We were graced at the rescue this week, by the presence of a tawny owl. It had flown into the window of a garden center. Fortunately, given their talons, they are rather placid guests.
Did you know that windows are responsible for the death of trillions x trillions of birds worldwide? Cats, cars and windows are the biggest threats to our flying friends. Here in the UK alone, each year, 30 million birds are killed on roads, 55 million are killed by cats and 100 million are killed by flying into windows…shocking stats eh? I have a cat, a car and lots of windows, the only thing I have any control over is how I drive!
The tawny owl made a full recovery, it spent a few days in an aviary and once we were sure all was well, we opened the door and off it went….how marvelous is that?
A not so placid guest, with MUCH bigger talons, still a juvenile thankfully!
Do you remember the sparrow hawk chick that we had? The one that was mauled by herring gulls? Another happy outcome, this beautiful creature is now back where it belongs too.
An update on the three house martin chicks. They were featherless when they arrived, and we hand raised them all. It was so frustrating and heartbreaking to find that one had died while in an aviary preparing for release, but without the rescue they all would have died… the remaining two flew off ages ago and joined the locals for the second migration. I do hope they do well, it’s a long journey to Africa. They’ve had a second chance, we did our best, now it’s up to them!
I’ve also released more birds this week….happily without incident!
Yet another fox has been admitted, suffering from sarcoptic mange, which is caused by mites burrowing into the fur which then irritates the skin, resulting in fur loss. This then affects the fox’s ability to hunt and sleep, eventually weakening the animal and often resulting in death. A truly hideous affliction!
Six days later…..what a difference eh? This guy is one of the lucky ones!
Buddy and Sam
Butter wouldn’t melt eh?
Well….this week Buddy began vomiting and nothing was coming out of the other end, if you get my drift! So, I began to worry that he’d chewed something he shouldn’t and now had a blockage. Then he regurgitated a mass that resembled a huge black slug! He vomited some more the next day, then all was well. Sorry about the details, gross I know!!!
The next morning, he ran out with the other two and immediately pounced on, and chomped through a mouse. I caught him as the tail and back leg of the mouse was dangling from his jaw, about to go down the spout!
Oh my! Have you EVER tried to remove a mouse from the jaws of a Jack Russell???? NOT for the fainthearted. I knew the poor beast had met a swift end, my problem was getting it out of his mouth before he swallowed it!
Hubs was working from home and responded beautifully to my hysterical hollering…..I was holding Bud’s muzzle so he couldn’t let go as he would have instantly swallowed the mouse. It was all very gory, to say the least, but he finally dropped the mouse! It’s always handy to know where the gaps are between dog’s teeth, it’s just a case of getting your thumbs in!
And Finally…..the log burner is in!
The lounge is almost sorted, and on the advice of the installer I’m doing three short burns, this apparently prevents blistering on the casing. Ah…the VERY first flame!
Thanks Peter. Is is an alarming statistic isn’t it?xxx
( Hutts Green Planet)
Great post. Have missed your posts in recent months. Poor mouse. Incredible how many birds are lilled by windows.
Yes, I’ve noticed that more birds fly into windows after they’ve just been cleaned. I’m glad you haven’t lost any birds that way, I wish I could say the same….
Oh, that log burner is marvelous1xxx
The tawny owl is so sweet! I can well believe that windows cause a lot of bird deaths – pigeons seem to be the worst around here and usually just after the windows have been cleaned. I think they see the reflections of the trees better then but it does mean that we are rarely without a bird print or two on the windows! Fortunately, there have been no fatalities so far. Your lounge looks so cosy with your new wood burner – just in time for the colder weather. xx
It is shocking to think how many birds die because of windows isn’t it?I would have thought cats would be the bigger problem too!
I’m always so grateful for the existence of the rescue, the amount of animals saved every year is incredible, long may it continue!
It’s always wonderful to see how creatures respond with a little medication, that little fox certainly looks happier doesn’t it.
Oh yes….Buddy!!! Monstrous when it comes to wee critters!!! It seems all terriers are the same!!!
I must say the stove is already a source of joy, I’m almost hoping for snow!Thanks Janet.xxx
Those statistics are amazing!!! I knew about cats and was not surprised by cars, but the windows…….incredible.
The owl is gorgeous and what a blessing that it came to your Rescue…..also very good news about the other birds.
That poor little fox – it looked so sad and then hope as it receives loving care….good on you.
