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.
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"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...
24th November 2022
All this damp mild weather is stopping our outside hedgehogs from hibernating. Once they reach weight they move to outside hutches to
make a nest and go off for a bit of winter sleep. This year they are all eating up their food every night and getting even fatter. We are
hoping a colder spell will get the off to sleep. Then they can be moved to the Hogwards Shed for the winter. We are waiting to be able to
use the shed it has been a long time in the planning and building stage, we really can’t wait to see it being used.
This week saw two sad cases brought in. One was a Heron all the way from Selkirk. It was a lovely bird, one of a pair well known in the
town. It had a shattered leg and the Vet had to put the bird to sleep. The second bird met the same end after it too had hit a car. This
was a Barn Owl. It had wounds to it’s head and also had lacerations in it’s mouth and soft palate. It’s beak was also damaged. It is
always sad for us when lovely birds like these cannot be saved but at least they don’t suffer a slow painful death.
All the other birds and animals at the Rollo Centre are all doing well, although the volunteers will be pleased when the rain stops!
Saturday saw us at the Guildhall in Berwick for our Christmas Fair which was a
combined fund raising event with Cancer Cars. We had been preparing for it for
several weeks as Jackie and her group of volunteers had to make a grotto for Santa
to hide away in. A small Gazebo was erected and decorated up and around made a
really impressive grotto. There were a couple of rehearsals at the centre before the
day, with the gazebo being put up in the big room. It was certainly worth the effort
and looked great on the day. The children were fascinated. There were one or two
‘first time to see Santa’ worried faces but they all came out beaming with their gifts
from Santa’s bag. Santa had a great Elf, Jo, to assist him. She even had a sit on
Santa’s lap as seen in the picture this week.
It was a very successful fund raising effort. We made well over £1,000. Everyone
seemed to enjoy it. It certainly had a nice Christmas feel about the room. There
were some beautiful crafts on sale and I think all the stalls were happy with the
outcome. It was nice to meet old friends as well as make new ones with other
charities and crafters taking our spare stalls. Our ‘wine or water’ stall was sold out
before noon. The tombola half an our later. We were very pleased about this as it
meant their was less to pack up afterwards. That is the main problem when we are not at the Rollo Centre. It is easier when we have an
Open Day. Our sales tables were a great success especially the Christmas cards. Jim and Shirley’s jams and chutneys were also well
received.
We got lots more of our hedgehogs sponsored and sold a good few raffle tickets. We were serving teas and coffees at a steady rate. It is
a time like this when we really appreciate our staff and volunteers who devote so much time and effort. I feel that this year they must be
thanked even more. We have all the upset of not being able to do our work because of bird flu and they still think they should support
us. Thank you all.
Pat Goff
17th November 2022
The last couple of weeks can be called ‘Time of the lost Cygnets’. Nearly every day we have been having reports of Cygnets in very
dangerous places or just stuck in the middle of nowhere completely on their own. One we heard about was on Burnmouth road. The rest
of the family nowhere in sight. It had just become separated somehow from the rest of the family. Jackie and Jim searched the usual
sites round about for the group but no luck. Due to the problems with bird flu and this bird was certainly healthy and fit with no obvious
injuries it was taken to the Tweed and released there. The River Tweed will shortly be home to a lot of rejected youngsters from last year
as their parents prepare to nest again. These young birds have been brought up by their parents and are quite able to manage on their
own.
Another young Swan was holding up traffic on the Tweed bridge on the bypass.
