2002 Highlights of the Hessilhead year

Oliver

The first call of the year came from a lady who lives 2 miles from Hessilhead. She had disturbed an owl that was perching on a fence post, but instead of flying away the owl had toppled to the ground. As soon as the owl arrived at the hospital I knew it was Oliver. He was having a tantrum, shouting and kicking, annoyed at being handled. I knew his voice and behaviour well, but checked his ring number just to be sure.

Oliver came to Hessilhead last April. He was found on a sheep farm when he was just a few days old, and because of foot and mouth restrictions, we couldn't go and return him to the nest. Oliver had been released at the end of summer, but we had some difficulty persuading him to leave home and become independent.

So, on January 1st the good news was that Oliver was in great condition. He had obviously been feeding well on his own. The not so good news was a broken wing, but at least it was repairable. With his wing strapped, Oliver made a good patient, soon settling down in the familiar hospital cage and eating Hessilhead rations straight away. When his wing healed, Oliver moved to an aviary to get some flying practice. He was released in the middle of summer, after the tawny owl breeding season. It is no use releasing tawny owls when resident birds are breeding. The newly released ones would be bullied and chased away. Oliver didn't stay around long this time. He knew how to hunt. Hopefully it will be a while till we hear of him again.

Click on any image below for a closer look!

One caller was quite disgruntled when he phoned back to Hessilhead the day after reporting an owl perched on a bus garage in Greenock. He told us angrily that the owl was in exactly the same place as yesterday. Unfortunately he hadn't noticed it was plastic!

Stowaway Swan

Many of this winter's patients were found in unusual situations. Imagine our surprise when the police asked if we could rescue a swan from the top of a lorry. The lorry had come from Cheshire, and while driving through Clydebank, the driver noticed lots of people waving. At first he thought they were friendly folk; then he stopped and was told about his unusual passenger. He had no idea when it stowed away on board. The rescue could have gone terribly wrong, with the swan stepping back, as they often do, and falling to the ground. Luckily all went to plan, the swan was grabbed before it realized what was happening, and carried down to safety. She was a bit confused and wobbly, but soon recovered and was released after making headline news in several papers.

BeaTtie

If you find a swan on a truck far fetched, how about a badger on a phone box! The phone box was in Ayr High Street, up against a rough stone wall. Badger footprints on the glass indicated the badger had climbed there herself. To do that she must have been frightened. It is unlikely that the badger went into Ayr town centre willingly, so we can only assume that she escaped from a vehicle. There are old wounds on the badger's face and neck, suggesting that she may have been used for badger baiting. I don't suppose we will ever know for sure, and the worry is that other badgers are being transported too.

Beattie was retrieved from the phone box, but her problems were not over. Whenever possible, badgers should be returned to where they came from. This was not possible in Beattie's case. Also, because we didn't know where she came from, Beattie had to be tested for TB, as she may have come from an area where TB is endemic in badgers and cattle. That meant 3 blood tests, at 1 month intervals. Luckily all the tests were clear, so now we are looking for a site to release Beattie and her new friend, a young male badger that had a broken jaw, now repaired.

A happier badger rescue followed a call from a lady who feeds badgers in her garden. We took a cage trap and caught the badger that was limping badly. A vet was called, the badger was treated on site and released next evening at his usual feeding time among his friends.

Otters

We have usually been lucky with otter cubs. Within a few weeks of one cub arriving, a second cub has come into care. Two cubs reared together are much less likely to get tame than a cub reared alone. Around Christmas 2001 two otters were released in South Lanarkshire. They returned to their release site for 2 or 3 weeks, gradually taking less fish as they learnt to be independent. Late in the summer we were delighted to hear that a female otter had been seen with cubs, at exactly the spot where Splish and Splash were released. Another release site has been prepared with the help of water bailiffs and Police Wildlife Liason Officers. Shelley and Brodie will be released there soon.

Foxes

As usual, April and May brought an influx of orphaned fox cubs, Some, like Nancy were found in gardens, Eric and Derek were rescued from under a portakabin after their Mum was killed on the road. Still in care are Twiggy, the late cub who was such a star on the Open day, and Postie, rescued by post-ladies after being hit by a car and left in the road. Her two broken hind legs had to be pinned, but now she is running and jumping. She is easily recognized, having a nick out of one ear. Polly, the cub that got stuck down a drain, arrived at Hessilhead with both hind feet facing left. She had tried so hard to push herself out, she had dislocated all her toes. Polly tolerated two weeks in plaster casts before chewing them off. We were relieved to see her feet faced forwards!

During the year, a number of RTA foxes have made good recoveries. One of them required considerable dental work, which was done at Glasgow Vet School. We wondered whether he could cope in the wild with all his canines missing, but Gummy was a city centre fox, living mostly on hand outs and left over food. We returned him to where he was found, confident he had a good chance of survival. In April we were called to rescue a fox that had jumped 12' down into a basement yard. The only way out was up a ladder. This vixen was oozing milk, obviously feeding very young cubs. We released her quickly, hoping she would find her family safe and well. Another fox was rescued from a snare and recovered fully.

