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End of March
My gosh it feels like its been so long since i last wrote. I have to boost that Feathers and Fur is going from strength to strength. We are fantastically busy at the moment with the Groupon offer that we did and birthday parties. We are also just about to come into show season and have been asked to attend many fairs, from small school fairs to larger village shows. I’ll post some of them in our next blog.
Our biggest news is the introduction of a new Peregrine Falcon, Ilex. A very handsome young man from 
North Yorkshire. Ilex is 6 years old and has been used for both display and breeding over the past few years. The sad side of this news is that Ilex is replacing Fagus who has vanished in search of a female. It has been three weeks now and although we tracked him for a few days with his telemetry he appeared to be hunting (since he was not interested in the Lure) and then finally his battery died and although we have seen him he is not interested in returning. It is a very sad moment but one of the risks of flying birds of prey with the ultimate freedom.
Spring is Nearly Here
Well February proved to be a busy time for us with the Groupon Deal that ran so successfully and our new Falconry Courses that we now offer it has been non-stop. The birds have also been busy; Tilia is slowly becoming a calmer character and is flying beautifully out in the fields. Lilly had her first introduction to rabbits working alongside Teddy the ferret this week and Willow made it not once but twice into the Maidenhead and Twyford Advertiser! (Lady and George also had their print premier)
Just to give you an idea of projects and new items to come firstly we are offering a wonderful experience for mums this mother’s day with a owl session. We are also expanding the Birthday offers with party bags full of falconry goodies. March will also see some wonderful Feathers and Fur goodies in the garden centre including money boxes and soft toy falcons complete with falconry hood! During March and April all the aviaries and weathering’s need painting white and treating with wood preserve and our garden and pots will be coming into bloom very soon. Wow spring is looking to be very busy.
Groupon Vouchers Welcome
Well I would like to say a big hello to all those that have found out about our business through the power of Groupon. We had such a phenomenal response with well over 800 vouchers sold. Fear not I will work my little socks off to make sure each and everyone has a great Flying experience. For all those not in the know Groupon is a website that offers money off sessions or products etc. Well we offered a taster falconry session and it proved popular.
So a quick note, please if you haven’t called yet to make your Groupon booking, don’t. Please go via the Groupon page on this website and email me the details required. I will reply ASAP. Just in case you haven’t read the rest of the website Feathers and Fur also offers Birthday Parties, private falconry sessions, photography sessions, falconry courses, corporate talks and school and educational group sessions. Just to name a few things. Look forward to meeting you all soon.
DIY Queen
So suddenly a month has gone by and I have absolutely no idea where it has gone but we at Feathers and Fur have achieved big things! The first is the complete change around of the site to now include a massive pair of open front weatherings in which Tilia the Buzzard and eventually Poplar the Red Kite will sit. It meant the move of George but I think he is happy with his new location, however I have noticed a dramatic reduction in the exclamation “Look at the size of that rabbit” which was the first thing anyone said as they entered the yard!!
I have included some pictures of the build and yes I did actually get to use a circular saw, a jig saw and a band sander……..DYI queen!
Secondly I am glad to say that Tilia has finally come out of moult and I think you’ll agree she looks beautiful. She is still very nervous but is already flying to the fist. The months at moult did nothing to dampen her passion for ‘Worm Hunting’ and her skills are being finely tuned on a daily basis – it still amazes me that she finds them so well!
Finally I am very pleased to tell you that we are going to introduce a new Falconry Course. We will be offering a morning session that will allow people a introduction to falconry, looking at topics such as weighing the birds, tying the falconry knot and the all important question “how do you get it to come back!!”” Look out on the web site for more details in the coming days.
Just time to say a few thank you’s to everyone that has helped over the past month, from the massive loss of all my data on the computer to Nigel and Lu for their amazing skills at building and carpentry. THANKYOU everyone
New Week
So as another week begins, I am found with another Bird in the house! This time a Red Kite, bought in by a gentleman who found it being attacked by crows in a field. To be honest I didn’t hold out much hope, the bird had almost shut down with very little response. I left it quiet and in the warmth for a few hours and then attempted to give it some liquid. This did not stay down in the crop and with some massage I managed to bring everything out of the crop. It was pretty foul smelling and very slimy so I have begun to think that he has either been poisoned or has simply eaten something he shouldn’t have. With the number of people feeding Red Kites in this area it is easy to imagine someone has fed something iffy. (I met someone last year that was happily feeding them sausages!! 2% meat 98% something bad!)
So, Kite made it through the night and this morning I tried again with watered down food supplement which has stayed down. His eyes are open and he is very much more alert. Fingers crossed x
As an add on I did an interview a few months ago for a local paper and only saw it for the first time this week so I thought I would share it!!
