Here's my son Joe flying the flag for Ryedale Rehab at the Spartan Race nr Ripon. He did a real good time and was in the top 30 of over a 1,000 competitors.



These 3 young Barn Owls were taken into care after being found thin and poor in a local nestbox. The first one was found flip flopping round a garden. She had left the nestbox too early and wasn't a good flyer. A barn owl nest box was located in the gable end of a garage. I manged to find a local builder who likes barn owls to come out to have a look in.
The householders were away on holiday and thier neighbour was watering the garden and found this weak chick.
We hoped the nest box had an inspection hatch sadly it didn't so Andy had to unscrew the back board of the box whilst dangling on the rafters high up in the roof space.
Once inside 2 more young birds were found, one very weak.

I brought them home ,rehydrated them and left to rest with food in a box. They ate very very well and must have been extremely hungry.

Andy up the ladder, rather him than me !

The following day the fourth member of the family turned up in the same garden, perching low under some stone steps.

All 4 are fairing well and have been BTO rung.

Within the next week they will go back to thier nesting home.
I'll grill them in for a few days , feeding daily.

Then the grill can come off and the birds will be free to come and go. Young Barn Owls tend to roost back in thier safe nest box homes so we will be able to continue to feed, giving them a soft release.

I'm still training to BTO ring the birds I get here in rehab. I'm lucky enough to ring with The Lower Derwent Valley , Huddleston and Jackson ringing group. I have ringed some spectacular birds, of which this young male Kingfisher was one.

He was in the passerine ringing nets at Wheldrake early one sunny morning.
A stunning male and so good to know they are about again after the long hard winter previously .

Mrs Sparrowhawk

This big adult female Sparrowhawk has become a regular here. She was brought in as  young bird with a dippy wing from Scarboro.She needed time out and was carefully looked after , ringed and eventually released from my back gate. See previous blog of her going. She returned after 10 days and I put food out for her. She became a regular and is in her third year. She disapeared last spring for 6 weeks . I presume she had been nesting and things hadn't gone well. She hung about the garden resting and feeding after. She remained off and on and this year she went missing for over 3 months.I was delighted to see her back 3 weeks ago where she appeared on top of an avairy. She looks to have a good brood patch and is eating and carrying food away. I put the spy camera out and here she is having her picture taken ! A beautiful bird living a wild life but allowing me a small glimpse of her antics, mega.

This young Kestrel came in thin , bruised and on one leg.
I can't find a break, his feet were scuffed and he was found on the road side. So think he may have been knocked. He allowed me to tit bit feed him today , so fingers crossed he will recover.

The hedgehogs are doing well, growing and eating all in front of them. I've some young birds on the go and the last juv Tawny is nearly ready for the off.

Busy, busy, busy.

 

There's lots of weaning hedgehogs about , plenty of food available but they get cold, wet and fly blown very quickly in this weather.

So get rid of fly strike, warm them up and feed well.
I've got 15 in , all doing well.
They need to put on weight and then they can go out again.

Some needed syringe feeding just to get them going.



 These 2 sisters had flown into overhead wires in Hull.

Both were bruised and sore and a bit jangled up.
They spent time out with me before release.
Both were marked on their necks by the wires, unlucky to hit them but lucky it was just slight.

 More Mallard ducklings and a single Greylag gosling being released by Craig Ralston of N.E. 
at the Lower Derwenrt Valley Nature Reserve. The ducklings came in from far and wide , the gosling was walking the road with his mother, newly hatched by the local shop! I tried to quietly herd her to the nearest water which was a fair way off. She got spooked and flew high and wide and was not seen again.So the gosling was reared with the mallards. They've been out a week or two now .
I went for a look at Wheldrake this week and there they all are looking good with the Greylag still in attendance !



 Warm cupboard and the odd bods !

How cute are these ?

Bella with a house martin and mallard duckling.

Otter and Stoat.

 This 5 month old otter cub was found dead on the road side nr Malton. She was in lovely condition, just had a clip with a car which killed her. I took the carcass to the Environment Agencey in York who send them to Cardiff Universirty for post mortem. Good to know they're about but sad this one didn't make it.

The baby stoat did well and has grown into a fine looking animal.

Been out Barn Owl ringing with Craig, Lucy and Fallon in the Lower Derwent Valley. This fine pair were found fat and happy in a wooden nest box. They will soon be fledged and out and about.

June juv's.

Another roe fawn came in from Norton. This little orphan was found in a layby near Leeds and brought home by some passing motorists.
They rang the rspca , who called me to collect it. They promised they would get it to their wildlife hospital in Cheshire asap. When I called to collect it the couple spoke little english and had done a wonderful job of getting it to suckle from a baby's bottle.I rang the rspca again on arrival home and sadly they were not willing to act quickly. So I boxed him up and went to Cheshire myself. Her needed to settle and begin his rehab without any more sholling about. He fairs well I hear and has been joined by another. They are very difficult to rear.

Here's one of the fostered jackdaws now resident at Wheldrake, fledged and raring to go.

This young Oyster Catcher was found on a trading estate with a scraped leg. He was thin but ready to fly. I took him for ringing and release at Bank Island on the Lower Derwent Valley NNR. Craig, a passing birder and me took him on to the wet pasture for release. As we put him down a passing adult Oyster Catcher made that familiar call and the juv called back whilst still in my hand  !
3 days later Craig rang to say he was watching a ringed juv Oyster Catcher folowing an adult about the wet pasture , all very satisfactory.




A farming couple found this young Little Owl in their hen run with the chickens all joining in to make short work of this little predator. He was rescued and put in nearby bushes where the crows and jackdaws decided to finish him off. So he came here to build up before his return. He should do well and is resting with food and in a dry pen for now. The persistant rain has not been good for juvenile wildlife and many young birds and mammals will have perished. I heard of young tawnies wet through and dying ground nesters found in the long wet grass. Let's hope it cheers up soon.

Here's Fallon Mahon of N.E. with the first lot of orphaned Mallard ducklings being released at North Duffiled NNR.
They came here in ones and twos and were reared on together.
They so love to be out in a natural space and dabbled and swam in the pond. Within 30 minutes they were hiding and behaving just as wild ducks do, wonderful.

These 2 rescued juvenile Jackdaws were taken in after their nest in an old ash tree was cut back illegally. I cared for them for a couple of days and then they went to be fostered at Wheldrake. A favourite nest site for Jackdaws had 2 youngsters the same age. So Craig Ralston of N.E. suggested they all be reared together.

Here's Craig introducing the 2 newcomers to their new home.
Over a week has gone by and all 4 are looking well and thriving.
The N.Y.Police are looking into the reasons they were removed from their nest.

Growing Up.

 This young Mistle Thrush is out in the shed , just beginning to feed itself. Flight feathers still growing , won't be long before its off. It has a blackbird friend and they are both learning to fly and wild up in a bigger space. They need some time and some warmth to get going properly.

4 young Tawnies are now out in the avairy.They're not good flyers yet but getting there.
I had an early one which was ringed and released earlier this week.