Sunshine and a Happy Ending

Volunteers managed to weed out a whole trailer load of Silver Birch and Willow from the heathland before the heat and the horse flies became too much! This is necessary to allow the heather to have the best chance of growing. 

After a break, it was decided to work in the shade and to repair the dams along Risedale Beck that feed into ponds. The cool surroundings of the stream made this a much more pleasant task in the hot conditions.

Blog readers will be wondering what happened to the House Martin chicks that were handed in to the bird ringers yesterday. They had been rescued when their nest had fallen from a wall. Firstly, the chicks were put into a box with a towel covered bowl (to make a cup shape). Then, they were fed fresh, live mealworms (but not the head as this contains a chemical that they can't digest), scrambled egg and kitten food. Sadly, one of them didn't make it through the night however, four of the five did (including the small runt).

It was hard work caring for them as they required food at least every hour!

As the surviving four were all in good health the bird ringers decided to place them in existing nests with chicks of a similar age. Two suitable nests were found side by side and yesterday at tea time two chicks were placed in each one. The ringers waited to make sure that adults returned to the nests.

They were checked again this morning and adult House Martins were observed feeding both sets of chicks whose heads were peering out of their new homes! 

People often make enquiries to the reserve office about wildlife that they have found abandoned or injured. Unfortunately, there are no rescue facilities at Foxglove and it is always best to call a Wildlife Rescue Centre such as The Wildlife Haven Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Thirsk first for help and advice.