Latest News Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) Sadly bird flu is now moving on from sea birds, to other species of birds, including geese, ducks and swans, and the Trust is receiving many calls from the public spotting sick birds. There is no treatment available and sick birds will often die within a day of showing symptoms. We cannot rescue or accept sick birds at the Centre as this would compromise those birds already in our care and could lead to the Centre being forced to shut down. Our advice, painful as it is to give, is to leave the bird and let nature take its course. Do not touch a dead bird or let a dog near it. The local Council is responsible for collecting them in a controlled manner. In some cases you may report findings to DEFRA on 03459 335577 or visit their web site for detailed advice here. *************************** "Swan Notes" News items written by Trust members and volunteers and usually appearing in the “Berwick Advertiser" newspaper each week. For those unable to read these items, and those living outside the Berwick area, here are the last few editions... 27th November 2025 This year, as well as the many owls, we have had a significant number of pigeons into the Rollo Centre: wood pigeons, feral pigeons and doves.  They have come in steadily throughout the year with a range of ages from abandoned youngsters needing hand feeding, to adults just needing time to grow new feathers and put on weight.  Pigeons can be quite divisive, a bit like gulls and Marmite – some people love them and others not so much, particularly when they gather in large numbers in city squares which they do right across the world.  Hopefully, after reading the jottings this week, there will be a few more that appreciate them. Pigeons are intelligent birds and in studies were discovered to be able to recognise themselves in a mirror which very few species can do, and they can recognise people by their facial features - which perhaps explains why they seem to bond with certain members of staff at the Rollo Centre, although this may also be related to who provides the food!  Academic research has proved they can also recognise the difference between a Monet painting and a Picasso, and more impressive still, in America, some were also trained to learn biopsy slides and identify cancerous tumours with high accuracy. Pigeons have an incredible sense of direction called “homing” and they can find their way back to their nests from thousands of miles away travelling very swiftly at 50-90 mph.  Nobody knows exactly how they do this; some think they have an inbuilt type of compass that relates to the angle of the sun, others think they may use the earth’s magnetic field and others suggest maybe infrasound where they listen to the noises of the earth that humans aren’t able to hear.  This mysterious skill led to them being used as deliverers of mail as far back as the Egyptians 10,000 years ago.  The Egyptians gradually trained them by taking them further distances from home and watching them return to base.  Pigeons were used more recently as vital messengers during the two world wars that saved many lives; 32 of them were recognised with the Dickin medal, an award often called the animals’ Victoria Cross for devotion to duty.  Only 75 medals been given out in total. Pigeons mate for life and are inseparable, often seen being “lovey-dovey” on rooftops.  The male tries hard when trying to attract a mate, strutting and marching about.  Once they have got to know each other they will mate and build a nest.  Both the male and female incubate the eggs with the young taking up to two months to leave the nest, waiting until they appear pretty much full grown.  Wood pigeons are the largest pigeon in the UK and they have spread from being woodland birds to being found in fields, parks and gardens.  The nests they build are flimsy twig nests, usually in trees but also on ledges or the ground.  After the storm earlier this autumn, a number of young came in as their nests had fallen down.  There are still two youngsters at the Rollo Centre, they are currently being rewilded with staff are under strict instructions not to interact with them to break any bonds to humans.  So, to sum up, pigeons are gentle, skilled, intelligent and loyal.  Doves, particularly white ones, are the recognised symbol of peace and love.  They are all vegans and unlikely to contribute to global warming.  What’s not to like? Look forward to seeing you in the Guildhall on Saturday at the Marie Curie Fair. Gill Powell 20th November 2025 We had a very unusual visitor this week when a Woodcock was brought in. It had an injury to its right eye, It was taken up to the Vet to check on the best treatment.  