As for our friend Buddy – what a little bugger:):)
Jack Russell’s are notoriupous for putting their heads and mouths in places they shouldn’t! I can only imagine what a tug of war it must have been removing the mouse:)
I had a wood burning stove in one of my American studios and LOVED it. I loved lighting it, the smell and everything else about it. You will have so much pleasure from it during the cold winter months. Thank you Dina. Xxxxxxx
All your success stories nicely balanced the grim bits of your post. I am so glad that my dogs never pay attention to mice! They only chase squirrels who easily outrun (outsmart?) them.
The other day hubby found a beheaded chipmunk near our back shed. The neighbour’s cat I am sure. Domestic cats kill more than birds it seems!
That fox is so cute! I am glad that he’s doing better.
I’m happy to hear that you don’t have mousers!!! My other two don’t bother them…..terriers eh?
Cats are terrible killers aren’t they, I often find beheaded mice, awful! Hopefully the little fox will be back in the wild soon. Thanks Jennifer.xxx
I have RSPB stickers on my conservatory windows……they have worked pretty well but we still get the occasional bird that stuns inself. I usually put them in a very quiet safe corner of the garden and they generally recover. I do so hate to hear that thud……….
How wonderful to have so many successes……….love all the images of beautiful birds.
Yes I have tried to remove many creatures from a terriers mouth……….well done, it is not for the feint hearted :))
I must get me some stickers, they seem to be working well for you! Oh yes….it’s awful hearing that thump! I must say that I dread fireworks, they terrify our birds.
It’s great to see such beautiful birds back in the wild, it really makes it all worthwhile.
Sorry you have the endless terrier battle too, it’s in their nature for sure!!! Thanks Cheryl.xxx
That Tawny Owl is lovely, great photo.
I do like your fire – it looks so cosy, just right for the cooler evenings.
Hope your week has gone well.
All the best Jan
Thanks Jan, we are certainly enjoying that little stove, it almost makes me yearn for snow!xxx
A lovely shot of the owl – such beautiful creatures. It’s great that you help these guys recover and that so many healthy animals are released back into the wild but sad for those that don’t make it. The fox is in a sorry state I wonder how they get mange? I am sure that eventually he will fully recover under your watchful care and I expect he is very grateful for it.
Eeuw – dogs and mice – our daschund was just the same I think it is the smaller dogs that do it just to show their manhood as it were!
Your wood burning stove is very handsome and a much more efficient way of keeping warm in winter. My husband tends ours like it is his baby.
Hope all your aches and pains have gone now and you are back to full fitness.
Thanks Elaine, yes, if only they could all make it eh? It’s always sad to suddenly lose an animal that we have hand reared , sometimes there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme nor reason to it all!
Foxes catch the mange of each other and from dens, it seems to be really contagious, I do feel for those that never get treatment. I’m sure this little chap will be successfully released soon, our foxman is marvelous with them.
Eeeouh….so you had a mouse eater too? Not fun!
I can understand your hubs tending to the stove, we are already in that mode, there certainly is a skill to it! xxx
Owls are beautiful, I’m glad yours was placid – I hear that is not always the case with other species. I am aware of the problem with birds crashing into windows. In fact, we get far too frequent crashes into the windows of our back porch. There are various products on the market to remedy this. I have meant to do some research and try one of them, so far laziness stands in the way.
I must say it’s rather intimidating to see an owl flying towards you with talons outstretched! I can imagine how some of them can be aggressive! I must sort some sort of preventative measures to sort my windows too! xxx
Back end first…your flaming fire looks very cosy.
Is Buddy permanently with you? He’s going to teach the others some interesting habits.
The fowl and fauna are great success stories and it’s lovely to see a photo or three to demonstrate them.
We often jump up from our seat when thuds and thumps hit out of the blue. Sad to say, sometimes, we do see a still feathered perfect form afterwards……not always though.
XXX
That little stove is certainly earning it’s keep, it’s remarkably toasty and lovely to gaze at. Buddy is with us until daughter’s new house is bought, probably another two or three weeks, it will be very strange without him, hopefully he’ll be a regular visitor.
I always dread that thump on the window too, I remember an occasion in the summer when a bird flew in through an open door and out of an open window on the other side of the room….one of the lucky ones! xxx
My, my. I loved this: “t’s always handy to know where the gaps are between dog’s teeth, it’s just a case of getting your thumbs in!” That sounds as though it could be good advice for life, generally. If we know where to get our thumbs in, we can cope.