Again it had no injuries so it was guided down to the river to safety. On Saturday
Barbara had several calls about a young swan (again one of last years brood) sitting
on a junction just off the A1. Callers said the bird could not stand but when Barbara
and Dick approached it stood, hissed and walked. Dick grabbed hold of the bird and
it was checked out for injuries and found to be fit. Its wings were working well. The
bird was found directly under cables but there was no sign of singing or damage
from cables. Since we are aware of bird flu cases at Haggerston and this bird was
found only a mile and a half from there, it was decided that the bird would be
better released on the Tweed. Barbara took the bird and it was happy to be back on
water. In normal times we would probably taken the bird in just to be on the safe
side but healthy looking birds can suddenly die within a few hours so we do not
want to take any risks with the birds we have at the Centre. We know there are
problems at Coldstream amongst the swans on the river there. We had phone calls
on Sunday that at least two were dead and another two sick. The person that
phoned did not understand that we cannot treat sick birds. Then he said ‘This is just
like foot and mouth but in birds’. This is so true. We hate seeing birds die in pain and distress when we spend so much of our time trying
to help them. Please report any dead birds to DEFRA who should arrange to remove the bodies. We are just doing what we can without
bringing infection on to our premises.
On to a happier theme now, our Christmas Fair at the Guildhall on Saturday 19th November 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is a joint project with
Cancer Cars. There will be lots of different stalls to spend your money on as well as the usual ‘Wine or Water’ and Tombola. Santa has
agreed to visit with presents for the children. Come and see one of our little hedgehogs ready for a sponsor or choose one from our file.
We shall have on sale our new Christmas cards for this year from paintings done by Judith Hettrick, who has done us proud. They feature
sheep as well as Errol Owl and some of our hedgehogs. The picture shows the hedgehog card. They are really different and our grateful
thanks go to Judith. There will be refreshments available including mulled wine for inner warmth, sausage rolls and mince pies for that
Christmas feeling.
Pat Goff
10th November 2022
Little underweight hedgehogs are still coming in. The cold snap of the last couple of days will be sending the well fed hogs looking for
nests for hibernation. If you see an underweight hog about do please bring it in. Any hog under 700 grams will be unlikely to survive
hibernation. These creatures need all the help we can give them. Our sponsorship scheme is well under way so if you would like to help
by sponsoring an over wintering hedgehog please give us a call or see us at our Christmas Fair which is a joint enterprise with Cancer
Cars on Saturday 19th November at the Guildhall in Berwick 10a.m. till 2p.m.
We took in a Cygnet from the Alnwick area on Sunday. It was brought in by Lynne,
she had kept it overnight in her shed as she thought it had an injured leg. The bird
was struggling to walk in her garden. She said it was very hungry. We had asked a
lot of questions about the bird before we allowed it into the premises as we do have
to be so careful about Avian Influenza. The young swan was very light weighing
only 4.5 kilos but was bright eyed and quite happy to use his beak to give us a nip
as we examined him. He was extremely thin, we could see the shape of all his neck
vertebrae through his feathers. We could find no injury to his legs but he could not
stand for long. Still a little worried just what had happened to him and why he
should be in such a weak state we put him in an isolation pen with a bucket of food.
We gave him a vet bed to soften the cattle mat as he was so thin. As soon as we
were out of the way he was into the food. We have no idea why he was in such a
state, only time will tell if he will recover.
We would like now to apologise to all the people who are calling about sick birds.
We are so sorry we are unable to help in cases of Avian Influenza. We know the
birds die in awful distress but there is nothing we can do. We are worried in case
we take in a sick bird that we have to report as having the disease as this would mean all the birds on our premises would have to be
destroyed and we would have to go through a process of deep cleaning and closure for a while. We cannot take risks with the birds
already in our care. There are several areas in Northumberland where the disease has been seen in wild birds. Please report any findings
to DEFRA. Where birds are in large groups on lakes there are bound to be sick birds. Please do not touch any sick or dead water birds
and keep dogs away. This is an awful time for all wildlife rescue centres and we all feel equally helpless about the situation.
On a more positive note our two owls one Tawny and one Barn are both doing very well. Both are flying and eating. The Tawny is losing
weight and looking much healthier. The Barn is almost ready for more wing action in a larger aviary.
Don’t forget to visit us at the Town Hall on 19th November. One of our hedgehogs will be joining us. We have had some lovely craft items
donation and Michael at Shiel and Morrison has got our Christmas Raffle tickets and our lovely new Christmas cards designed by Judith
Hettrick specially for us printed and ready for sale. They are really great.