Happy New Year
Happy New Year to everyone, here’s to all those good resolutions and the vain hope that they last past January! (perhaps that’s just me!) Well the last few days have been very quiet so I have taken the opportunity to really try and get out hunting with Roxie and our volunteer Lu. Trouble is all the rabbits seem to have gone on holiday to warmer climates or have developed super charged running legs which mean that when they do bolt (and that’s few and far between) they disappear at the speed of light under the thickest of bramble scrub that you can possibly imagine and have apparently learnt the ability to vanish without a trace!
So other than a few good bolts and chases we have had very little luck. Never mind its all good practice, and patience is the key to falconry!
Sadly the sick Buzzard did not make it, the poor thing was not at all interested in feeding itself and although it was crop 
fed and kept hydrated I think perhaps it had internal injuries from being hit by the car.
To finish on a lighter note, we have finally been able to bring Fagus the Kestrel back into work. He has moulted his tail and head to show off the beautiful blue grey colouring of the male. Acer is now going down to moult, and is enjoying the quail and rat that he gets daily.
Dont forget we offer Sponsorship for all our birds and animals, you can also now order this via paypal!
Now I’m off to try and work on those New Years resolutions!
International Buzzard Rescue
Just recently i was asked by the Reading Post news paper for a quote on the affects the harsh weather was having on Birds of Prey such as the Barn Owl. I think it was karmas way of asking for help as two days later I was sat up at 3am crop tubing a male Buzzard picked up by a very good Samaritan on his way to a party! Unfortunately the bird had been stuck by a car and appeared very weak and quiet. Now most people immediately expect a bird of prey to try and eat their hand off or attack them without fear but in reality most birds will just play dead and stay very quiet. So the gentleman placed the Buzzard in a box and following a call to the ever so unhelpful RSPCA – don’t even get me started on them – he called me and off i trotted to Twyford with towel and glove! The poor thing was very undernourished, weak, damp and very cold but did not appear to have any broken bones in its wings or legs. 
So I wrapped it up in the towel to keep it quiet then immediately drove home where it was placed in a box, under a heat lamp and given warm glucose to get some energy back in its poor little body. Over the next two days the bird stayed inside, dry and warm and i crop tube’d him with a high protein mix (imagine very rich dog food paste! – also very stinky!!) Crop tubing is a way to feed when the bird will not feed for itself and involves inserting a tube down the bird’s throat into the crop and then syringing the food directly into the crop. It’s not hard and can be done relatively stress free for the bird however the important note is not to go down the wrong pipe else you could fill the birds lungs with food and will drown it instantly!
The next day the Buzzard seemed to have gotten some strength back and even hopped onto to the side of the box.
So two days on and the weather has warmed up, and Robert and I spent this morning creating a 
temporary aviary for the Buzzard that he can rest in until he is back at full strength. It may sound odd just putting him out and ignoring him other than at feed time, but as a wild bird it is very stressful to come into contact with people, and this stress will inhibit his recovery. So for now he is quietly sitting enjoying the interior decoration of the Feathers and Fur team. This years look – pine on the walls!
Puppy had a whale of a time, her major contribution was digging out an enire planters worth of soil and leaving it in a nicely formed heap off to the side for the buzzard to look at!
Christmas is here, thankyou to all our customers
So Christmas has crept upon us very quickly and I am shocked that it is only this weekend. We have had a wonderful response to our new Half Day Hands on Session and I am looking forward to starting to fulfil all the vouchers sold. Thank you to all our customers.
This weeks snow has played havoc with the birds, with the sudden drop in temperature meaning weight management and feeding has been top of the agenda. Smaller birds such as Fagus and Willow really need that extra food through these cold days. Our local butcher at Sheeplands has been wonderful with donating beef scraps that the birds just love!!
Unfortunately the adverse weather has resulted in the cancellation of a number of our sessions, since its not fair to ask customers to stand out with freezing toes and many of the birds are confused as to why the grass has gone white!
The up side to this is the opportunity to get out hunting with Roxie and flying with Sam and Tom. Roxie, my partner and I spent many a happy hour ferreting for what was my betters half’s first experience with the ferret and a working Hawk. I have to admit that he took to it perfectly and although we didn’t catch anything we had a few great chases on some difficult bolts.
Yesterday I had a stunning walk with Tom and Sam, its a real treat to watch the pair flying together and following on so well. Every moment is perfection and to top it off perfectly Sam caught himself a Wood Pigeon, his first, and enjoys a full crop of warm meat!
Well Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year , here’s to another wonderful year.
Christmas is coming!