The owl is just wonderful. I love them, and never had heard of a tawny owl. It’s so interesting to learn about the different species that you have.
I thought about you today when I pulled up next to a battered truck with a gardening trailer behind it. There were four guys in the truck, all rather tatted up and scraggly-looking. But their tools were in good shape, and on the side of the truck, there was the Royal Crown and the slogan: Keep Calm, and Keep on Gardening. I suppose they were a lawn crew — with a sense of humor.
And I effected my own rescue today! The tides have come up so high on a strong east wind that the volunteer fall asters are in the water alongside the bulkheads. A jellyfish had gotten tangled up in the branches of the asters, and couldn’t free itself. I don’t know how many tentacles a jelly needs to survive, but that one lost three when I cut it loose. It swam off, though, so I chalked it up to a success!
Lol…yes, knowing where to get your thumbs in is, I suppose, good advice for life!
Tawny owls are probably my favourite British owl, that and the little owl.
I loved hearing about the gardeners and how you rescued the jellyfish, it certainly sounds like a successful release to me. How smashing!xxx
There is never a dull moment at your place! One of my dogs has eaten 2 rabbits and pooped one out all over the house. She was pretty miserable but the 2nd one went down much smoother. I’ve seen foxes here with the same mange, Such a sad sight.
Oh good grief!!! Two rabbits???? And here’s me moaning about mice! Eeek, rather you than me clearing that little lot up. It’s a good job we love our dogs isn’t it?
You can buy homeopathic products online that ease the mange for foxes in the wild. It’s left out in their food. Yes, mange is such a dreadful affliction, poor foxes.xxx
You lucky ducky having a log burner with a sort of Stonehenge fire surround….. how cosy and funsome! Bet the dogs will all be stretched out in front of it basking in the heat….
The photo of the owl is amazing! so clear and detailed… wow… Poor little fox… but so good he is recovering.
Love seeing the dogs snuggled up so relaxed… but where was Annie? I hope she joined them and made a nice heap of dogs… or maybe snuggled up with Curly, that would be sweet……!!xxx
You would love the stove, it’s perfect for gazing into and so warm at the same time. You can’t beat real flames can you…Sam and Annie sit either side of me but Buddy loves lazing in front of it.
Owls are amazing aren’t they, such beautiful eyes! Mange is awful, I really feel for the poor foxes that go untreated.
The boys both want that cushion which is always at my feet, there are plenty of other cushions but no, they both want that, and if they both move Annie jumps on it!
Lol….if only Curly would snuggle with the dogs! He demands his own, dog free room!!! Thanks Arose.xxx
Happy to see the beautiful hawk and owl and to hear of all the successful releases. So sad to see the poor fox…how great that you could help it in time! Please know how much your work is valued, how important it is to the world.
Not a lot to say about Buddy’s caper: glad I wasn’t there. 😊
The fireplace and whole room look so cozy! Just in time for cold winds and merry hearts! Love you!
Thanks Kitty, it’s an honour to be able to help our native wildlife and finally seeing them go is the icing on the cake! It’s awful to think how many foxes suffer from mange that don’t receive any treatment…..this little guy is one of the lucky ones…
Lol….I wish I hadn’t been there when Buddy was carrying on…..terriers and mice, an awful combination. Thankfully the birds have avoided his jaws!
The stove is wonderful, perfect for winter, we now sit around it each night with the candles lit, lovely it is! Love you too! I have been thinking of you and hope you both are coping. xxxxx
So good to hear of all the birds that were released. The Tawny owl is fabulous, they are my all time favourites!
You are going to be so cosy with your log burner, it looks wonderful!
The tawny owl is my favourite owl too Pauline. I would certainly recommend getting a log burner, they really are cosy and marvelous to gaze into.xxx
A lovely post and wonderful pictures. I especially like the first one of the tawny owl.
Sad though it is I suppose that if all those deaths didn’t happen we’d be overrun with birds. It’s good to see that fox recovering as mange really is terrible.
That wood burner looks nice and toasty. xx
Thanks Flighty, tawny owls are so beautiful aren’t they?? Yes, I think nature takes many things into consideration re population numbers…..fortunately birds breed profusely.
That little fox is coming on in leaps and bounds, hopefully it can go soon.
I must say the stove is a great investment. xxx
Super post D! Fabulous image of Tawny Owl….that first one.
Yeah…Our feathered friends are under constant threat…..In our little garden…CATS!!😈
Time of year to look out for the vulnerable….indeed!
