Animal Collection and Nature Reserve
August, September, October 2020 Newsletter
As my report in August was a little short I have decided to write further.
August started well with a super close up sighting of a kingfisher and a large group of long tailed tits feeding, seen from our bedroom window early in the morning.
As well as a good natural history start we finally received certain additions to our collection promised but held up by the Covid lockdown.
First, we received a pair of young ravens (Corvus Corax), both female, but as they will not breed for four years we have plenty of time to swap one for a male. Ravens are one of my favourite birds, very smart, intelligent and wary. This pair were bred further down in Cornwall and are therefore used to the local climate; when seen close up most visitors are surprised how large they are.
The next additions were a pair of Little owls and a pair of Small Spotted genets. Most people have a pretty good idea of what a raven looks like, as for instance those at the Tower of London and again most can imagine a Little owl even if they are not aware of the species, but not everyone has heard of a genet. They are slender cat like, but with a longer slender body, fairly large ears for hearing their prey, such as mice and other small rodents, a very pointed muzzle, and unusually partially retractable claws. The fur is spotted, similar to a leopard cat and the tails are encircled dark bands. They are fairly small animals. The species is the Small Spotted and so will grow to about two, two and a half kilos but the ones we were given were tiny, about the size of a six week old domestic kitten. We therefore housed them in a large reptile vivarium where we could keep them warm and dry. They are a stunning addition to our collection. They settled in well, eating a mixture of dead day old chicks and any meat available cut into small cubes. These animals are nocturnal so are not seen often in more public orientated zoos. Their Latin name is Genetta Genetta which is rather pleasant and sounds to me more like an Italian sports car.
The Little owls are the smallest British owl and though now common here are not endemic. Their scientific name Athene Noctua gives the impression they are nocturnal, but they can also be seen in daylight, quite often hunting worms, insects and even young birds. It can often be seen sitting on a rock, tree or telegraph pole, looking around bobbing its head up and down, especially when startled and about to fly off. These birds were introduced in the nineteenth century and are now accepted as one of the five British owls (six if you include the Snowy owl). They are tubby, about seven inches tall and have startingly glaring yellow eyes. Another favourite of mine.
On the eighth of the month, black headed gulls were seen flying over Tredivett Mill,
On the tenth of the month we were awoken in the middle of the night by our five peafowl calling wildly. At first we though that they had been startled by a fox or badger and although they are free they roost high and only come to grief if they panic and come to ground in the dark. They are then at the mercy of the foxes better senses in the dark. But no, it was not that this time. Ten minutes later we heard thunder rumbling from a distance, moving closer to us and bringing lightning and heavy rain. They heard it long before us.
In the middle of the month Ettah, one of our young volunteers took over our sole pony, left for the first time on her own. About thirty years ago Cherry had rescued three miniature Shetland ponies, of various ages, between nine and twenty years old. The oldest died at twenty-nine, the next at twenty-five, which was eleven years ago. At the time we were left with a fine, tiny and stunning looking stallion. But, we could not let him live alone so we purchased a Bodmin Hill pony as company. Last month the stallion died at the age of thirty-seven and we were again in the same boat with a lonely pony. So, Ettah took the Bodmin Hill pony move on. Since the pony had only been moved once in her life and otherwise lived in two large field with us, she was, to say the least, a handful to move.
However, Ettah now reports the pony has settled well and gets lots of attention from her and her family.
On 21st September for the very first time we enjoyed a visit from a jay on our table outside our bedroom window. These birds are now seen more often this time of year with the abundance of acorns, a fabulous year for mast, acorns and beech nuts.
Our young male British otter, bred here, has been transferred to a home at Derek Gows rewilding project nearby in Devon.
A couple of days later on the 26th Andy Johnson and his wife Tracey collected our two yearling pumas for their ‘embryo’ zoo in Cambridgeshire. It was already a crocodile breeding centre but they are branching out.
A stunning Grey wagtail was the first visitor to our balcony on the 28th, in his soft greys and canary yellow underside.
On that same day we had lunch at the Rock Inn at Haytor Vale and driving over the moors we spotted kestrel, stonechat, buzzard and meadow pipit as well as many swallows diving and swooping across the roads.
This time of year the young buzzards have been pushed out by their parents but are mewing and whining pitifully to draw attention, hoping for food. This will go on for probably another month.
Since lockdown was lifted life has become easier, but by the time I write this report we are in the second week of the latest lockdown, but hear encouraging news of vaccines.
Please forgive me for repeating much of what you may have already read. I felt I needed to give a little more detail for our long term records.
September
On 1st September we were awoken while still dark outside by a loudly croaking and scratchy shriek of a wild heron that was flying towards our big pond. He spends most of the day with us but roosts elsewhere down the Tamar Valley. He continually steals from our otters; although we feed them in their boxes, the minute they bring food outside, the heron tries to steal it. He also feed on the roach in our pond.
On the 3rd, we had a very large flock of long tailed tits frequently on our peanut feeders. They arrive like dust, flying here there and everywhere, performing acrobatic exercises, upside down, feeding quickly and then in a flash the whole flock evaporates into the surrounding bushes and are gone.
With other tits, goldfinches and siskins, they visited for the next few days but not in such large numbers.
On the 6th I did not sleep very well and noted that a male tawny owl called the traditional hooting all night, moving away and then returning to his territory, his hoot weakening and then growing stronger the nearer he returned.
