our work conserving Asian vultures.

Although Owen has previously completed each peak separately, the challenge of completing them all within 24 hours is a daunting task – and on his birthday no less! He will need your help and support to get him to the top of all three mountains, as well as helping him hit his goal to raise £8,000 for this incredible project.

Find out more about the Pakistan Vulture Restoration Project on the next page.

make a donation to Owen’s fundraising challenge here

“I am raising funds for our Pakistan Vulture Restoration Project to help with the ground-breaking work going on to prevent the extinction of Asia’s threatened vulture species. I am confident in my ability to complete the three highest peaks of England, Scotland and Wales in 24 hours. That’s three countries and three mountains all in one day. Over the 24 hour time period, I’ll be hiking 44km and climbing over 3,000 metres! I can’t ask for help with my hike, but I am asking for your help to raise money for these beautiful and crucial birds before it is too late. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something, and together I know we can make a big difference. Thank you all for your continued support and I’ll see you at the finish line!”

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Hot off the press! Our Head of Conservation, Research and Education, Dr Campbell Murn, and Pakistan Vulture Restoration Project (PVRP) Manager, Jamshed Chaudhry from WWF-Pakistan, have recently published an article summarising the major events in our Pakistan Vulture Restoration Project, working to bring back Asia’s vultures from the brink of extinction. Publishing scientific updates takes time, so we are excited to share each important step in our work.

The Collapse of South Asia’s Vultures Since the mid-1990s millions of vultures in south Asia died after ingesting the residues of a veterinary drug called diclofenac – a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is highly toxic to vultures if they feed on the carcass of an animal that has been treated with it shortly before death. Diclofenac as the cause of the vulture declines was only discovered in 2004 by Dr Lindsay Oaks, and since then the race has been on to save the remaining vultures across the subcontinent, with extinction being a very real possibility. So what are we doing? Since 1997, the Hawk Conservancy Trust, along with other conservation organisations, research institutes and governments, has worked to make sure we do not lose these vital birds. Currently the PVRP is working to create more Vulture Safe Zones. These are areas where wild vultures usually breed, that are targeted to be made free from harmful veterinary drugs. The Trust also funds and supports a breeding centre in Changa Manga, about 70km southwest of Lahore, which is operated by WWF Pakistan. The plan for Changa Manga is to maintain a small ‘safety net’ population of vultures which will one day be released into the safe zone areas.

Timeline of the Pakistan Vulture Restoration Project 1990s Vulture populations start to crash in south Asia. 2004 Veterinary diclofenac identified as the cause of vulture declines. 2004 Gyps Vulture Restoration Project started by WWF-Pakistan. 2006 D iclofenac banned in Pakistan for veterinary use. 2007 C hanga Manga vulture breeding centre opened. 2011 The conservation organisation SAVE (Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction) established.

2011

The Pakistan Restoration Project joined SAVE. Creation of Pakistan’s first VSZ (Vulture Safe Zone) in Sindh Province, SE Pakistan. First successful breeding of Asian White backed Vultures at Changa Manga. Other vulture-unsafe veterinary drugs (ketoprofen and aceclofenac) restricted for use in the Sindh VSZ. Development of second VSZ in NE Pakistan begins.

2012

2014

2017

2019

2020 Pharmaceutical and veterinary drug use survey for Punjab Province completed. Future We move closer to securing the recovery

You can access the full article on our website, and with your on-going support, we can continue our work to conserve these important birds.

of south Asia’s diverse and fascinating vultures, but significant challenges remain and our work is far from over.

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Raptor Nest Box Project

As part of this project, Matt puts up nest boxes for four bird of prey species: Barn Owls, Kestrels, Little Owls and Tawny Owls across eight counties in southern England. Since 2008, the project has grown from 38 nest boxes to a remarkable 1,277 specifically-designed, hand-built nest boxes. The boxes provide alternative nest sites where natural sites have been lost. Our aim is to increase breeding opportunities and, ultimately, to increase the population of these species. The nest boxes also enable us to monitor the chicks as they grow in each box. Many of these nest boxes are used every year, and each year some need repairing or replacing. It’s been another busy year for Dr Matt Stevens, our UK Conservation Biologist, and the dedicated group of volunteers working as part of our Raptor Nest Box Project.

Photo courtesy of Paul Gray

Photo courtesy of Paul Gray

NUMBER OF NEST BOXES DESIGNED FOR EACH SPECIES

ONGOING MAINTENANCE WORK Last year, more than 30 nest boxes were replaced due to damage from Storm Eunice, as well as from loss of trees through Ash Dieback. Many of our boxes are built by a committed group of volunteers who have spent hours constructing them in their own homes or in our workshop at the Trust. Last year, we also received a grant obtained by the Wessex Farm Conservation farmer cluster, enabling us to install new boxes to the north of Andover. These new boxes and replacements will provide more safe nesting sites for these birds.

