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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 !
This has been a good year for the river waterfowl, the Swans have produced their best ever brood and the surviving ducklings to date number 47, the best year ever ! A combination of factors coming together made all the difference.
The biggest of these was the weather, a cold spring looked like it was going to be a repeat of the last couple of years and the ducks delayed nesting, then the summer arrived. Above average temperatures meant plenty of insect life, short warm nights, and lots of algae and weed growth in the river. It also meant the crows were finished feeding their young before all the ducklings showed up on the river.
Record low water level, and probably the best summer we have had since the 70s, and hopefully it's not over yet.
The recent bad was the death of Faith, the mother duck who lost her Bill. Then the fact that my beautiful woodpigeon Woody has probably been killed by a predator.
It is now 3 weeks since he last came back for his favourite sunflower seeds and lettuce. This means the two wood pigeons that I reared successfully are both gone. He was a remarkable bird that crossed the divide between man and bird, and I miss him a lot.
He survived several months in the wild, and I thought he might be lucky and avoid being killed, even though he was never taught survival by a parent bird.
The lovely, are of course the waterfowl and ducklings in particular,
they are endearing creatures and the more I study them the more interesting they become.
The Injured Duckling given to me on the 13th by Hamish Reid, has made steady progress every day, it now has some use of the injured leg.
The antibiotic given by Moray coast vets and the painkiller I have given it daily seems to have done the trick. I expect it will get full use of the leg eventually, as it grows and learns to adapt and manipulate it.
Meanwhile woody the wood pigeon although free, comes back almost everyday at some point for his favourite sunflower seeds.
He is such a lovable character and plays to the camera, to the point where he wants to fly and land on it !!
After nearly 2 months I decided it was time to let Woody the Wood pigeon go, and take its chances in the wild. I let him go yesterday after a good meal of sunflower seeds and lettuce, his favourite foods.
It was a privilege to rear him and experience the joy that comes between man and bird, I will treasure the memory.
Para the spinal injury pigeon decided to come back where the food and board suits him best, he was in the aviary this morning after only one night away.
Looks like I'll have to keep him as a permanent pal.
