HawkTalk Issue 95 Winter 2023

A message from our Chief Executive Penny Smout CEO I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of winter. I prefer the long days of summer to the cosy winter nights. But I do know that getting out into the fresh air and among nature on a winter’s day gives an energy boost and helps

In this issue

Our favourite things about

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winter at the Trust Owen completes the

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3 Peaks Challenge Third Critically Endangered

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chick fosters hope Africa’s elusive

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with wellbeing. In this HawkTalk , the team shares some of their favourite things about winter at the Trust. For me, that’s an easy one to answer: getting to spend Members’ Working Day with you! It is great to see familiar faces and meet new members, and getting all the help with the work around the site is most welcome too. This year we have two dates and these will be while the Trust is closed, so we will have the place to ourselves. Oh the joy of being able to leave gates open! We are pleased to announce our Jon Scott Volunteers of the Year in this edition. Sadly, one of them has been awarded posthumously to the lovely and cheeky Gilly Taylor, whom we’ve chosen as our Impact Volunteer for 2023. It was lovely to surprise Don Springett with our Steadfast Volunteer award for his many behind the scenes contributions which are hugely valued. There is more detail about these two award recipients later in this HawkTalk . Did you see our short video (on YouTube) about the Critically Endangered vulture chicks that we have hatched successfully this year? We are thrilled to have our first Hooded Vulture chick who was incubated, hatched and raised by its parents. Our other two chicks, both African White-backed Vultures, were raised by foster parents. With hiccups in their breeding success in prior years, we assisted with incubating their eggs in a new incubator funded by Investec. This part of the process went smoothly, but returning the chicks to their parents ended up with two sets of foster parents, including having our Cinereous Vulture pair raising a different species. Good practice for them, we hope. If you have visited recently, you might have noticed that the park is looking a little prettier and tidier. After having started recruitment in 2020, which was then put on hold, we have finally brought in a Horticulturalist and Groundskeeper, which I am sure is a relief to the gardening volunteer team that has been doing an amazing job keeping us looking as good as we did. Tina Chillingworth joined us in August and has started whipping us into shape with improvements around the entrance area, Feathers Restaurant and the Griffon Rooms, and some fresh planting in the new aviaries by the Woodland Arena. As well as making the place look nicer and improving the environment in the aviaries for our birds, we plan to create some wildlife friendly pockets to give ideas of what we can do at home to support our local biodiversity. I am so excited that we have finally embarked on this development and eternally grateful to the volunteers who have looked after us so well and hopefully will have more fun with Tina supporting their endeavours! In September we were pleased to host a day of the first ever UK conference for the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE). With over 60 attendees from 11 countries, it was deemed a big success and we were able to showcase the way we care for our birds as well as give the whole of our Bird Team the opportunity to get to know others in our industry. Gary Benton, Tom Morath and James Knight from our Bird Team gave presentations on training Boe, our Egyptian Vulture, the development of Winter Woodland Lights and working with Bald Eagle, Cheyenne. Apparently they were all very well received and definitely put the Hawk Conservancy Trust on the map. As we draw towards the festive season, let me wish you a wonderful time with family and friends and I look forward to seeing those who can join us on 26 November!

Hooded Vultures Jon Scott Volunteers of the Year award recipients More Egyptian Vultures

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Dates for your diary

Owl-O-Ween , Friday 27 and Saturday 28 October Christmas Market , Thursday 23, Friday 24 and Saturday 25 November Evening Owls at Christmas , Saturday 2 , Friday 8 and Saturday 9 December Christmas Carols & Owls , Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 December Father Christmas’ Flying Visit , Thursday 21 and Friday 22 December Winter Woodland Lights , Friday 12 to Sunday 28 January 2024 Members’ working days , Sunday 26 November and Sunday 7 January Hawk Conservancy Trust Visitor Centre, Sarson Lane, Weyhill, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 8DY T: 01264 773 850

E: info@hawkconservancy.org www.hawk-conservancy.org

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