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.. 6th May 2021 The number of hedgehogs in the Rollo Centre is rapidly reducing. The healthy hogs that have been over-wintering with us have all come  out of hibernation extremely well and are a very healthy weight. Thanks to all the people who have kindly collected the hogs for release.  We still have two very lazy hogs that are still well asleep. We also have taken in five hedgehogs in the last week for various reasons.  One came in with over 100 large ticks on it. Although we spent an hour  taking off as many as we could get to the animal died later. The inside of its  mouth was very pale and the ticks had bled the poor hog dry. Some are  underweight after their hibernation and just need a little help before they  go back to the wild.  Fledglings are also arriving. We have a blackbird caught by a cat. I have  taken it home as it still needs hand feeding. A Young Jackdaw which had a  wing injury came all the way from Rothbury but it had an old infected  fracture so euthanasia was the only option. We also took in a Buzzard from Etal Woodyard that had a head injury and a  very sore eye. It was flat out and unable to weight bear but this morning it  was looking much better. It is eating well and will be going to the Vet for a  check-up but it seems to be improving.  We had a lovely surprise last week when we took in an injured herring gull  from Cas par Cas fishmongers just round the corner. They offered us some  fish, but when I told them our freezer was on the blink and asked if they  could hold it till we got another one they said that would be OK. An hour later the bell rang and outside was a brand new freezer a gift  from Cas par Cas to replace our fish freezer. People are just so kind. Jane, one of our hedgehog sponsor friends also donated money for another freezer so we can replace another of our old freezers. All our  freezers have been donated, most second hand. They have been essential for keeping in food for any kind of bird or animal that turns  up. They are all getting very old and seem to ice up in just a couple of weeks because the seals are worn. These two new ones will help a lot.  We must also thank Sue and Richard who have both donated us bales of straw. We use so much when the outside hedgehogs wake up  and need clean bedding regularly. We are unable to collect casualties just at the moment and we are very grateful to everyone bringing in wildlife needing help. One young  couple brought in a pigeon squab on the bus from Eyemouth as they had no vehicle. Sadly the bird needed to be put to sleep as it was so badly injured but at least it did not suffer a long painful death.  Pat Goff 29th April 2021 Another month almost gone and I do wish the winds would warm up a bit. At least the frosts are away at night, so the hedgehogs are getting away at last. We still have two stubborn hogs still asleep, but the  others are all awake and fighting fit. There is only one that will need a little  longer with us after waking as he weighed less than 700 grams when he  woke. This week we have managed to get ten collected and returned to  where they were found. Our winter work coming to an end. Another eight  will probably be away this week. I mentioned last week that before I retired, I was a dinner lady at a school. It was my job a couple of weeks ago to  make up the food bowls for the hedgehogs. Jackie took a photo of them  lined up on the table before they were taken out to Hotchi Mews to the  hedgehogs. I still get satisfaction from seeing all the bowls full ready to  serve, although there is still the washing up to do. I have been trying to rear two tiny rabbit kits, still with their eyes closed.  Sadly I lost them both this week, one after the other. I know they are  difficult to rear but it is still very upsetting when they don’t make it. Did I  do something wrong, could I have done something different? I did my best  that’s all I can say.   The little Leveret I have also been rearing, is doing fine. He takes his bottle  still. I have him in a turfed aviary at home and he is still being fed twice a  day. Next week he will be reduced to one feed so that he will eat more of the weeds we collect for him every day. He now weighs well  over 400grams. As soon as he is off the bottle he will go to the David Rollo Centre in a large aviary to forget about his foster mum. As  the aviary is bordered by trees I may be able to get a peep at him but he must have no more contact with me. I will have done my job.  We have had a couple of pigeons in, one town pigeon the other was a racing pigeon. The racing pigeon still cannot fly but as he is three  years old and must have been a good racer, we hope to re-unite him with his owner via a pigeon fancier who helps us. The other bird had no broken bones but was very thin, and bruised, no sign of infection either. Very hungry. He is now able to fly so in a few more days to  get his strength up he can be released. We have settled on Saturday 24th July 2021 for our first Open Day. This will be followed by our A.G.M. which had to be cancelled last  year due to the Covid lock-downs. I know lots of other charities will be trying to raise funds this summer, but please do try to come.  Pat Goff 22nd April 2021 It seems strange at the David Rollo Centre at the moment. There is no activity in the big pond, so it is very quiet. The pond has been  occupied since June last year. Now it has been pressure washed and scrubbed clean, waiting to be filled if it is required. The group of  Cygnets we released has been spotted on the river near the new road bridge so they are, hopefully, enjoying their new found freedom. We have had two pigeons brought in both unable to fly, one with wounds after being attacked by crows. As the aviaries are not needed  for anything else we are ‘Giving them time’ as David Rollo used to tell us.  Just at the moment I am busy at home feeding two tiny rabbit kits. Their  nest was accidentally broken into (it was in a big heap of sand) with a  digger. Mother and two babies died but two kits were still alive. They came in  last Monday evening and need four feeds a day at the moment. They are  very slowly putting on weight, but are very quickly changing from little rat  like creatures with eyes not yet open, to proper bunny shaped, eyes bright  legs working animals. They are very difficult to feed. One laps the milk from  a teaspoon far quicker and easier than the other one. He knocks the spoon  away but is not very good at sucking at the bottle for more than a second or  two. It takes about half an hour to feed both of them. They also nibble on  hay between feeds. I am also looking after a little leveret. At last he is feeding really well 40ml.  down his neck in ten seconds. He is only fed twice a day and is beginning to  nibble on grass and weeds between feeds. He is weighed before and after  feeds and the picture this week shows him as a jugged hare. He is outside in  a grassed aviary at home during the day but comes in to the garage after his  evening feed where he had a little pen and I know he is safe. He is on his  maximum milk feed now so as soon as he is eating more himself the milk will  be cut down. Hares are very difficult to wean. It is when most hand reared hares die, so I am just hoping we can get through this easily.  Once he is weaned I shall bring him down to the centre into the Lomax Aviary when I shall not be able to see him again. He will have to  forget his surrogate mum and become a hare able to stand on his own two long back legs. Our hedgehogs at the Centre are all getting ready to leave. Some are throwing their bowls out of their sheds during the night. Next  weekend should see the start of the exodus. Pat Goff