Rehab Rewards

Following on the previous post, some of my memorable rehab moments came to mind. 

                            In 2015 our longest resident Cob, Popeye was very ill and sent  away for 2 weeks veterinary treatment. 

On his return I kept him in the aviary for a day to make sure I could release him safely back to his family, as the river was in spate.

               The reunion was awesome. Listen to the welcome from his family in the short video below, they may be called Mute Swans - but not on that day !

The photos show his return, the fantastic welcome and close bond with his partner Penny, it was magic !

Every day on the riverside I get a reminder from Woody, a Woodpigeon I saved back in 2013, after it was blown out of a  nest during  a Gale. 

Two  Short videos below of Woody being tube fed when a squab, and again enjoying a bit of Spinach shortly before his release. 

That was 7 years ago, but he still flies to see me most days on the riverside - the best rehab reward I could ever have !

10 Years Bird Rehabbing - How I Started

Was really by chance that I got involved in caring for injured birds. My daily visits to the river  feeding Popeye, Penny and their cygnets was therapeutic and joyful. On a few occasions I saw  

Penny and the cygnets entangled in fishing line and found myself catching them to remove the hooks and line. Sometimes the line was barely visible, and only my closeness to them was able to spot it.

The biggest shock came on a Sunday in July 2010, when the family was attacked by a dog on the river bank. Penny had moulted and was frantically trying to protect her cygnets but was bitten on her wings and side. The dog owner eventually pulled the dog off, and the family escaped down to the Harbour. Being so attached to this family of swans I had to do something and contacted Sue Hulbert who has a small sanctuary down in Swindon, but decades of experience on treating injured Swans. She told me it was vital to get antibiotics into Penny ASAP, as dog bites were prone to causing infection.  She also told me the dose to administer - but how? Once again my closeness saved the day, as I could give the antibiotic orally with my habit of feeding her.

Happily after 10 days treatment, she survived and went on to produce over 50 cygnets since that year.

The same year, again by chance, one of the neighbours children pointed to a young herring gull walking the street with a broken trailing wing. She asked me to fix it, I said I would try,
knowing nothing about bird anatomy and was tempted to call the SSPCA. I was told that they would almost certainly put it to sleep as was common practice with broken winged birds. After contacting Sue Hulbert again, she advised me to use a self sealing vet bandage and have a go at setting the wing into position by feeling and manipulating the break. After a couple of pecks, I realised handling a struggling bird is not easy, until you put an elastic band over it's beak and wrap it in a towel ! Another thing I did not realise was the fact that mending a broken bone has to be done before the break callouses over, by then it's too late to reposition them. Luckily I could feel the bones moving apart in two places. 

Wrapped the bird up and freed the broken wing to apply the bandage folding it into what I hoped would be the right position. 

Removing the elastic band and bird from my lap, the result was now in the lap of the gods !  I called it Steven Seagull, and had it for 13 months before successful rehab release. The story of Steven has been viewed on YouTube 20k times    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuxjNuflsTQ&feature=em-comments 
I think that was the moment that really started me looking at injured wild birds in a new way.

Over the years I've had many failures too, the fragility of birds, my inexperience, mistakes and accidents, have all contributed.

The happiness and joy seeing some of my successes fly to my hand or door, and wildfowl that swim close to me is priceless. 

Bonding with another species makes you realise that we humans could do so much better than we do, to protect this special Planet and all the life on it.

My Thanks to Sue in Swindon, and Elizabeth in Denver, for their expertise and help over the years.

RIVER NAIRN SWANS AND WATERFOWL TRUST

The River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust has been established just over 8 years. It has been brought to my attention that some individuals say they know nothing about the Trust, other than me Joe Telfer the founder. It's only right therefore that I enlighten them and everyone else about the Trust.
We are an unincorporated association of voluntary unpaid Trustees, with a current membership around 190.
We have a constitution which is a bit lengthy for here, but I will give you Clause 2 which is the primary basis for our existence.

2. The Purposes / objects: of the Trust shall be the advancement, of welfare health, and protection of the River Nairn Swans, waterfowl, and water birds within the tidal reaches of the River Nairn. This includes their nesting island site, associated riverbanks, environment and habitat, for the good of the community and future generations in perpetuity. The trust shall be non political.
                                  _______________

To all intents and purposes we are a charity, but not allowed to state this in our constitution.

Currently we have 4 Trustees, Joe Telfer as Founder Treasurer, Martin Shand as Chairman, Iona Gibson as Secretary, and Sue Hulbert our Avian Adviser.
We will start with Sue Hulbert.  Sue runs a Swan Sanctuary in Swindon, she has 28 years experience in animal welfare and is an Ex council ranger. Although she runs a small swan sanctuary, she also cares for many different birds and animals on a daily basis, including cats for the cats protection league. I am eternally grateful for the assistance that Sue provides with her wealth of avian experience.