Have had a fabulous year for sparrows here….
Love our wild birds. Hugs!
Tawny owls sure are beauties! My favourite owl! Oh cats and birds, never the twain should meet…..It’s good to hear you have plenty of sparrows, we don’t have many around here.xxx
I’ m glad your lovely owl was fine. In a previous garden I thought it would be a great idea to have a mirror in the fence, framed by an old oak doorway. It did look lovely, as if there was a mysterious extension to the garden. No birds accidently crashed into it. But… first a male blackbird decided to fight to the death the mirror -enemy and then a pheasant took exception to his image too and battle commenced. I had to take down my lovely mirror before my lovely birds fought their phantom enemies to the death.
I notice Buddy has taken over all the bed and Sam has to lie mostly on the floor. Typical Jack Russell, they are pushy little fellows. My JR, Pip used to catch mice but he never ate them. But then, he was loftily uninterested in any food really, unless he was coaxed by expensive tidbits.
What a fascinating story re your garden mirror! We have a woodpecker that savages a plastic one, birds are terribly territorial….I am smiling at the fact you actually had to take your mirror down!
Yes, Buddy is the boss, that is actually his cushion but for some strange reason Sam has now taken a shine to it along with Annie….it’s not as though there aren’t plenty of other comfy places to sit….dogs in a manger eh?
I’m glad your Pip didn’t swallow the mice, the aftermath doesn’t bear thinking about. Now….when are you getting yourself another dog????xxx
Oh, what a beautiful photo of the owl, just look at those big eyes. As you know, I do love to read about all the successes at the rescue. That poor fox, he must have been in agony, thank goodness he’s now on the mend, they’re such beautiful creatures. Eeek, terriers are so fast, aren’t they. I know my niece has a little terrier cross which she takes with her when she visits her mum’s smallholding where a rat or two is usually caught. The fire is looking fabulous, installed just in time for the cold weather, you’re going to be nice and toasty this winter.
Owls do have astonishingly beautiful eyes don’t they, I’m always surprised how small their skulls are under all those feathers, when you hold their heads, your hands sink through that mound of softness.
I do pity foxes in the wild with mange, it must be absolutely hideous for them,
Oh my yes….terriers are born mousers and ratters, it’s something you can’t train them out of….sighs…
I’m so glad the stove is in, it’s so cosy and warm.xxx
Never a dull moment. The rescue successes are so good to hear. I know these are why you continue to help. It must be a wonderful feeling to be able to do something to help our fellow creatures.
Dogs can be a spot of bother from time to time no matter what breed. They are such good companions tho.
That fire will feel even better than it looks now as winter sets in. I can almost feel the heat.
It is absolutely fantastic to see animals return to the wild, it’s something I’ll never tire of.
Oh yes, dogs are fantastic companions, I couldn’t imagine the house without them.
We’ve had the log burner running for a few nights now, it’s really cosy and warm, I almost want it to snow!xxx
You are so lucky to be able to observe such beautiful creatures at close quarters (maybe not exactly from the jaws of a Jack Russell though) it’s only sad that when you tend to see them there is something wrong with them. That owl is a beauty. Is it at too wit or a to woo? 🙂
The photo of Buddy and Sam is lovely.
It is a shame that we only get to see these beautiful creatures when they are injured or exhausted. I’d much rather see them in the wild! Lol…..I think it’s a toowit towoo!
Sam and Buddy have taken to bickering over that cushion, Sam usually only manages to get his head on it! Dogs eh? It’s not as though there aren’t plenty of places to sit!xxx
Oh, such happy news of successful releases. I’m also heartened to see how the little fox is recovering. Is there anything you can give them to rid them of the mites?
Goodness, I thought for a moment you’d drugged those two calm sweet dogs looking up serenely from their placid positions. I skimmed the gaggy bits and am happy that Buddy has rid himself of …the irritant. In my household, it’s usually a ribbon.
How cozy and tidy your lounge looks!
Our foxes are treated by vets but there are many homeopathic products available for foxes suffering from mange in the wild, most are edible and are placed in food. Many fox charities send these products out for free.
Lol….it’s not often you see any of the dogs calm, but they do snatch the odd nap to keep their strength up!
I don’t blame you skimming the gross bits……thankfully, there have been no further incidences…or….irritants! What a marvelous choice of word!
I have almost finished sorting the lounge, just a few more odds and ends to sort…xxx