1,277 IN TOTAL

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PROJECT MONITORING From our next boxes last year, there have been over 369 confirmed fledglings from the four species we monitor, although some chicks will have fledged before nests were rechecked or camouflaged from sight so confirmation can be tricky. As so many nest boxes need to be checked all at the same time, actual numbers of fledging chicks will be much higher! Routine checks found that some boxes had many opportunistic Stock Doves and Jackdaws nesting in them. Once they have hatched, Matt monitors the chicks in our nest boxes and carefully fits identification rings, used to individually identify each bird even after it grows up and leaves the nest. Last year he ringed over 350 chicks, bringing the total to over 3,000 individuals ringed since the project started! Matt uses blue colour rings, each with their own unique identification code, to monitor Amber-listed Kestrel numbers as part of one of our other ongoing conservation projects – the Kestrel Colour Ring and Dispersal Project. Each re-sighting of these colour helps us to estimate how many chicks have survived, and how far they have travelled. Last year we had re-sightings of these rings from as far away as Somerset, north Wiltshire and even Coventry, showing how far these Kestrels spread out after leaving the nest.

Number of chicks fledged from our nest boxes in 2022

Species Tawny Owl Barn Owl Little Owl Kestrel

Number of chicks >20 >151 >10 >188 12 >369

Total target species

Jackdaw

>11 >11

Stock Dove Great Tit

>7

Total all species

12 >398

GIVING NATURE A HELPING HAND

Alongside maintaining and monitoring our next boxes, Dr Matt Stevens is often called on for his expert advice and guidance. Earlier this year, Matt was called to the same nest three times, once in a torrential thunderstorm, to reunite young Tawny Owl chicks with their family after falling out the nest! On the third reunion, Matt decided to rig a makeshift nest made out of tyres, designed to help the chicks stay put. We’re happy to share that upon further checks, the chicks are still being cared for by the parents, and they looked nearly ready to take their first flights.

Dr Matt Stevens UK CONSERVATION BIOLOGIST

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Bravo Cedric! At the end of April, our National Bird of Prey Hospital™ Manager Cedric Robert completed his first ever London Marathon! A veteran marathon runner, Cedric often prefers running through countryside terrain. But with a change of scenery, running the iconic route through the streets of London, Cedric managed to run his fastest marathon ever, crossing the line with an outstanding time of three hours and 39 minutes! With your incredible support, Cedric has smashed his original target and raised over £6,500 for the work of our UK Conservation Biologist Dr Matt Stevens on the Raptor Nest Box Project. These vital funds will go towards purchasing new equipment for Matt as he installs, monitors and repairs over 1,200 nest boxes for Tawny Owls, Little Owls, Barn Owls and Kestrels! Thank you so much to everyone who supported Cedric on his London Marathon fundraiser!

A tribute to Paris and Entrea Sadly, Entrea the Pearl-spotted Owlet and Paris the Black Kite have passed away. Reaching 16 years of age, a fantastic age for a bird of this size, Entrea enjoyed a peaceful life being cared for by Bird Team member Katy Barnes. Her age didn’t stop her from pouncing on mealworms Katy had hidden around her aviary at lightning speed! Entrea may have been the smallest of our owl team, but she leaves a large hole in our hearts. Paris was the oldest of our Black Kite team, at an incredible age of 29 years, and the matriarch of the flying team. Nearly every Black Kite on our team is descended from her! Over the last few years Paris had been enjoying a peaceful retirement. She was an incredible bird and missed by us all.

Paris

Entrea

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To celebrate the launch of our

in May, can you solve these troublesome tree trials?

What bird am I?

1. I live in the UK 2. I am on the Amber-list

3. I am sometimes known as the ‘Ivy Owl’ 4. I make a distinctive ‘twitt-twoo’ call to other owls of the same species!

Who am I?

match the bird to the tree

Bald Eagle

Silver Birch Grey and silver bark create great camouflage for this bird’s plumage!

Hooded Vulture

White Pine Tall, mature trees located close to lakes and rivers so they can easily catch their prey. Jackal-berry These trees provide dense foliage for cover from the hot sun, and a prominent fork in the trunk for large nests to sit in.

Great Grey Owl

DID YOU KNOW? Tree roots are often as large underground as the branches you can see above ground.

Complete the food chain Can you place the pieces of a bird of prey food chain in the right order? INSECT BIRD OF PREY BIRD HEDGE

Answers

Complete the food chain Hedge > Insect > Bird > Bird of Prey

Match the bird to the tree Silver Birch: Great Grey Owl, White Pine: Bald Eagle, Jackal-berry: Hooded Vulture

what bird am I?

Tawny Owl

UPCOMING EVENTS

SATURDAY 2 SEPTEMBER

SELECTED EVENINGS IN THE SUMMER

FUNDRAISING EVENT

Wildebeest in the Potting Shed

Evening Owls

FRIDAY 6 OCTOBER

SELECTED EVENINGS IN THE AUTUMN

FUNDRAISING EVENT

FUNDRAISING EVENT

THURSDAY 23, FRIDAY 24 & SATURDAY 25 NOVEMBER Christmas Market

FRIDAY 27 & SATURDAY 28 OCTOBER

Book ahead for more winter events!

EVENING OWLS AT CHRISTMAS – 2 & 9 DECEMBER CHRISTMAS CAROLS AND OWLS – 18 & 19 DECEMBER FATHER CHRISTMAS’ FLYING VISIT – 21 & 22 DECEMBER

www.hawk-conservancy.org/events