Ointment applied to the eye several times a day was the result. These birds do not do well in captivity. It can be difficult providing the right environment for them and obtaining the sort of food they eat. Giant mealworms fitted the bill together with normal sized ones put in leaf litter. We were happy to release it as soon as the eye looked better. After a day or two he was very lively and tricky to catch get the ointment in his eye. After four days of treatment he was looking fit so he was released. Our two young Barn Owls have been released back to the box where we think they were hatched. They are going to be supplementary fed for a week or so to help them on their way. We have one other Barn Owl with us. He has been waiting for new feathers to grow after he lost quite a lot in an accident. They are beginning to come in now, and he can fly. We are moving him up to the Big Flight now that the babies have been released. He will need a few weeks to build up his strength but he is an adult bird so knows his way around in the wild. We have also released two pigeons that came in as nestlings, and another one that had an injured wing and has been building up strength again for quite a few weeks. We still have two youngsters nearly ready to go and another two with missing feathers that will be here a while waiting for new plumage. Last week we had thirty hedgehogs this week we have thirty four. Gill worked hard at our Christmas Fair on Saturday and found sponsors for thirteen of them. More are looking for sponsors so just ring the Rollo Centre on 01289 302882 and check the details. Hedgehogs are coming in all the time, if you see one out during the day it probably needs help so please bring it in to us. Many at this time will be too small to hibernate and will die if not offered a helping hand. We have also had another Cygnet brought in. It is not in very good condition and cannot stand at the moment. We will have to see what a few days rest will do to help it. Gill will keep you up to date with the comings and goings at the Centre as I shall be off for a few weeks. Our Christmas Fair which was held at the Berwick Baptist Church went very well. Everyone heading for the tombola stall first, then to the wine or water. The raffle also sold lots of tickets and I was lucky enough to win one of the prizes which I never normally do. We had some lovely crafts available too. Super bobble hats with hedgehogs on the front, sold quite well I think. We had home made soup, filled rolls and mince pies and there was lots of chatter and laughter around the coffee table so everyone seemed to have a good time. I must thank Jackie and the volunteer team who worked so hard to organise it all. Jackie is preparing for another event at the Guildhall on Saturday 29th November when she and Mandy are having a table at the Marie Curie Fair. Do go along and see what we have on the stall. Pat Goff 13th November 2025 By the time this article is in the press, the two barn owl youngsters should have been released after waiting for bonfire night to be over and for some calm weather.  They are siblings that were found on the floor of a barn, very underweight and with no sign of the parents.  The pair have been with us since only the 1st of October, and we have been really pleased with their progress.  The sooner birds within our care can be released back into the natural environment the better.  They are good eaters, having a regular daily evening meal of two mice and two chicks, and rarely left any of it.  They were a nice addition to the Rollo Centre for the volunteers, as they liked to sit close together on the high perch and fly back and forth down the long flight aviary whilst they were being cleaned.  This is unusual for barn owls as they usually hide in their box and looking after them has no visual rewards!  They are going back to the barn where they were found. The two Muscovy ducks that we are looking after in the small pond area are doing well.  They came to us as ducklings in mid September, quite late in the year for ducklings.  You may remember that they both had one bad leg on opposite sides – one the left and one the right - and we were not sure whether these issues were permanent and had maybe led to them being abandoned by their parents.  It is great news that they seem to have grown out of their problems in the safety of the Centre.  They are now large ducks, dark brown/black in colour, and are walking well.  We are just waiting for them to gain their flight feathers then they can be released, hopefully in another couple of weeks.  Muscovy ducks are shelducks native to Central and South America where they were reportedly one of the first duck breeds to be domesticated, it wasn’t until the twentieth century that they were brought over to the UK.  Any that are wild here have escaped from domesticity and are known as feral, they are quite common across the UK though there are not so many in the North East.  There are about thirty hedgehogs being cared for now and some have been sleeping off and on, though they have not yet gone into full hibernation.  Jackie has asked me to appeal for any unwanted hand towels (not bath towels) as the hedgehogs in the backrooms need one every day and with the spines and amount of washing, there is a lot of wear and tear, so they don’t last very long. The photo this week shows a lovely, crocheted blanket that is one of many items of craft work made for our Christmas Fair.  The blanket is lovely and would make a great Christmas gift for a child’s bedroom or anybody really!  It will be offered as the prize in a silent auction which will be held across our Christmas fundraising events.  The first of these is our Christmas Fair which is to be held this coming Saturday, 15th November from 10:30am to 2pm.  There will be seasonal refreshments and plenty of stalls, as well as the opportunity to sponsor a hedgehog for a thoughtful Christmas present.  Please do come along to support us and start your Christmas shopping.  Thank you to everyone who has brought in items for sale, or for the raffle and the tombola, it’s greatly appreciated. Gill Powell