Sue is small in stature but catching Swans even in the most difficult situations is something she takes in her stride. She is often asked for her help by the Council, Police, and the RSPCA to assist in rescues. Sue is also a member of the Swan convention. She visited me a while back and spent a couple of days on the riverside passing a professional eye over our river and birds. Her expertise on avian matters is invaluable. We got a thumbs up for the job we are doing. She is also a keen football fan !

Iona joined the Trust as Secretary after being very much inspired by Joe’s selfless efforts over the last 17 years.

Iona believes that the environment is not a commodity - it is there for every living being to exist in harmony. Even in a small town such as Nairn, it is important for the population to guarantee that nature and an urbanised community blend equally. However, to reach a level of true equality, responsibility accountability, and immeasurably matter. 

As such, Iona has been doing her part to learn about and better support the diverse bird life of Nairn, in order to ensure our synergetic continuation. 

Iona hopes that every individual will take the informed initiative to contribute to a collective of environmentally-conscious action from hereon.

Martin our Chairperson works locally in public service  but visits most of the highlands on business, and is also very concerned about wildlife conservation issues. A very keen DIY man and big Nairn County FC fan , with a sense of humour, comes in handy as our handyman with a trailer !

Joe Telfer  Founder Treasurer, Always been keen on the natural world ever since father brought in Trout during rationing after WW2. I remember when he was president of the local angling club in Lanarkshire during the 1950s being taken on a fishing trip to the Tay at Aberfeldy. I discovered my first Robin's nest in the root of an upturned tree, tiny delicate eggs which he made sure I didn't touch.The World and people were different then, Tuberculosis was common, and the bus load of anglers mainly coal miners donated half their catch to the local sanatorium on the way home.
I worked my way round the world for 3 years during the 1960s, I have been in business, ex hunter and fisher, and have had my epiphany moments. I feel passionate about the Natural world the environment and Scotland's natural beauty. With a lifetime of changes - from the milk being delivered by horse and cart to sitting at this computer doing a blog. Familiarity breeds contempt, and the consumerism of society is a major threat to the entire planet. As the apex species I think it's incumbent on us to protect and conserve other species. I concentrate on what I can do personally to protect what I believe is important.
The Trust deals with the Scottish SPCA on a regular basis, the power companies, BT, Network Rail and any others that impact on the wildlife.
Finally our valuable membership, the people who help sustain the Trust with their compassion and love of the Natural world. We have members locally, throughout Scotland and the UK, and some living abroad who keep in touch through the blog postings. The Trust is grateful for your support and pledge to continue caring for our patch of river environment and it's inhabitants.

Trust Petition - The Facts

To avoid any misinformation and rumour about the Trust Petition now under way, the following letter has been sent to the Inverness Courier who are running an article on the issue. There are some in the Nairn community who are making false claims about the Trust and our aims and motives. Here is the letter :

River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust views and aims on river sanctuary.

We would like to make it clear that these are not the views of one man, but the view of the Trustees and membership of 170.

The Trust would like the local authority our 4 regional councillors who are also trustees of the common good, to designate the river area from the A96 Road bridge down stream to the Bailey bridge a wildlife area.

This would not have to be a legal status. The idea is that the wildlife should have priority in this area, over other human interests like water sports and fishing. All this should be on a voluntary basis, recognising that the wildlife their environment and habitat takes priority.

We see no reason that the River Nairn angling association cannot abide by this voluntary code of practice. It should be simple enough for their members to suspend fishing in this area for the preservation of Salmon stocks and wildlife safety. By their own admission only a few members actually fish this area anyway.

As for the boating fraternity, The Trust finds the use of canoes, Kayaks, and paddle boarding in this area, far too disturbing to the wildlife to become the norm. They basically scare the life out of the birds and drive them away, thus depriving  thousands of locals and holidaymakers the pleasure of viewing them. We have no objection to them as long as they do not pass the end of the Maggot wall coming from the harbour. Beyond that lies the Swans nesting island and both river banks used by the wildlife. In any case the river Nairn is a small shallow spate river, unsuitable for boating. When High water conditions allow, we have no issue with canoes passing through from up river. They have the entire Moray firth and Scottish coastline to amuse themselves.

Finally, having 4 or 5 signs around the designated wildlife area asking people to keep their dogs under close control is all that is required. This would be a reminder to all dog walkers, some of whom are on holiday, that there are ground nesting birds in the area and their dogs should not be allowed to run amok.

