01787 460593 | 07831 339 455 | scallisterjarrold@gmail.com 
Update on our Just Giving appeal to raise £2,000+ for my Owls and Birds of Prey Rescue Charity…
Thanks to everyone who has donated to our appeal – your kindness & generosity is very much appreciated. So far we have £880 donations on the Just Giving page, plus a dear friend of mine donated £100 and Stephen has had donations handed in at Darkins Supply Stores in Sible Hedingham totalling £190. Total £1,170! Fantastic! To learn more or to donate, please click on the QR code. Still a way to go to our £2,000 goal but we are doing well. Training continues apace with the Felixstowe Triathlon last weekend where he finished 17th out of 99. This involved a 1500 metre sea swim, 25 mile bike ride & 10k run. Exhausted just thinking about it Ha! Go Stephen!
Update on Kestrel Halstead…
 
You may recall that, on my last visit to Linkswood Veterinary Centre, they had an injured Kestrel from Halstead that had been handed in to them. I brought her home and have been tending to her every need since! She is greatly improved and yesterday I put her out in the Aviary for some much needed exercise and to see how well the wing was working. She is not flying properly per se but is flying from perch to tree stump so is getting some exercise, albeit not fully functional as yet. Will give her more time but I am hopeful of a full recovery in due course…
Update on Kestrel Stratford…
After two full weeks in the Pre-Release Aviary at Wakes Colne, getting lots of exercise and building up those wing muscles, yesterday was the designated day for Stratford’s release. Following a hearty breakfast, Alex opened the trapdoor to let her go – and boy did she shoot out like a bullet! Alex had taken some video footage of her in the Aviary previously and I have linked the departure video to this one. (See video on my Facebook pages). Photos attached of when she arrived with me and in the Pre-Release Aviary. It was a pleasure to help Stratford, especially as Kestrels are one of my favourite falcons. Fly free my little one and have a lovely life as a “country girl” rather than a “City slicker”..
You arrive at the Vets with two birds and leave with three…
 
It’s not often that you leave the Vets with more than you came with but that is what happened on Saturday when I took the two Tawny Owls for repeat injections. Just prior to my arrival, a Kestrel, who had been picked up in Halstead, had been handed in to Linkswood Vets. Whilst I was consulting with Robert, Vet Tim took XRays and examined the Kestrel as it was reported to be unable to fly. The XRays were clear but she had a small scrape on one wing but otherwise all OK. Certainly feisty and very aware of her position in this world. Tim gave Halstead painkiller and anti-inflammatories and I left with three birds rather than two! Brought her home for observation and looking after. Halstead was not particularly obliging when I fed her last night but we did manage to get a fair amount of food down her and this morning I have put chicks in the cage to see how she gets on with feeding herself. Halstead is currently happily sitting on the perch in her cage and watching the world go by. I simply adore Kestrels but they can certainly be a handful when they decide not to co-operate! Hopefully we will get her sorted in the near future and return her from whence she came…
Update on Tawny Owlet Clare…
 
Very sad to report that Tawny Owlet Clare, who came in from the Clare Country Park some days ago, was found dead in the cage this morning. Absolutely no indication when I fed him last night, he ate well and was very content but you never know what else is going on inside them. Quite a shock as I was planning to put him out with some of the others in the Aviary today. It was very peaceful as he was lying amongst his teddies when he passed. Fly free my little one – so sorry to lose you…
Thursday morning brings an adult Tawny Owl from Stoke by Nayland to my door…
 
Received a telephone call from Giles who had found this adult female Tawny Owl in his lounge by the fireplace. Initially we thought she had come in via the chimney, but further investigation revealed it was more likely she had come in via an open window in another room. Sadly their Jack Russell had found the owl and had attacked her but then released her and proceeded to bark at anyone who would listen, as only Jack Russell’s can! Giles picked Nayland up and was very concerned about the right eye as he thought the dog may have damaged it. He made contact and we arranged for him to bring the bird over to me. Nayland was very weak and traumatised and the left eye did look swollen and sore. Administered painkiller and hydration and took her to see my vet Robert Lees at Linkswood Veterinary Centre that afternoon. We gave her anti-biotics and anti-inflammatories plus cream for the eye. Luckily(?) it was the eyelid that was swollen rather than the eye itself so, hopefully, this will recover in a relatively short time. Took Nayland back today, Saturday, for a repeat injection and, after I explained that she was still quite discombobulated after a feed, when placed back in the cage, Robert discovered another bite below her ear which may well have caused some nerve damage. We return on Wednesday to assess the situation and administer another dose of drugs. Fingers firmly crossed that we can get this beautiful female back to her home territory in Nayland in due course…
Tawny Owlet No. 12 arrives from Clare Country Park…
 
