|
March 2009
| ||
|
Sunday 29th March New Arrivals |
Today we received 4 new birds: 2 white-fronted and 2 red loreds, courtesy of what has to be our Rescuer of the Year, Bruce (of Nox fame). The birds were in good condition - the white fronted are fully flighted, but the red loreds have recently been crudely clipped. We understand from the owner that he had them all flying free at one stage, but the neighbours 'kidnapped' the red loreds, cut off their wing feathers and claimed the birds as his own. Since then, the original owner has been wary of letting any of the birds in case this happened again - so felt they would be best to give them a new home with hopefully a better opportunity at a wild life. The white-fronted were obviously ready for the aviary, but we wanted to make sure the other two were capable, as the owner had requested that we did not split the four of them up. As it happened, the clipped birds could control a fall, so the following day they were all let loose in the aviary. We are not sure of release for the white-fronted yet. We have the option to keep them until all 4 are ready, but we shall have to see how they develop over the next few months. They will stay with us until at least July or August, which gives them time to get used to the sounds of the immidiate vicinity and to allow nesting season to finish. |
  |
|
Thursday 26th March Update |
For anyone who is following Nox's progress - here is a recent photo of him having some quaility time in his favourite tree. Bruce is doing a splendid job with this black & white owl, despite is handicap, Nox seems happy with his lot in life. Well done Bruce - keep up the good work! Bruce is happy to tell you more about Nox: contact him on noxoculus@gmail.com |
 |
| Sunday 8th March | By now, both of our new red-loreds had adequately demonstrated their ability to control a fall, so we decided it was time for the aviary. They scuttled straight up to the very top and soon found the right spot to begin the important job of dismantling trees. They love food but have developed some bad habits. The exercise they will get in the aviary should be good for their muscle tone and hopefully a more balanced diet will be a kinder to their waistline. |
 Michael |
| Saturday 7th March |
This bi-coloured hawk was found in Mountain Pine Ridge, unable to fly or walk and could barely stand. The gentleman who found him gallantly hiked many miles with the bird and took it to Dr Orlando Baptiste, who happens to be our local vet. He was unable to find anything physically wrong with the bird at first and called us to collect him. We eventually discovered a small entry wound on his chest, probably from a pellet gun. He was given antibiotics and anti-imflammatories, but there was little else we could do for him. He wastaking food and water, but was still very weak. On Monday morning we noticed a rattling in his breathing and he died an hour or so later. It is unfortunate that these delicate creatures rarely survive such damage. It is doubly unfortunate that some humans feel compelled to inflict such needless damage. Very likely this bird was one of a breeding pair and without its vital contribution to the welfare of the chicks, the brood will probably also die. A very sad thing indeed. |
 |
|
Saturday 7th March update |
Real progress for the parakeets. They made a flight right across to the other side of the room. We have these birds in the play-room as the aviary wire is unsitable for their size. Having realised how good they now were at flying, they took off several times today, landing on fly screens and curtain rails. This year as part of the expansion of our facilities, we intend to construct an aviary for smaller birds. (Our home, including the play room, is parrot-proof. We would not recommend for anyone who does not know exactly what they are doing to have birds flying loose in their house - there are far too many potential hazards, particularly to small birds.) |
 Perky |
|
Friday 6th March New arrivals | Two new red loreds came to us today, Iran and Michael, siblings donated by a gentleman leaving the country. Their wings are severely clipped, but they are agile and relatively friendly. He had spent a fair amount of time handling and grooming them and during his absence they had each other. Such socialising makes a vast difference to their mental well-being. They were used to being caged outside, but even so we started them off in the indoor open cages for a couple of days so we could keep an eye on them. They demonstrated good climbing skills and were dextrous with food which is an excellent start. |
 Iran |
|
Monday 2nd March Update | Pinky & Perky made a real flight today. Simultaneously and just like that. It still amazes us that one minute our birds are helpless, plummeting to the floor, and the very next day they make actual flights. It makes us realise how people lose pet birds when they thought their wings were adequately clipped. It also makes us realise why people feel compelled to over-clip. (It's no excuse for doing it, but we can understand it). The parakeets didn't travel any distance, they just helicoptered round in upward circles to the ceiling before collapsing exhausted on the floor. Still - it's progress. |