Baby Barn Owl Archimedes is back in the wild after 6 weeks of hand rearing
Submitted by Steve on 21:30, 20th Jul, 2016 |
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After 6 weeks of hand rearing and rehabilitation baby Barn Owl Archimedes who was close to death on entry was returned to the wild this weekend.
The young bird was severely thin and very close to loosing his life and was found near to Candie Gardens very early in the morning in early June.
Thankfully with the skills of the team at the GSPCA and an intensive care unit the young bird survived his first week and as he improved we weaned him to eat himself and then placed in an aviary to see how he fed on his own.
This weekend gone as the Shelter is less than a mile from where he was found we opened the soft release hatch in the aviary and he is now back in the wild in Guernsey after being rung in case he is ever spotted.
Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said “When the GSPCA Night Warden Michelle Champion arrived with Archimedes it was 6.30am in the morning back in early June and we really weren't sure he would survive.”
"We had to hand feed him to start and as he learnt to eat and grow stronger we placed him in an outside aviary to prepare him for his release at the GSPCA."
“Barn Owls are one of the most stunning of all species of birds in Guernsey and last year we were lucky enough to hand rear and release a baby barn owl back to the wild and on the weekend we got the chance once again.”
Yvonne Chauvel Senior Animal Care Assistant said “It is wonderful when we are able to help rescue, care for and release such wonderful animals and birds.”
“It’s not easy caring for and hand rearing wild animals but we are blessed with a great team and we all work so hard to help each and everyone that comes into our care.”
“Last year we rescued, hand reared a barn owl we called 'Mervyn' this weekend we opened the soft release hatch to our rehabilitation aviary so that Archimedes could go back to the wild.”
"Before he went we placed a ring on his leg to ID him if he is ever spotted which we do with many of the birds we release at the GSPCA."
"It was both sad and exciting to open the hatch and we all wish him well back in the wild."
Sarah Ozanne GSPCA Animal Care Assistant said "It was amazing to see Archimedes eat on his own for the very first all those weeks ago and to know he is now back in the wild."
"It is never easy hand rearing young wild birds and we have many in our care at the GSPCA."
For advice on what to do if you find injured wildlife please call 01481 257261 or please click here.
Some Barn Owl facts -
Historically, the Barn Owl was Britain’s most common owl species, but today only one farm in about 75 in the UK can boast a barn owl nest.
Barn owls screech, not hoot (that’s tawny owls).
The barn owl can fly almost silently. This enables it to hear the slightest sounds made by its rodent prey hidden in deep vegetation while it’s flying up to three metres overhead.
The barn owl’s heart-shaped face collects sound in the same way as human ears. Its hearing is the most sensitive of any creature tested.
Barn owls are non-territorial. Adults live in overlapping home ranges, each one covering approximately 5,000 hectares. That’s a staggering 12,500 acres or 7,100 football pitches!
It’s not uncommon for Barn Owl chicks in the nest to feed each other. This behaviour is incredibly rare in birds.
In order to live and breed, a pair of barn owls needs to eat around 5,000 prey items a year. These are mainly field voles, wood mice, and common shrews.
Though Barn Owls are capable of producing three broods of five to seven young each year, most breed only once and produce, on average, only two and a half young. 29 per cent of nests produce no young at all.
91 per cent of Barn Owls post-mortemed were found to contain rat poison. Some owls die as a direct result of consuming rodenticides, but most contain sub-lethal doses. The effects of this remain unknown.
In a typical year, around 3,000 juvenile Barn Owls are killed on Britain’s motorways, dual carriageways and other trunk roads. That’s about a third of all the young that fledge.
Everyone can help Barn Owls. Leave a patch of rough grassland to grow wild thus creating habitat for voles, erect a super-safe deep nest box, volunteer and find out more with the local RSPB group, switch to non-toxic rodent control and support charities working to conserve the Barn Owl.
To donate to birds like Archimedes please check out the links and details below.
We really need your help to get Olivia back to warmer waters.
Olivia is now ready to be flown to the Canary islands and we are currently appealing for funds to help towards the costs of her flight.
With just over £5000 raised so far we are well on the way towards being able to afford the costs of her flight.
To transport a loggerhead turtle from one country to another requires Cites documents which is now in place.
When we first rescued Olivia she was extremely weak, starving, dehydrated and close to death.
Just over four months later and she is now swimming and eating on her own which is difficult to achieve in captivity.
The next big step for Olivia is to get her back to a warmer climate and a rescue centre with experience to finish her rehabilitation.
We have arranged a place for Olivia in the Canary Islands and we need to raise the funds and arrange a plane to help transport her back to where she belongs.
Geoff George Ambulance Driver, Marine Medic and main carer for Olivia at the GSPCA said "Olivia is eating extremely well which is is a massive step in her rehabilitation as they are so difficult to feed in captivity."
"She is strong enough to travel and we are appealing for any donations to help fund her transport, container and care to get her to the Canary Islands."
"She is doing very well at the GSPCA and now we have the paperwork in place we are planning how to get her back where she belongs."
Steve Byrne GSPCA Manager said "Each day we move closer to be able to move Olivia to Gran Canaria and we are currently appealing for any final funds to help move her south."