I stupidly thought we had finished the Tawny Owl breeding cycle for this year but, no, a telephone call yesterday afternoon, brought Tawny Owlet No. 12 to my door. Sue, a Trustee of the Country Park, and Rob had found a Tawny Owlet caught up at the bottom of a box hedge and wrapped in bindweed, near to the Platform 1 Cafe. They managed to extract him from the bindweed and very kindly brought him over to me. Very flat, weak, skinny and carrying a collection of the dreaded flat flies, so may have been struggling for some time. Somewhat concerned about his left wing as it was very floppy and slow to go back to its normal position – perhaps the bindweed restricted his movement, which made it so weak, he just needs improved circulation. He definitely gives the impression he has a concussion, but there is no traffic in the Park so he cannot have been hit by a car but may have collided with the branch of a tree or telegraph cables. We will see. Hydrated and medicated him and, a few hours later, gave him a small meal so as not to overwhelm his system. He ate really well, with a good swallow reflex, and soon began to accept the help he was being offered without resistance. This morning he was a little brighter and the wing less floppy and he ate with gusto. A bit of a guarded prognosis until I see further improvement in the left wing and, if I am at all concerned, will pop him over to my Vets to check him out. Sue has the Rangers and everyone at the Country Park on Red Alert for spotting any other siblings of Clare, in case they are also struggling. My thanks to Sue and Rob for rescuing this gorgeous Tawny and getting him the help that he needed. Thank you…
Late night arrival of an injured Barn Owl from Colchester…
 
One of the saddest cases I have dealt with in a long time, this beautiful Barn Owl came to me last evening with a wing injury. Ali had been driving into Colchester and spotted this Barnie by the side of the road and very kindly stopped, picked him up and brought him over to me. He had been hit by a car and, sadly, most of the flight feathers on the right wing had been macerated. I thought initially that the mid joint had been sliced off but that was actually OK. Administered painkiller and anti-inflammatories and, later, a small meal, and left him to recover overnight. Went to see my Vet Clare at Linkswood Veterinary Centre this morning and we took XRays of the wing. Luckily the joint was unaffected and, of course, the flight feathers would grow back. OK so far. We then spotted an injury on the bridge of the nose, where it meets the beak. The feathers kept it from view but this had been damaged and left the nostrils exposed. Definitely not OK. We then consulted with Robert on the chances of the wing recovering and, sadly, his inspection showed that the Barn Owl had hardly any movement in the joint and this would mean he could never fly again. Collectively, this meant we had no choice but to put this otherwise healthy young male Barn Owl to sleep. Heartbreaking. So very sad and a criminal waste. My thanks to Ali for taking the time to rescue this Barn Owl and getting it over to me – if he had been left by the roadside his death could have been a very long and painful process. Fly free my little one and only sorry we could not save you…

Update on Just Giving page raising £2,000 for Owls and Birds of Prey Rescue…

Delighted with the many donations made, giving us a total of £760 so far! Thank you so much to everyone who has so generously donated to the cause. As you are probably aware, Stephen Metson is competing in his first Iron Man Challenge in September in Italy with all funds raised coming to my Owls and Birds of Prey Rescue Charity. Stephen is training hard and, as part of this, he completed a Triathlon on Sunday where he had a very good race and his Personal Best from last year was beaten by 6 minutes. Conditions were good with 25 degree heat and a cooling breeze. Way to go Stephen!
If you would like to help us reach our target, please follow the link/QR code. Thank you…
Please support Stephen Metson and his Iron Man challenge, raising funds for Owls and Birds of Prey Rescue. Find out more and donate at our Just Giving page http://www.justgiving.com/…/owls-and-birds-of-prey-rescue
Update on Barn Owl Pattiswick II…
 
Delighted to return young Barn Owl Pattiswick II to his nest and siblings yesterday afternoon. As predicted, everyone was very soporific and barely noticed his arrival back on the farm. Deposited some extra chicks so everyone could have a supplementary feed and left them to it as we are able to closely follow what they are up to on the inside camera. All quiet on the “Owl front” and everyone had a good meal last night, with an extra mouse in the box for good measure this morning. We will keep a close eye on them to make sure everyone continues to thrive and, hopefully, fledge in the not too distant future…
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01787 460593
07831 339 455

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scallisterjarrold@gmail.com