Tutoke Update

You may remember that earlier this year Richard took on the task of rearing one of our barn owl chicks. Tutoke was taken at a week of age, and Richard has done a great job in training her to fly. She is now a regular member of our flying team and will be a new staple in our "Owl and Bird of Prey" photographic days.

New Roe Buck

Today saw the arrival of two new deer from Harper Asprey wildlife rescue. We have been on the look out for a male roe deer for some time now, to pair up with our two does, so when we were asked by Harper Asprey if we could offer this young buck a home... of course we said yes.

While being reared, he has formed a close bond with a fallow deer. Therefore his friend came with him, and they are currently both in our roe deer enclosure. Once older and weaned we will introduce him to our other roe deer, and then decide on whether to leave the fallow with them as well or introduce her to our other tame fallow.

New Little Owl, "Scrappy"

This morning I picked up a new member for our flying team. The hard work has been done on this one for me, she is already a friendly owl which is very happy to be around people and has flown for many displays in the past.

"Scrappy" has come to us from the Warren Hill Raptor Project in Suffolk. She is a two year old little owl and already has become a huge hit with the keepers and other staff at the Centre. I am taking her under my wing for a few days while she settles down to her new life here at the BWC. She will be housed off display with our other flying owls, but will be out and about this weekend to say hello to everyone.

I hope to debut her in the owl display the following weekend, once she has settled to her new routine and the Dell.

Members Evening, and More Kittens?

Thank you to all our members who came to our annual Members Evening last night. It was a huge success with over 100 people turning out to make the evening a great experience for all involved. We have had a lot of nice feedback already, and hope you all enjoyed your extra time here at the BWC.

When I had finished the talk about our Wildcats, and the conservation work we do with them, I was informed by the keepers that Kendra was looking very "big"... Is it possible she could be pregnant again?

Although Scottish Wildcats would only ever have one litter a year, if the kittens are lost at a young age it has been known for the female to come into estrous again quickly for a possible second mating. Maybe this has happened here, and we will have little "Lex" kittens later in the Summer. 

Obviously we are all very excited about this possibility, especially after the tragic loss of her last litter followed by the father recently due to kidney failure.

I will keep you informed on the progress...

Thank again to all our members for your continued support of the British Wildlife Centre. Hope to see you all here again soon.

Members Evening, Reminder and Schedule

Saturday the 9th of July, 2011
5pm - 8pm

We all at the BWC look forward to welcoming once again all our members of "Friends of the British Wildlife Centre" to our annual Members Evening. This year taking place on Saturday the 9th of July, continuing on from our normal closing of 5pm until 8pm later that evening.

As usual, it will be a fun and informal time to get to meet many other members and all the BWC staff, and of course we will have the extra talks and events to make the evening that little bit special.

Summer 2011's Evening Schedule will be:

5.30 - Welcome from Centre owner, David Mills

6.00 - Wildcat Talk with a focus on the conservation work we do

6.30 - Otter Talk with a focus on the research work we do 

7.00 - Pine Marten / Fox / Polecat - Feeds at the relevant enclosures

7.30 - Badger Talk wit a focus on our future plans

8.00 - Evening Close

Look forward to seeing many of you there. If you could just drop us an email or phone call at the main office to let us know you intend to come, then we would be appreciative. Helps us to manage staffing and refreshments.

Fox Cub Update

We have had a lot of evening photography groups of late, and it seems the main stars of the show have always been Flo's fox cubs. They are growing fast, and becoming very playful. Often seen out and about now, and often seen interacting and playing with dad Frodo.

The three orphaned fox cubs we had brought in to us, which Katie has been rearing very successfully, will soon be making there way to a new home. We have decided to keep the male, Shadow, here at the Centre to introduce to Frodo and Flo when he is a little older. The two vixens however look destined to meet up with "Snoop", who we passed on to the Isle of Wight Zoo earlier this year.

This will then leave the 4 fox cubs sired by Flo. We will look at re-homing then at the end of the Summer, when they are just a bit too big for the enclosure and boisterous for the parents.

Don't forget, Members Evening this Saturday! More details to follow later in the week.

Owl Update

Richard has done a great job in rearing Tutoke, the barn owl chick. She is now looking beautiful and will make her flying debut this weekend at the owl displays. You will have to be patient while she builds up her confidence in front of a large crowd, but on her practice session today she was amazing.

In other owl news, the young female little owl that was brought in as a rescue and has been recovering in our display aviary, has now recovered and been re-released. This has allowed us to introduce Robin, our friendly little owl, into the display aviary. He has been a brilliant photographic owl, but not being an imprint will enjoy his life in the new aviary a lot more. I am hoping to acquire a young female to pair up with him later in the year... you never know, we may breed our first ever little owls in 2012.

Look out for Robin this weekend.