There is no question of the Trust seeking to impose any ban on any group. 

We see no reason why this would not work to the benefit of all concerned, and the wildlife would have their rightful place on the river.

After years caring for the river birds, we know how appreciated our water birds are, by tourists and locals alike. This would be great for Nairn, having a designated wildlife area in the town and costing the region nothing.  Most Towns would love such a thing – for the common good.

The Trust monitors and reports pollution incidents, and regularly clears litter as well.

Our 170 members have spent £11000 in the past 4 years caring for the wildlife and their environment.

On behalf of the River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust

Joe Telfer  ( Founder )

                                   __________________________________________________

The fact is, the Trust want to keep the river in this area as free as possible from human interference that would drive away the wildlife, this is to everyone's advantage.

I hope this puts an end to the usual misinformation, rumour and speculation about the Trust Petition. Please sign if you want to keep our wildlife safe.

Cygnet Rescue

Following previous post, a few pics showing the rescue operation on the riverside. 

Joe Telfer Founder of the River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust, assisted by Inspector Anne Shewan of the Scottish SPCA as they examine the injured Cygnet.

After removing a double fly hook from the left side, we attempted to trace the nylon line into the throat. It was obvious there was a hook on the other end, and veterinary surgery would be required.

Penny the Mother was protective and concerned, but Inspector Anne kept her at a distance to avoid her using her wings and injuring her new feather growth. We decided to bag the cygnet and take her to Moray Coast Vets....so far so good !  Photos kindly supplied by Morag Paterson the Trust Secretary. 

Good Samaritans

With the cygnets under constant attack from a particular crow, we almost lost another today, but for Good Samaritans who did not pass by. 

Jimmy and Kay Young witnessed Popeye trying to protect the cygnet after the attack, then chasing the crow as it headed to the swans nest again ! This left the cygnet alone at the neck of the moat and open to attack. Jimmy and Kay stepped in and sheltered the cygnet while they sent for my assistance. I was glad they did because the cygnet had an injury to the head that needed medical attention.

 Jimmy and Kay were kind enough to run me and the cygnet to Moray coast vets where it was given antibiotics, and the gash on the head sealed with surgical glue.

 We then returned to the river where I put the cygnet back to Penny on the nest, 

she readily accepted the cygnet but gave me a hiss all the same ! 
Later this afternoon I got a chance to check the nest since she brought all 7 cygnets into the water, there was one remaining cracked bad egg which I removed. 

This was a necessary procedure so that she would not continue to sit on it, thus depriving the cygnets of much needed attention. There was a clutch of 10 originally, but with only seven alive and one bad egg - this means that the crows must have killed two cygnets.

                       I checked the injured cygnet this afternoon and evening, it seems none the worse for it's ordeal at the hands of the crow, me and the vet ! The cygnet is the one with the dent on the right side of the head . The sequence of Pics tells the story.  My thanks to Moray coast vets and Jimmy and Kay for taking some photos of the drama on display.

Disingenuous Gurn

It's nice to know that not many people are being taken in by the current victimisation perpetrated on me regarding the rats on the riverside. Most people shake their heads in disbelief at the pettiness, and Nairnites are well aware that the river has always had rats. One elderly Nairnite lady said to me a few years back " What a wonderful thing you've done down the river, with the island and all that wildlife now, and you know - they don't deserve it"  I was a bit puzzled by the latter part of the statement, but she seemed to know what she meant. Today I had yet another visit from the police, reported for feeding the birds, this is now getting into the realms of harassment and victimisation and has gone beyond a joke. The woman who reported me feeds her dozen or so gulls by the bridge everyday, and is obsessed by me feeding the swans and ducks. The gossip of some locals seems to have egged her on, going by the slanderous comments she has made about me on the internet. These comments were removed in the nick of time prior to legal action, but the bad feelings that are being aroused in the community by disingenuous gossip and innuendo are worrying. For some years now I have been systematically sniped at by our local gurn from nurn blog media, that claims " it does what it says on the tin", personally I think it does a little more than that. The gurn keeps making references to "Joe Telfer a controversial figure" the gurn has done it's best to create that impression. I'm sure the gurn knows that it is responsible for the content on its pages, it's also responsible for the comments published. I could say much much more about Des scholes aka Graisg aka Gurnmeister but suffice to say he is sailing close to the wind regarding his slant on me. I sent him an email in the past telling him " play politics all you want, but leave me and my dog out of it" So Des, aka Graisg, aka Gurnmeister, never mind what Leveson comes out with tomorrow, be more concerned with what you come out with. I haven't yet reported the rats I've seen at the bottom of water lane, because I don't see them as problem.... yet.