A Swan Queue
We constantly get swans arriving due to fishing tackle injuries or having flown into power lines. There certainly seemed to be a higher number than usual in the last couple of months. One particular swan had a lure hooked through its beak and also its neck and had been unable to feed or preen for several days.
Thank goodness for the Burnham Area Rescue Boat team who help us through the year. Obviously it is good practise for them in attending rescues in lakes for us but it means that we are able to catch these animals as soon as they are reported to us.
We found ourselves with six swans due for release on the same day so Leigh, an animal carer with one of our volunteers, Graham Thompson had a busy time taking them all back. To see them queued up in the van waiting for their release was quite amusing!
Batty Debbie
Many of you will know that Debbie has always done most of our baby bat rearing but this year other carers like Judith and Laura were batty ‘mothers’.
Cruella,
the baby Long Eared Bat
butterfly cages which are made out of soft black mesh which allow bat babies to practice flying as they get older. We also have a larger tent which can be assembled with ease and is ideal for the larger species of bat babies as well as the most common pipistrelle bats.
‘Animal 24/7’ were here this year filming them in the tent so you may see it on television in the next series. Debbie’s first baby Long Eared Bat baby was called Cruella - but we thought she was rather sweet!
22
However Debbie was thrilled as, for the first time, she had some tiny baby Long Eared bats to rear. Even as an adult, they are fascinating as their huge ears lie flat against their backs but as soon as they become active, the blood is pumped into their ears until they stand almost as high as the length of their own bodies. We were able to obtain
Animal carer, Leigh with swan
© Jeff Searle
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24