Pat Goff
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...
24th November 2022
All this damp mild weather is stopping our outside hedgehogs from hibernating. Once they reach weight they move to outside hutches to
make a nest and go off for a bit of winter sleep. This year they are all eating up their food every night and getting even fatter. We are
hoping a colder spell will get the off to sleep. Then they can be moved to the Hogwards Shed for the winter. We are waiting to be able to
use the shed it has been a long time in the planning and building stage, we really can’t wait to see it being used.
This week saw two sad cases brought in. One was a Heron all the way from Selkirk. It was a lovely bird, one of a pair well known in the
town. It had a shattered leg and the Vet had to put the bird to sleep. The second bird met the same end after it too had hit a car. This
was a Barn Owl. It had wounds to it’s head and also had lacerations in it’s mouth and soft palate. It’s beak was also damaged. It is
always sad for us when lovely birds like these cannot be saved but at least they don’t suffer a slow painful death.
All the other birds and animals at the Rollo Centre are all doing well, although the volunteers will be pleased when the rain stops!
Saturday saw us at the Guildhall in Berwick for our Christmas Fair which was a
combined fund raising event with Cancer Cars. We had been preparing for it for
several weeks as Jackie and her group of volunteers had to make a grotto for Santa
to hide away in. A small Gazebo was erected and decorated up and around made a
really impressive grotto. There were a couple of rehearsals at the centre before the
day, with the gazebo being put up in the big room. It was certainly worth the effort
and looked great on the day. The children were fascinated. There were one or two
‘first time to see Santa’ worried faces but they all came out beaming with their gifts
from Santa’s bag. Santa had a great Elf, Jo, to assist him. She even had a sit on
Santa’s lap as seen in the picture this week.
It was a very successful fund raising effort. We made well over £1,000. Everyone
seemed to enjoy it. It certainly had a nice Christmas feel about the room. There
were some beautiful crafts on sale and I think all the stalls were happy with the
outcome. It was nice to meet old friends as well as make new ones with other
charities and crafters taking our spare stalls. Our ‘wine or water’ stall was sold out
before noon. The tombola half an our later. We were very pleased about this as it
meant their was less to pack up afterwards. That is the main problem when we are not at the Rollo Centre. It is easier when we have an
Open Day. Our sales tables were a great success especially the Christmas cards. Jim and Shirley’s jams and chutneys were also well
received.
We got lots more of our hedgehogs sponsored and sold a good few raffle tickets. We were serving teas and coffees at a steady rate. It is
a time like this when we really appreciate our staff and volunteers who devote so much time and effort. I feel that this year they must be
thanked even more. We have all the upset of not being able to do our work because of bird flu and they still think they should support
us. Thank you all.
Pat Goff
17th November 2022
The last couple of weeks can be called ‘Time of the lost Cygnets’. Nearly every day we have been having reports of Cygnets in very
dangerous places or just stuck in the middle of nowhere completely on their own. One we heard about was on Burnmouth road. The rest
of the family nowhere in sight. It had just become separated somehow from the rest of the family. Jackie and Jim searched the usual
sites round about for the group but no luck. Due to the problems with bird flu and this bird was certainly healthy and fit with no obvious
injuries it was taken to the Tweed and released there. The River Tweed will shortly be home to a lot of rejected youngsters from last year
as their parents prepare to nest again. These young birds have been brought up by their parents and are quite able to manage on their
own.
Another young Swan was holding up traffic on the Tweed bridge on the bypass.
