Happy ending for Arctic bird stranded in Shropshire garden

By Rob Smith | Shrewsbury | News | Published: Dec 7, 2018

This tiny Atlantic bird was found stranded a long way from home, and was cared for at a Shropshire refuge before being freed on the east coast.

It is the first time one of its species, the little auk, has been found in the county for over 30 years.

The little auk, native to the Arctic and the north Atlantic Ocean, was blown off course and found in a Stapleton garden, near Shrewsbury, on Wednesday night.

He was then brought to the Cuan Wildlife Centre near Much Wenlock.

Centre manager Fran Hill said it was a first in her time at the centre.

"When the person who found him first rang in and said they had this little auk, we all looked at each other and thought it was going to be something else," she said.

"But when the box was brought in and opened up we saw what it was and it caused quite a stir.

Worry

"He couldn't have been blown any further inland really. I've heard of them them but have never seen one before.

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"I have spoken with a bird recorder who said the last time one of these little auks has been seen in Shropshire was in 1987."

The little auk was cared for overnight and hydrated through a feeding tube, though Fran said she couldn't sleep for worrying about the bird in its unfamiliar habitat.

"I had to start getting advice from people who had more dealings with these kinds of birds because it is so unusual for us," she said.

"I eventually arrived for work two hours early to check on him.

Big Trouble for Little Birds | National Geographic

"It became very apparent that we needed to get him back to the coast because this environment isn't suitable for him."

Centre staff put out an appeal for a bird chauffeur, and one of Shropshire's bird ringers volunteered to ring the little auk and drive him to Huntstanton in Norfolk.

The driver arrived late on Thursday and released the diminutive bird, who flew into the air before happily settling on the breaking waves and beginning to hunt for his dinner.

Fran said: "The ringer lost sight of him quite quickly because it was dark by then, but hopefully the little auk finds his way home now."

The little auk is a member of the alcid family, which also includes guillemots and puffins.

The little auk is half the size of the Atlantic puffin at 19–21 cm in length, with a 34–38 cm wingspan.

They mainly eat crustaceans, of which a 150g bird needs about 60,000 per day, but they can also eat small invertebrates and fish.

Small numbers of little auks visit the waters around the north of the UK every winter.

Kiviaq is an Inuit dish from Greenland. It is made by stuffing a seal skin with 300 to 500 little auks. Once full and airtight, the skin is sealed with seal fat and the birds are left to ferment for three to 18 months under a pile of rocks.

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Brit zoo uses PLASTIC penguins after disease causes nationwide bird shortage

A ZOO has been forced to use fake plastic penguins in its new state-of-the-art £60,000 enclosure - due to a nationwide shortage.

By Sam Webb / Published 2nd October 2018

London Zoo: Meet the penguin rescued from a broken egg

Telford Exotic Zoo in Shropshire opened their ambitious new penguin exhibit in anticipation of welcoming a batch of Humboldt penguins.

The zoo even sent staff on a penguin keeper course so that they could be prepared for the new arrivals.

But now, after months of preparation, keepers have been told the penguins will not be arriving because of a national outbreak of avian malaria.

Zoo owner Scott Adams, 35, said that he still had no idea when the penguins would be arriving, if ever, and so has been forced to instead stock the pool with six plastic models.

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Buzzard shot eight times found dead near Llanrhaeadr Waterfall

By Sue Austin | Mid Wales | News | Published: Feb 24, 2018

A buzzard has been found shot dead close to a beauty spot.

The bird of prey was found by a walker near Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant on the Shropshire border.

It was X-rayed by a local vet and found to have at least eight pellets in its body.

Police and the RSPB bird charity have warned that birds of prey are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and to kill or injure one is a criminal offence which could result in an unlimited fine or up to six months in jail.

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Feather in Shropshire's cap as DNA tests show Noddy the heron is a rare visitor indeed

By Aimee Jones | Shrewsbury | News | Published: Jan 23, 2018

He's a character loved by those who have come across him in Shropshire – and now DNA testing has proved that Noddy the heron is one special bird.

Wildlife experts have carried out tests on the bird, who unexpectedly chose to make Shrewsbury his home.

Noddy was taken in by Shropshire's Cuan Wildlife Rescue in November after living in Shrewsbury's Dingle for about seven months.

People travelled from all over to see the heron, but a member of the public raised concerns about his health as winter fell and fish stocks plummeted.