Slippy

Slippy, a common seal, spent a long time at Hessilhead. She arrived in August, 2001, in very poor condition. She received lots of treatment and made very slow progress, refusing to feed herself for months. She looked so stunted we doubted if she would ever grow up. The turning point was in February, and once she started eating, she ate lots. Puffer, a grey seal, was in care at the same time. He came to Hessilhead in January, after beaching on Greenock Esplanade, a sure sign that he needed help. He was infested with round worms, lung worms and tapeworms. Once they were treated he began to thrive. The two seals were ready for release at the same time. It was quite an effort loading them both into the van, Puffer squeezed into a carrying box, Slippy lying on a blanket. We released them at Portencross harbour, on a calm afternoon, at high tide. We watched them for ages. Slippy kept swimming out of the harbour, then returning to the shallows, where we could watch her swimming underwater. Puffer went off to deep water more confidently, diving then coming back up and looking around.

Swan Shelter

It is always upsetting when we hear of wild birds or animals being abused by people. In spring we had to build a shelter to protect a nesting pair of swans. The swans had chosen to nest on the bank of the Clyde, in the Gorbals. There is a pavement 10' above the nest, and a variety of missiles had been hurled at the nest. We built a wire mesh platform over the nest, to protect the swans. They accepted this modification to their nest site, and successfully hatched out cygnets.

Pine Martens

May and June are the busiest months at the Wildlife Rescue Centre, with up to 100 phone calls a day. Many of the calls are about orphaned birds, disturbed nests, fledglings in trouble, ducklings in Glasgow etc. Occasionally there is something really different. Imagine my surprise when a lady phoned and told me she had a pine marten with her 3 young in a box. She wondered if we would take them in! Later that day the lady arrived with her husband. They were feeling guilty. They knew that pine martens are protected. They had enjoyed feeding them in their garden. They didn't even mind when a pine marten started sleeping in the loft of their house. But when the pine marten piddled so much that the ceiling below collapsed, they felt it was justifiable to take action. So here they were, a pine marten family from Ardnamurchan, the female wrapped cosily around her young.

All went well for ten days. We rarely disturbed the family, only providing food and water twice a day, and making sure the family was well. The next day, to our horror we discovered that the female pine marten had gone. She had chewed through the wooden side of the shed, leaving her little family, who were far from being weaned, and by the time we found them were hypothermic and listless.

The young were taken in, given fluids and heat, and a few hours later started drinking milk from a bottle. We set traps for the female, to no avail. All we ever saw of her were footprints. Hand rearing pine martens was a new experience. I was surprised how slow they were to grow up. 6-7 weeks old before their eyes opened. Another two weeks before they were eating properly. Several more weeks before they learnt to scramble over logs, and not till the end of summer did they become confident and agile at climbing branches. They played a lot, tumbling and rolling together and running around with toys such as pine cones and sticks. Although we hardly handled the pine martens after they were weaned, they were tolerant of people for a long time. Eventually they became more nervous, though one of them remained quite cheeky and inquisitive.

In September the young pine martens were returned to Ardnamurchan, The release site was a few miles from where they came. The martens spent a couple of weeks in a specially adapted dog run, then were allowed out, though food was still provided. Our helper in Ardnamurchan said it was wonderful watching them exploring the hillside, climbing trees and burrowing under boulders. They too may make their home in someone's loft. Apparently it isn't unusual in the Highlands.

Seals

The pine martens weren't the only casualties to come from far away. In August we had a call from a vet in Campbeltown. He had rescued a seal pup the previous day, and wondered if we could take it. By road, Campbeltown is 150 tortuous miles from Hessilhead. With lots of patients already in care, no one really had time to drive that far. So alternative transport was arranged. A Hessilhead supporter from Carradale collected the seal pup, drove it across Kintyre and put it on the ferry to Arran. An Arran ranger met the boat, rushed the seal across the island and put him on the ferry to Ardrossan. Another volunteer brought him to Hessilhead. Campbell was one of the skinniest seals we have seen, but looked quite perky when we took him from the fish box. After a week on medication he learnt to feed himself, and could now be described as plump, verging on fat! It won't be long till he is ready for release, but there we have a problem. The seal virus (PDV) is expected to spread round Scotland. We don't want to release Campbell if there is to be an epidemic. We are waiting to hear if he can be vaccinated. Otherwise he will stay in care till the epidemic is over. That will cost us an awful lot of fish! Grumpy, a smaller seal, rescued from Greenock, needs to put on a lot of weight yet, and still has an ear infection. We also have a grey seal pup. He arrived as a white coat, and spent a fortnight in quarantine in our swan hospital, just in case he had the virus. He was tube fed with multimilk for the first couple of days, but learnt to eat fish remarkably quickly. Now he eats 15 herring for each meal, 3 times a day. We can almost watch him grow!

