Latest News "Swan Notes" News items written by Trust members and volunteers and usually appearing in the “Berwick Advertiser" newspaper each  week. Unfortunately, sister newspaper the “Berwickshire News” are no longer following suit. For those unable to read these items, and  those living outside the Berwick area, here are the last few editions... 17th June 2021 The quiet spell we had between the hedgehogs being released and babies arriving seems long gone. Our one lonely Cygnet, has, thanks  to the R.S.P.C.A. now got a friend. A Cygnet a little larger than the first one was brought up to us from Gateshead. They are very much  together and both are happy to have company. They are going outside during the day but being brought in at night for safety. They are  both eating and like all young things are growing very quickly. In a week or two they will need more water and will probably use one of  the pond pens. As it is has been windy the last couple of days the apple sized grey fluff balls are  falling from roofs. Most seem to survive the drop but some are so badly injured  they don’t survive. If one of these little nestlings lands in the garden please try  to put it up high somewhere so the parents can continue to look after it. If that  is not possible use an umbrella as protection from the angry parents if  necessary, put it in a little box, keep it warm and contact us. We are happy to  take them in but are not able to collect as sometimes we get in half a dozen a  day as well as all the other babies needing attention. We are still looking after an adult Herring Gull that came in with a head trauma.  It was unable to stand but had no obvious injuries. Nothing was broken. The bird took several days to stand although it shuffled to the food bowl and emptied it  every day. It was put in an outside pen as most wild birds are happier outside.  Last week it was standing and walking although it fell frequently. It has been  making a gradual improvement. It has a light spray of water when his pen is  hosed out to keep his feathers in good condition. His pen has a gate keeping him under cover but this morning when we went in he had flown over the gate and  was marching round the small pond. It looks as though he is almost ready for  release. We also have two more ducklings in although one is slightly bigger than the other and we think he may bully the little one so we have  them in separate cages at the moment. They can see and hear one another which is good for them. Our largest duckling will be  introduced to the Cygnets later this week or early next to get them all used to other birds. The family of new born hedgehogs and mum that were brought in after a dog dug up their nest have all survived. Mum still has her  babies. We were afraid she might eat them as this sometimes happens soon after they are born if the nest is disturbed. The babies are  about ten days old now, and still need mum so we will keep them together for a while. Pat Goff 10th June 2021 Our quiet period is now over. Fledglings caught by cats are coming in thick and fast, together with young birds who have managed to  lose their parents. Some baby birds when they come in, will readily take food offered on tweezers, others just clamp their beaks shut,  and would rather die than take food from strangers. It can take hours of work to get them going. I have a little blackbird that has to  come everywhere with me as it needs feeding every half hour or so. Kay took  home a very tiny hatchling and persevered with it for several days but it died.  It was less than an inch long but you have to try. Several other assorted  young birds caught by cats have been injured and sadly died. Here, a note for  gardeners. It is an offence to cut a hedge when you know there is an active  nest in it Please check all hedges and wall plants that you wish to prune  before you start. We have just taken in our first Cygnet of the year. It has come in from Eildon.  It was found trapped in a steel mesh platform that the swans had used as a  base for their nest. There were five Cygnets altogether and had been  managing for about two weeks, going to and from the nest, when this one  managed to get its right leg trapped in the mesh. An R.S.P.C.A. inspector  released the trapped bird, and although it had a sore leg, it swam and was  joined by the rest of the family, but later in the day Fiona found it trapped in  thick mud. Although the parents encouraged it to follow them, it was  eventually left all on its own.  Fiona, who had been keeping an eye on the poor little mite, was worried that  euthanasia would be the only option, called us. She plucked the baby from the mud and brought it to us. Although he is on his own, he  has a mirror friend and he likes to sit with it. He is eating well, and having painkiller for his sore leg. He is walking round his cage so  hopefully his leg will soon be better. We are also hand feeding a very pretty pigeon squab. It came from a trading estate and was reported as a gull chick but when it was  investigated it turned out to be a pigeon. We are hoping it will be at least another week before the gull chicks start coming in. We also have a mother hedgehog and four babies very newly born. They were brought in after the nest was dug up. We used some of the old nest and put her in an outside hut. We have not investigated the nest side of the hut as we do not want to upset the mother. She is  eating all the food we are giving her so hopefully she is looking after her babies. Mother hedgehogs often eat their babies if their nest is  disturbed. Pat Goff 3rd June 2021 Thank goodness for some warmer weather. It is so hard for the nesting birds when it is cold and wet all the time. It is so hard for them  to find food. The young nestlings also have to survive cat and crow attacks. A blackbird chick was brought in after a cat took it home as  a gift for its owner. It had very few feathers but is now coming on nicely but constantly hungry! I am taking him with me everywhere I  go as he needs feeding very often. At home he knows us and if he sees us his head comes up with a wide open beak begging for food.  He does not yet look like the very smart blackbird he will eventually become.  We have now sorted out our freezer problem thanks to Michelle from Alnwick who offered  us one. Jim and Dick went down and picked it up. Also, Ali, who contacted us, as her  friend from Hawick had one and who very kindly delivered it for us. Jane also donated  £150 so we were able to buy another. We also had the new one donated by CasParCas.  They are all smaller than the old ones but easier for us to separate our animal food  supplies. Kay and I were invited to Belford to see Mary Rose who has offered to raise money for our  hedgehogs. She is a very crafty lady and makes super cushions and bags. She has a  lovely studio to show off her wares. She does boot sales and craft fairs and will help us  raise the funds to complete the hedgehog hibernation shed. She was at the sale at ‘Man  with a Van’ premises at Ramparts on Sunday at which she raised nearly £40.00 to add to  the generous donation she gave us when we visited. Jamie kindly donated a lot of cushion inners to Mary Rose which will help her raise more money.  We have now ordered the hedgehog hibernation shed although it will not be delivered until the autumn. Jenna raised money on Facebook in memory of her mother Jayne and  another of our supporters very generously donated the rest of the money to purchase the  shed. We are now raising the money for fixtures, fittings and the cages to complete the shed. It will accommodate at least 24 hibernating  hogs and will be so much nicer, for the hogs as well as the volunteers, who have to check on the animals daily. It will mean no more  lifting of frozen up hut lids, or knocking out icy water bowls in the snow, rain, and sleet during the winter. The cages cost £50.00 each  when treated and water-proofed, Hedgehogs pee a lot when they wake up. We shall be raising funds for these by sponsoring the cages  and each one will be inscribed with the name of the sponsor or in memory of someone else. Come to our Open Day on 24th July and see  the plans for the new shed. Pat Goff