Rare birds survive the Beast from the East

Heritage Falconry

When the Beast from the East and Storm Emma recently arrived Falconer Toby Milburn's main priority was ensuring the wellbeing of his birds which include, Eagle Owl Indi, Fudge the Barn owl, Holly and Pip the Harris Hawks and Bob the Buzzard. Whilst the storms and wintry weather have been difficult enough for humans to cope with it has been even more testing a time for working birds as the high wind and chill factor, adding to the already sub-zero temperatures, makes flying time extremely challenging.

Toby who runs Heritage Falconry says "the birds who are worst hit in stormy weather can be our native Barn Owls, this is because their feathers are actually not waterproof and the birds can quickly become waterlogged and cold, making them unable to fly and catch their prey and during prolonged wet and windy weather can in fact starve to death. "The barn owl will store one or two field voles in their nest in case they can't hunt although necessity may force them out into the bad weather in search of food.

Birds of prey in trouble

Toby recommends if you do see a bird of prey in trouble contact Raptor Rescue a registered charity who can give advice. In an emergency you can cover the bird with a towel and place it gently into a cardboard box and place in a quiet dark room then seek professional advice.

To find out more about birds of prey and how to take care of them Heritage Falconry will be running two open days locally where you can meet and hold the birds whilst learning more about them.

Open days

The open days will take place at Overwater Marina, Coole Lane, near Audlem on Saturday 31st March and Sunday 1st April, with one-hour slots costing just £5 per person.

For more information contact Heritage Falconry on 01270 314265 or 07527 449301

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.