Again it had no injuries so it was guided down to the river to safety. On Saturday
Barbara had several calls about a young swan (again one of last years brood) sitting
on a junction just off the A1. Callers said the bird could not stand but when Barbara
and Dick approached it stood, hissed and walked. Dick grabbed hold of the bird and
it was checked out for injuries and found to be fit. Its wings were working well. The
bird was found directly under cables but there was no sign of singing or damage
from cables. Since we are aware of bird flu cases at Haggerston and this bird was
found only a mile and a half from there, it was decided that the bird would be
better released on the Tweed. Barbara took the bird and it was happy to be back on
water. In normal times we would probably taken the bird in just to be on the safe
side but healthy looking birds can suddenly die within a few hours so we do not
want to take any risks with the birds we have at the Centre. We know there are
problems at Coldstream amongst the swans on the river there. We had phone calls
on Sunday that at least two were dead and another two sick. The person that
phoned did not understand that we cannot treat sick birds. Then he said ‘This is just
like foot and mouth but in birds’. This is so true. We hate seeing birds die in pain and distress when we spend so much of our time trying
to help them. Please report any dead birds to DEFRA who should arrange to remove the bodies. We are just doing what we can without
bringing infection on to our premises.
On to a happier theme now, our Christmas Fair at the Guildhall on Saturday 19th November 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is a joint project with
Cancer Cars. There will be lots of different stalls to spend your money on as well as the usual ‘Wine or Water’ and Tombola. Santa has
agreed to visit with presents for the children. Come and see one of our little hedgehogs ready for a sponsor or choose one from our file.
We shall have on sale our new Christmas cards for this year from paintings done by Judith Hettrick, who has done us proud. They feature
sheep as well as Errol Owl and some of our hedgehogs. The picture shows the hedgehog card. They are really different and our grateful
thanks go to Judith. There will be refreshments available including mulled wine for inner warmth, sausage rolls and mince pies for that
Christmas feeling.
Pat Goff
10th November 2022
Little underweight hedgehogs are still coming in. The cold snap of the last couple of days will be sending the well fed hogs looking for
nests for hibernation. If you see an underweight hog about do please bring it in. Any hog under 700 grams will be unlikely to survive
hibernation. These creatures need all the help we can give them. Our sponsorship scheme is well under way so if you would like to help
by sponsoring an over wintering hedgehog please give us a call or see us at our Christmas Fair which is a joint enterprise with Cancer
Cars on Saturday 19th November at the Guildhall in Berwick 10a.m. till 2p.m.
We took in a Cygnet from the Alnwick area on Sunday. It was brought in by Lynne,
she had kept it overnight in her shed as she thought it had an injured leg. The bird
was struggling to walk in her garden. She said it was very hungry. We had asked a
lot of questions about the bird before we allowed it into the premises as we do have
to be so careful about Avian Influenza. The young swan was very light weighing
only 4.5 kilos but was bright eyed and quite happy to use his beak to give us a nip
as we examined him. He was extremely thin, we could see the shape of all his neck
vertebrae through his feathers. We could find no injury to his legs but he could not
stand for long. Still a little worried just what had happened to him and why he
should be in such a weak state we put him in an isolation pen with a bucket of food.
We gave him a vet bed to soften the cattle mat as he was so thin. As soon as we
were out of the way he was into the food. We have no idea why he was in such a
state, only time will tell if he will recover.
We would like now to apologise to all the people who are calling about sick birds.
We are so sorry we are unable to help in cases of Avian Influenza. We know the
birds die in awful distress but there is nothing we can do. We are worried in case
we take in a sick bird that we have to report as having the disease as this would mean all the birds on our premises would have to be
destroyed and we would have to go through a process of deep cleaning and closure for a while. We cannot take risks with the birds
already in our care. There are several areas in Northumberland where the disease has been seen in wild birds. Please report any findings
to DEFRA. Where birds are in large groups on lakes there are bound to be sick birds. Please do not touch any sick or dead water birds
and keep dogs away. This is an awful time for all wildlife rescue centres and we all feel equally helpless about the situation.
On a more positive note our two owls one Tawny and one Barn are both doing very well. Both are flying and eating. The Tawny is losing
weight and looking much healthier. The Barn is almost ready for more wing action in a larger aviary.
Don’t forget to visit us at the Town Hall on 19th November. One of our hedgehogs will be joining us. We have had some lovely craft items
donation and Michael at Shiel and Morrison has got our Christmas Raffle tickets and our lovely new Christmas cards designed by Judith
Hettrick specially for us printed and ready for sale. They are really great.
Pat Goff