This year we have a really good group of work placement students, who are attending Duchy College. They are all willing and quite happy to work on the gardens, landscape and enclosure buildings as well as feeding and cleaning the animals.
The young buzzards are still mewing pathetically, flying after their parents who are ignoring them. They feed mainly on worms and insects on the ground at this fledging state.
On 7th September very young goldfinches came to feed on the seed and nuts, obviously the very last of a late clutch. On the 8th we had another visit from the young kingfisher, probably still seeking a new territory.
That day we, after a discussion with several people, decided to give Rosy, our Red Roughed lemur, an opportunity to move into the Ring Tailed lemurs enclosure. Sadly, they did not get on and she seemed to not mind being on her own which we wanted to avoid. Everybody spoils her and she settled down again in her own home.
We noticed the pumas mating growls and snarls and a change in the behaviour in the middle of the month. Definitely Demelza is coming into ‘heat’ and Endeavour was following her everywhere, inches behind, obviously watching her every move, growling and very grumpy – not his usual normally quiet pussy cat attitude.
Both of the pumas are very dangerous at this stage. We just feed and water them and leave them to their ‘noisy affair’.
On 13th September our neighbour and Trustee, Deni, who is a continual and continuous support and help to us, witnessed Demelza and Endeavour mating and certainly after a few days they calmed down to their more normal behaviour.
Amber, our Golden Labrador became less and less mobile, her back legs giving way. So sad, she is the last of a dynasty of some twenty years.
Jays are still collecting acorns and shrieking like a family of young holiday makers in the firs.
On 22nd I took two young barn owls to a friend. There were three but one hid and we still do not know where but a few weeks later we noticed that we still had three barn owls, not just a pair – a complete mystery,
As usual, the heron is keeping an eye open for free food, the jays are readily eating and burying acorns by the hundred for later in the year.
The pigs are continually breaking down, under and through the fence to get to the very same acorns. All other time of the year they are content to stay in their field – but not when acorns are falling all around.
We are sad to hear our friends John and Mandy Allen of the local otter sanctuary in nearby North Petherwin have been forced to close (probably after half term) by the extended lockdowns caused by the Covid pandemic. So sad, as they have done an outstanding job over the years.
We have agreed to take:
6 Fallow deer
6 Bennetts wallaby
1 female polecat – to make another pair
1 male kestrel – to make a breeding pair
2 meerkat and 2 young – everybody loves meerkats
4 tawny owls – even these, our most common are reducing in numbers.
About 10 Harvest mice – to breed and release where and when possible.
We have agreed to take them all by Christmas.
Rab and Mike, one of our volunteers, have worked on the old badger indoor enclosure now the badgers have been moved to a more suitable outdoor environment. We are converting a fair size indoor enclosure into two new houses, one for the genets who were so small that they were kept in a reptile vivarium in the first few weeks. They will be at the back of the unit as they do not need sunlight, being a nocturnal animal, but needing the security of a dry, warm unit. The front of the unit will be extended to have an area of outside fresh air and sunshine which will be converted for a pair of marmosets who in the winter have been taken into a large temporary cage. They will now have more freedom.
October
The students cleared away all of the undergrowth in the raven, barn owl and kestrel enclosures and the paths thereabouts. They have also been involved in grass cutting and bush and tree trimming in our new (four years old) woodland garden. This is set off with a good sized pond fed by the big pond. These students all work hard and are a credit to themselves.
On 15th October a hummingbird hawk moth was seen feeding on the flowers in the hanging baskets – so good to see these marvellous diurnal moths aping birds so nearly.
By the middle of the month, the students have finished painting a static boat that is being used to display annuals, ivy and ferns and at last I have finished painting the walls of the patio which were meant to be painted by a contractor, but again Covid stopped that. I particularly wanted it finished because next year we are going to paint some Lascaux Cave primitive type paintings on the outside walls. I need the paint to dry out before I do the murals.
Now that we have no rescue domestic geese or ducks on the pond, they have all been found homes, the big pond as we have named it, has become a totally natural refuge and I was delighted, on the 18th October, to find four mallard swimming on the water. I hope now it will become home only to wild geese, ducks, moorhen, wagtails, dragonflies, butterflies etc. they have all visited in the past. The big pond and the woodland garden are now one unit. So together with many trees, bushes, grasses and two ponds it should attract the wildlife.
On the 18th, the male pine marten that was swopped with Wildwood so that our male could breed with their female, was found dead. No apparent reason – we are awaiting a post mortem. Meanwhile, he is in the deep freeze.
On the 20th Rab finished the new genet home and new marmoset house. Both pairs of creatures were moved into the new enclosures and have settled well.
On the same day we found a young, scruffy, yellow blonde feral ferret eating some of the raven food. We set a trap and caught him overnight. Fortunately Kirsty, one of our volunteers collected him and now he is one of her collection of nine ferrets. She was going to stick to eight!
On the 26th October we lost our oldest Scottish wildcat, simply of old age. She was well over twenty and was the first cat we ever had from the then studbook keeper, Paul Allen, who at the time lived very near the Highland Wildlife Park.
On the 28th October a red kite was seen flying over Tredivett Mill again and on the 30th, a sparrow hawk flew out of the woodland garden.
We are looking forward to November as the influx of animals should come from the otter sanctuary and we have agreed to have two substantial deer paddocks built.
So ‘til then take care. We are half way through the second lockdown, who knows what will happen.
Sightings up to October 2020
Below are our sightings so far this year.