Peregrine Falcons

The day after the Open Day, I answered an anonymous phone call, reporting a bird that had been left behind a concrete box. The directions were vague. It was raining, and by the time we had driven 50 miles, getting out to check behind everything that remotely resembled a concrete box, I was drenched. We did eventually find the bird, a peregrine chick, in a cardboard box, hidden in a little ruined brick pump house. The chick must have been taken illegally from its nest; then someone panicked and dumped it. A few days later it was fostered in a South Ayrshire eyrie, and fledged successfully. A week after that we had a call about another peregrine. This one had been found lying on moorland, unconscious. It was an adult female, presumably a breeding bird, and appeared to have been poisoned. It recovered quickly, and was returned to its territory. Peregrine No 3 was a confiscated bird, which had to be trained to hunt before being hacked back to the wild.

Barn Owls

Barn owls from Lockerbie and Muirkirk were reared this year. All were orphaned when their barns were demolished. Disturbing nesting birds like this is illegal and unnecessary. Work on the buildings should have been delayed till the young owls were flying. Then they could have gone elsewhere with their parents. An injured female barn owl was lucky to be found in a forest near Glencoe. Returning patients to territories so far away took a lot of time and organization this year.

Red Squirrels

Two red squirrels were rescued after crows raided their drey, then dropped the youngsters. Both suffered nerve and muscle damage, were slow to recover and difficult to rear. Eventually they returned to Arran, where there is a healthy red squirrel population, and not much chance of grey squirrels invading their habitat.

Weasels

It is a few years since we hand reared weasels. The two we reared recently prematurely discharged themselves by squeezing under the floor of their shed. They probably still live there, as the food we leave at night is gone by morning.

Oystercatchers

Although we have reared several species of wader, rearing oystercatchers this year was a first. The chicks came from the roof of a school in Cumbernauld. After one parent was killed, we agreed that the week-old chicks had little chance of surviving with predatory gulls and crows looking for a meal. At first the chicks were kept in a brooder, and learnt to eat mealworms. When it was time for them to move outside, one of our concrete runs had to be covered with turf, so the youngsters could learn to feed naturally. Worms were scattered on the turf several times a day, and the oystercatchers thrived. They shared their living accommodation with a moorhen chick, that had survived despite arriving at the Centre apparently dead! The oystercatchers were released at Hunterston Bay, wearing BTO rings. Hopefully we'll hear more about them one day.

Seabird numbers were up last winter. The usual guillemots, razorbills, shags, gannets and kittiwakes were joined by a black guillemot, found at the bottom of a dry dock, and little auks. We really need a special facility for seabirds, as sharing the swan accommodation is neither convenient nor satisfactory.

In spring, Andy and I visited the South Devon Seabird Trust. Volunteers there have been having good success with oiled birds. Ringing recoveries show their released birds are surviving for years. We hope to build a small new seabird unit at Hessilhead, with accommodation and pools built to the South Devon design. We will use their methods of cleaning too. Help with this new project is welcomed, especially from anyone with experience of installing pumps and filters.

Bird Ringing

We ring as many of our hand reared birds as possible. It is important for us to know if they survive. I was very excited last week, to see two ringed blue tits at the peanut feeders. With rings on their left legs, they are almost certainly Hessilhead reared birds. Blue tits are among the most demanding birds to rear. But it seems well worth the effort when we see them behaving normally with wild reared birds, and surviving well into the winter. A few former patients we know by sight. Harry the heron has been coming for food for 14 years. He went missing for a few weeks in the summer, but has now resumed his daily visits to the Centre.

Cuckoo

An unusual late summer visitor was a cuckoo. It crashed into a window on 30th August, when it should have been flying south for the winter. Fortunately it recovered quickly and was able to continue its migration. As usual, August brought many window casualty sparrowhawks, followed by a patio door merlin.

Quarry Pond

Those of you who have visited Hessilhead will no doubt remember the quarry pond, with its flock of rehabilitated swans. You may have assumed that Hessilhead owned this pond, but we don't, not yet. Now the pond and surrounding ten acres is for sale. The asking price is £15,000. It is essential that we buy this ground, not only because it is vitally important for the swans and ducks treated and released from Hessilhead, but also because it provides a buffer zone between the Rescue Centre and the road. In its own right, the quarry is important for wildlife, with breeding little grebe, barn owls and Daubenton's bats, and visiting goosander, sandpipers, and hen harrier. Several fund raising events have been undertaken, including a sponsored walk up Ben Lomond, which raised over £3000. Donations to the Quarry Appeal can still be made.

New Vet

We are delighted that a new vet will start working at Hessilhead early in December. Sinead has spent 5 years working at a RSPCA wildlife hospital, so her knowledge of wildlife veterinary medicine and rehabilitation is extensive. I am sure she will make a big difference to Hessilhead.

Open Day

…mud, mud everywhere. It rained heavily the whole time, but people came and supported us. It was fantastic. Thank you all. We raised over £4000. Next year's OPEN DAY Sunday 8th June. Put it in your diary.

Training Courses

Several training courses on handling and first aid for wildlife have been held this year, and attended by Hessilhead members, police wildlife liason officers and countryside rangers. Students learn how to handle and examine a casualty, how to transport them safely and comfortable, and how to give first aid and fluids. Beginners gain experience with docile birds like pigeons, the more experienced were handling owls and swans. Phone Hessilhead for details of the next course.