Ho Ho Ho Christmas is nearly here! We’ve been gearing up for the weather and have started our advertising projects, trying to let people know about the vouchers that we offer and the wonderful gift’s that they are. Oddly we have also been really busy with flying the birds due to all the lucky people that received a voucher last Christmas suddenly realising that the year is nearly up and they haven’t yet taken the opportunity to come and fly the birds!!
The sudden arctic weather plays havoc with my worry wart mothering tendencies! I have installed covers on all the birds (big thankyou to the lovely men at Cover-it here at Ladds Garden Village) and have been a constant pest at the local butchers for the off cuts of beef that helps give the birds that little bit more protection from the cold. Short of bringing out hot water bottles for them all I have covered all my bases. One thing the locals have gotten used to seeing is the hair dryer being used on the birds if their at all damp before being tucked up for the night. Birds can suffer from a condition called Wing Tip Oedema which is basically the result of cold getting the tip of the wing very similar to frost bite, eventually resulting in the loss of feather follicles and ultimately permanent feather loss at the end of the wing. Its so very preventable but not tethering warmer climate birds such as Harris Hawks out over night. (All ours are either free lofted or tethered in the shed, out of the weather).
Some great news is the Roxie one of our new Harris Hawks made her first rabbit kill this week and did so in fine professional style. I allowed her to crop up (eat a fair amount) on the liver, heart, lungs and kidney and you could just see the pleasure on her face that suddenly food didn’t just come in the form of dead cold chicks!!! I know that she is going to be an awesome hunter and with some hope will help us start to offer Hawking Days.
We are appearing at Henley Christmas Fair this Friday if anyone is interested in coming down, it should be a lovely snowy night!
1 Year in Business
Well we have made it to one year in business! It’s a rare thing for me to actually sit back and take stock of how far Feathers and Fur has come in the past 12 months, but I thought I would give it a go.
In September 2009 I moved from Shropshire with the main aim of expanding a business that had run really well in Shropshire called Hawks on Walks. When I left I sold that business knowing that I needed to do more with a variety of birds. At the time I was only flying Harris Hawks for the public and I had learnt how very little people knew about the Birds of Prey in this country. Keeping birds is a full time job and not just your average 9-5 Monday to Friday. I work 7 days a week, regardless of illness, weather, or just wanting a duvet day! I knew that more birds would tie me completely and seeing family would not be possible hence the move to Berkshire where my family is based. Now I can get to mums in time for her famous Sunday Roast and chocolate steam pudding! No hints there!!!!
Any way I actually used to work at Ladd’s Garden Village when I was 15 years old, well over 15 years ago now. Eak! And on a quiet Sunday afternoon we arrived! Lorry loaded with two massive aviaries that had been disassembled that morning, 3 Harris Hawks, 1 Barn Owl, 1 European Eagle Owl and 5 Ferrets. Our site was the old rubbish area which had been cleared, but still needed lots of work doing to it.
In October we opened to the public and after long hard discussions with family and friends I came up with the name Feathers and Fur. Odd as most falconry centres are usually called something like Berkshire Falconry Centre or Hawking Heights but I just liked being different.
The past 12 months have been hard and running your own business is not easy. I manage all the animals and then all the paper work. I am ultimately responsible if a bird sits in a tree for 4 days or if someone doesn’t receive a voucher with the right name on. I work in the rain and I bake in the sun but I wouldn’t change a single day. I have learnt so many new skills in the past 12 months that I didn’t think I would have ever done. I can build aviaries and shovel tonnes of gravel or snow;
I went on a course to master Photoshop so I could manage this web site. I have learnt many things about people and advertising. I write to news papers and get photographers out to do shoots. I go to talks just to leave Feathers and Fur leaflet on the seats!
We’ve done shows in front of hundreds of people and flown birds all over the country and have been on both local and national radio!
The business has grown so quickly, we now have 12 birds, 5 ferrets, 2 Guinea Pigs, 1 Giant Rabbit, a Gambian Pouch Rat and a puppy. Birds include 5 Harris Hawks, 1 European Eagle Owl, 1 Barn Owl, 1 Tawny Owl, 1 Kestrel, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 1 Buzzard and a Red Kite! Phew.
And I do achieve what I set out to do, every day I try and teach people that visit us about the birds around them and the stunning wildlife on their door step. I am passionate about my animals and birds and each day even when it’s cold and damp I have a day like today where I placed a Barn Owl on a ladies arm who at the beginning of the session for her husband was terrified of the birds and saw her smile and relax, moments like that make me realize that I am definitely where I am suppose to be.
Phew it must be time for a sleep! 
Ps we’re now offering Half Day Hands on Birds of Prey Sessions for 2 adults for £80. What could be a more perfect christmas present!