Arrivederci Roma....Hello Orkney !

A few years back I met a couple from Rome who were visiting Scotland on holiday.

Luca and Marina were impressed by Scotland and Orkney in particular, they enjoy photographing the wildlife.

 Our resident Swans they find most impressive, and have just enjoyed 2 days admiring Popeye, Penny and the Cygnets, something they cant see in Rome !  We have kept in touch over the past few years and they keep an eye on the blog too. 

They are bird lovers and have saved many sick and injured birds when living in Rome. Luca and Marina have now decided to migrate to Orkney and I wish them well. 

At considerable cost they have brought two birds with them which they could not part with, an African grey Parrot called Karma and a Monk parakeet called Puck which they saved from death a while back. I had the joy of meeting these birds today and could feel the love and bond between Luca, Marina and Karma and Puck.

 Karma they have had for 13 years,and it does speak both Italian and some English, more than can be said for my Italian !! 

As a matter of interest Luca tells me that Rome is plagued by seagulls - much more than we have here....so stop complaining !  

Avian Heroes

After Faiths horrific loss of her bill, several blog followers and sympathisers came forward with suggestions about a prosthetic bill. Sadly Faiths injury was so bad that she died. However, many good contacts have come from this tragedy, and the beauty of the internet is the instant communication and knowledge about every subject under the Sun. One contact I have in Rome, a wildlife enthusiast called Luca who is currently caring for an injured bird, sent me the following pics and short video of an Italian Vet who fitted a prosthetic lower beak to a Canary. He has given me permission to show it on my blog, my thanks to my friend Luca and Dr Emilio Noviello for the pics and uplifting video. 

The Trust have our own Avian Hero in the form of Sue Hulbert, who frequently gives me advice, material, and information on fixing avian problems. 

Sue is currently caring for 13 cygnets, 2 adult swans, 8 hedgehogs, 6 ducks and numerous small birds !  The last photo is of a duckling with a broken leg that she repaired. These people are my Avian Heroes !