"A huge thank you to everyone that has donated so far which has helped raise well over £5000 and although we have had quotes between £12500 and £35000 we are hoping to be able to transport her for less than this with final plans happening to fly her to a turtle rescue in the Canaries as we speak."
"Olivia was so weak, dehydrated and thin we were really worried for her when she first arrived, but thanks to the team at the GSPCA especially Geoff George, John Knight and the team at the Vetcare Centres, Les Van Blerk and the team at Vets 4 Pets, Spa De La Mare, Waitrose, Guernsey Reef, States Works, Guernsey Aquarium, Guernsey Builders, Le Friquet Garden Centre and many others she has improved each day and is now ready for a long journey."
"Loggerhead turtles are listed as Endangered and facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources."
"In the wild they face many threats with the greatest threat being a loss of nesting habitat due to coastal development, predation of nests and human disturbances such as coastal lighting and housing developments that cause disorientations during the emergence of hatchlings."
"Other major threats include incidental capture in longline fishing, shrimp trawling and pollution. as well as incidental capture in fisheries is thought to have played a significant role in the recent population declines observed for these wonderful creatures."
"World wide the population of loggerhead turtles is estimated to only be between 40,000 and 50,000 nesting females which is less than the population of Guernsey."
"We are now desperately looking to find a plane that could help and donations towards the travel to help with costs of fuel and landing taxes."
"New Era Vets from Jersey have helped start the fund with a donation of £280 which was left after transporting the loggerhead turtle called Terri they rescued earlier this year and we are hugely grateful to them and to others that have donated towards her care."
"We have had many quotes well over £12,500 up to £35,00 to transport Olivia, but with the help of some friends and Petair we are hoping it will be much less to help get this very special lady home."
"Team members led by Kip Power at the GSPCA are building a travel container for Olivia which again comes as an additional cost to meet IATA transport regulations for turtles and will likely cost around £200 if anyone would like to doante to this."
"We will have to use veterinary products and rehydration substances to help Olivia during transit as well as have a number of the team and a vet to help ensure she travels safely as she is the size of a car bonnet at 3 feet wide by 4 feet long."
"We are all very excited that we will soon have everything in palce to transport Olivia south and if anyone would like to donate to help her and the many other animals in our care there are many ways in which you can do this from phone to online.
"Thank you to everyone that has helped so far it is really appreciated."
To make a donation online please click the giving.gg, the paypal button below, call 01481 257261, by post or at the GSPCA.
If you would liek to help in anyway you can contact GSPCA Manager Steve Byrne 01481 257261 or email [email protected]
Common Name: Loggerhead - named for its exceptionally large head.
Scientific Name: Caretta caretta
Description: Head is very large with heavy strong jaws. Carapace is bony without ridges and has large, non-overlapping, rough scutes (scales) present with 5 lateral scute. Carapace is heart shaped. Front flippers are short and thick with 2 claws, while the rear flippers can have 2 or 3 claws. Carapace is a reddish-brown with a yellowish-brown plastron. Hatchlings have a dark-brown carapace with flippers pale brown on margins.
Size/Weight/Age: The Loggerhead measures up to 1.1 meters (3.5 ft) long when fully grown, weighing approximately 135 kilograms (300 lb) and have a lifespan of 47-67 years.
Diet: The Loggerhead Sea Turtle is omnivorous, feeding mainly on bottom dwelling invertebrates: mollusks, crustaceans, horseshoe crabs, clams, mussels, and other marine animals. Its large and powerful jaw serve as an effective tool in dismantling its prey.
Habitat: Prefer to feed in coastal bays and estuaries, as well as in the shallow water along the continental shelves of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Reproduction: Female Loggerheads, between the age of 17 to 33, will usually mate every 2 to 4 years.
Crawl Pattern: 1) Alternating comma-shaped flipper marks 2) Wavy and smoothed track center with no thin, straight, and well-defined tail-drag mark 3) No regular marking from front flippers at the margins of the track
Nesting: Female Loggerheads are known to nest from one to seven times within a nesting season (mean is about 4.1 nests per season) at intervals of approximately 12–17 days. Mean clutch size varies from about 100 to 126 along the southeastern United States coast. Incubation ranges from about 45 to 95 days, depending on incubation temperatures, but averages 55 to 60 days for most clutches.
International Status - Listed as Endangered (facing high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN)
Threats to Survival: Fishing gear is the biggest threat to loggerheads in the open ocean. They often become entangled in longlines or gillnets. According to the 2009 status review of loggerheads by the Fisheries Service, drowning from entanglement in longline and gillnet fishing gear is the turtles’ primary threat in the North Pacific. The second greatest threat is loss of nesting habitat due to coastal development, predation of nests, and human disturbances (such as coastal lighting and housing developments) that discourages nesting and interferes with the hatchlings' ability to navigate to the water's edge
To see some of the businesses that have helped please check out the links below.
To donate to the turtle or Bonnie the grey seal pup please call 01481 257261, pop along to the Animal Shelter in St Andrews, by post or by clicking the link below.
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By post cheques payable to 'GSPCA' - GSPCA, Rue des Truchots, St Andrews, Guernsey, GY6 8UD
Or by phone 01481 257261.
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