Royal fflier: SSPCA rescuers shocked to discover lost bird is one of the Queen's racing pigeons

14:43, 25 FEB 2016

BY KARRIE GILLETT

THE exhausted bird, belonging to Queen Elizabeth II, was rescued at Traprain Terrace in Haddington, East Lothian.

ANIMAL welfare officers who rescued a lost pigeon in East Lothian were surprised to discover it had a royal owner - the Queen.

The Scottish SPCA was called when the exhausted bird was spotted at Traprain Terrace in Haddington on February 2.

Staff traced it back to its owner and the racing pigeon has now been returned to the royal loft at Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

The charity's animal rescue officer Connie O'Neill said: "I've rescued many pigeons during my career with the Scottish SPCA but this was certainly a first for me.

"I was really excited when I found out it was one of the Queen's racing pigeons.

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SSPCA to care for unusual birds blown off course by Storm Frank

09:00, 16 JAN 2016

BY LYNN DUKE

Penguin-like little auks to be cared for in Fishcross by the charity

The Scottish SPCA is caring for 100 little auks caught out by Storm Frank, including some that found their way to the Strath.

The charity, which has a centre at Fishcross, has received a surge in calls from people who have discovered the unusual birds in their gardens or while out walking.

Some of the birds, normally found out at sea, have been discovered way off course in Crieff and Comrie.

The small black and white seabird is the size of a starling and resembles a tiny penguin. It has a stubby black bill and a short neck and tail.

The species breeds in the Arctic and winters in the North Atlantic but is a winter visitor to the waters around the UK in small numbers each year. Some birds enter the North Sea in autumn and large numbers can be seen passing offshore during gales. It is these birds that have been swept too far inland by the stormy weather.

Local resident Caroline Greene found one of the stricken birds in the woods at Dollerie last week.

She said: “He was very weak and thin and all his feathers were completely sodden so we put him in our potting shed to dry off. I didn’t recognise the bird at all and asked a friend and her father what it could be.

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Holyrood gets claws out for wildlife crimes

GREATER powers are to be proposed for an animal welfare charity under Scottish government plans to tackle wildlife crime more effectively.

Following a spate of crimes including bird of prey poisonings and badger killings, ministers will this week publish proposals to give more investigative powers to the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA).

It follows Friday’s publication of a birds of prey poisoning map, as it emerged that the number of reported and confirmed illegal bird of prey poisoning incidents in Scotland rose to six in 2013 from three in 2012.

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Buzzard attack sparks osprey conservation fears

SHOCKING footage of an attack on an osprey chick by a buzzard has emerged - sparking conservation fears.

The chick is one of only two hatched this year on the osprey nest at Lochter Estate, Aberdeenshire, and was almost snatched by the buzzard before falling to the ground.

Luckily, the chick survived with only injuries and is now recovering through SSPCA care.

A chick from the same nest was grabbed by a buzzard before being dropped to its death last year and this latest incident has led to calls for better measures to protect the species.

The estate's owner, Euan Webster, said was shocked at the recording: "“This footage is clear evidence that last year’s buzzard attack was far from being an isolated incident.

“It is a sign that working to conserve one iconic bird of prey while more common species which predate it breed unchecked is just not working.

“There were two healthy chicks until ten days ago when one chick “mysteriously” fell out of the nest - we have no video of its fall.

“Then on Sunday the remaining chick was attacked as can be seen in the video.

“One chick is with the SSPCA with a broken part of its wing while the other has been safely returned to the nest and is doing fine albeit the parent birds are constantly fighting off the pair of buzzards.

“This cannot be passed off as simply nature taking its course as humans have managed all types of bird for hundreds of years, we must now surely have a responsibility to continue this management in a way that is logical.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/scottishnews/5021479/Buzzard-attack-sparks-osprey-conservation-fears.html#ixzz2ZVSF73Xk