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A disgrace! Bird group hits out as poison used to kill rare falcon in Shropshire

PUBLISHED: November 10, 2015 07:59

A peregrine falcon found dead in a quarry on Clee Hill was poisoned, it has been confirmed.

The male bird found in June was poisoned by diazinon, according to toxicology tests.

Two chicks were found dead in the nest and a female falcon went missing from the area after the body of the bird was found.

The news has been branded an “absolute disgrace” by a member of Shropshire Peregrine Group. It comes after three peregrines, which are a protected species, were also found poisoned in the same area in 2010 and 2011.

John Turner, the group’s co-ordinator, said: “This is yet another tragic incident at this site.

“The female parent also disappeared and we are concerned she may have also been poisoned.

“The situation was made even worse as the two chicks in the nest also died with the loss of the parents.”

The group and the RSPB have offered a £1,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of anyone found to have been involved in the poisoning.

Continued …

Rare white peacocks star attraction at Elizabethan hall in Shropshire

PUBLISHED: April 7, 2015 05:56 LAST UPDATED: April 7, 2015 10:02

Plantagenet and York were seen at a new moat aviary, set in the 15th century grass moat at Upton Cressett Hall and Gardens near Bridgnorth.

The rare male birds have their own home, to protect them from falling “fowl” of a nearby fox that has killed several of the aviary’s birds, which also features rare chickens and India Blue Peacocks.

The chickens have all been supplied by the Gobbett Rare Fowl Farm near Burwarton but the white peacocks were sourced from Yorkshire for the property’s owner William Cash, by his wife Lady Laura.

Mr Cash said now the two new additions had settled in they were hoping to start their own white peacock family. “

Continued ...

'It's like something from a Hitchcock film': Elderly couple too scared to leave own home after being terrorised by an angry pheasant

• Ann Hudson, 77, and husband Ben, 79, are only family attacked in Shropshire village
• Daughter Sally-Ann now leaves home with badminton racquet for protection
• The attacks have been going on for four months

Vandalising cars, attacking the elderly and head-butting windows, Phil has become notorious in his home village.

The yob in question? Not a feral teen but a very territorial pheasant.

Residents of Wentnor in Shropshire spoke of their despair yesterday at the bird’s behaviour, with some saying they can’t leave their home for fear of being pecked and chased.

The 2ft tall pheasant, nicknamed Phil, lurks by the home of Sally-Ann Hudson, 44, and her parents Ann, 77, and Ben, 79.

He waits throughout the day and night and swoops when the family dares to emerge.

When they are inside, he head-butts the windows and has even tried to break into the front door. 

The attacks have got so bad Miss Hudson is scared of leaving home without gloves and a badminton racquet to fend him off.

Continued

Volunteers building homes near Telford for rare bird

Volunteers have been out in force to try to provide more homes for the rare Pied Flycatcher bird in woods near Telford.

Wrekin Forest volunteers spent a day at Ercall Wood, on the edge of the Wrekin, helping Shropshire Wildlife Trust put up 30 nest boxes that have been donated  by Shropshire-based company CJ Wildlife.

Pied Flycatchers are amber listed under the UK conservation categories because of steep declines in their population in recent years.

pied flycatcher

They are closely associated with oak woodland such as that found on the Ercall and take readily to nest boxes, so the volunteers have high hopes that the majority of the nest boxes will be occupied this spring.

The nest boxes may also attract Redstarts which, like the Pied Flycatcher, are an amber listed, breeding season visitor, from south of the Sahara.

Matthew Marston, reserves officer for Shropshire Wildlife Trust, co-ordinated the day. He said: “We have carefully numbered and recorded the location of each box to ensure reliable research data can be collected.

“During the breeding season the nest boxes will be inspected by a licensed Shropshire bird ringer to help the trust to monitor the birds’ breeding success.

“We are extremely grateful for the donation  of the boxes from CJ Wildlife and for the assistance of such dedicated volunteers who have helped to move this project forward.”

The nest boxes used are constructed from a material called eco-plate which is produced from recycled car seats.

As well as being environmentally friendly the boxes are harder-wearing than wood and will also offer additional protection from predators such as squirrels and woodpeckers.

There are estimated to be about 35,000 to 40,000 pairs breeding in the UK each year.

http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2013/03/19/volunteers-building-homes-near-telford-for-rare-bird/