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. *************************** "Swan Notes" News items written by Trust members and volunteers and usually appearing in the “Berwick Advertiser" newspaper each week. For those unable to read these items, and those living outside the Berwick area, here are the last few editions... 16th October 2025 The picture this week shows the daily process of herding the cygnets from the large pond area over to another part of the Rollo Centre where they can enjoy eating the longer grass.  It took a bit of encouragement to get them out of the pond with lettuce as the main attraction.  The lettuce leaves were scattered along the path and one of larger ones of the four set off quite swiftly hoovering it up as he went, so it took some strong words from Karen to stop the rest going back into the pond whilst we grabbed some more leaves.   This helps both us and the swans: the grass gets trimmed, the swans get the nutrients and the pond doesn’t get dirty as quickly so needs draining and cleaning out less often.  Our cygnets therefore spend quite a bit of time out of the water which is not unusual for swans in the wild, just because a swan is sitting on the grass it does not necessarily mean there is anything wrong with it.  They are often seen in fields in the winter alongside other water birds.  A number of people phoned in about a swan on the grass at Berwick but when it was checked out, it was fit and well and able to fly off, so please take some time just to observe them and give them space. A number of juvenile pigeons have been brought in that got into trouble during storm Amy.  Two are currently inside as they need some hand feeding and there are three outside which are more independent.  In addition, Pat has two at home keeping her busy and another was being brought in on Thursday. The two young barn owls that came in last week are doing well.  They are siblings with one quite a bit bigger than the other, it could be that the larger one hatched first and was fed a bit more by its parents.  The bigger one has strong instincts to protect its space and defend itself making it quite tricky to clean out as it bites which is quite unusual.  Hopefully, once they are strong enough to go into one of the flights, they can go back together as they do like to cuddle up to feel secure. I had quite a slow journey up from Beadnell to the Rollo Centre on Thursday due to farm vehicles and lorries on the A1, but it gave me time to observe the lovely flying patterns of the gaggles of geese that are arriving in large numbers to our area.  The birds turn up around October time and stay through until the Spring, with some species arriving a bit later into December.  They arrive in their thousands and reside on the mud flats with Holy Island being a particularly popular place for them.  The main types in our area are Barnacle, Brent, Greylag and Pink-footed – which make the loud honking as they fly.  They migrate down from the Arctic, Siberia, Iceland and Greenland.  Despite their large numbers, we haven’t had any adult overwinter geese brought in during my four years volunteering, although we usually get some goslings in the spring which are always entertaining as they do like to follow us around. Despite the unseasonably warm days we have been having, the geese are a sign that winter is arriving and before we know it, it will be Christmas!   Our Christmas Fair is on the 15th November in Berwick Baptist Church.    Any raffle and tombola prizes will be welcome, please bring them in. Gill Powell 9th October 2025 The picture this week shows what a couple of weeks at the Rollo Centre can achieve. When these young ducks came in they were weak and unable to stand. Both had swollen leg joints and we thought it possible they both had got trapped in something on the lake where they lived. They were much smaller than their siblings who were all able to follow their mother so that she could still protect them. They were both tested for avian influenza when they arrived which showed negative so they went to the Vet for advice. It seems it was possible that both birds had a mineral deficiency that had caused the weakness. Whatever the problem was, a few days rest and good food together with vitamin and mineral supplements all birds and animals in our care receive, they were much better. The Small Pond Pen was free so they were moved into that where they could have a good bath, which they both enjoyed. They were monitored to ensure they were able to get in and out of the water unaided. Jackie took the picture to send to me to show that they were able to stand. They are now running around the pen and in and out of the water as they want. I think the girls were telling me that these two little ducks have a home to go to which is a good outcome. It is nice when we get a happy outcome. The four Cygnets in the Big Pond are all doing well although when you watch them the first three are always together and the last one to arrive is by itself. They all share the pond and all dive for the lettuce thrown on the pond for them. If anyone has any lettuce blown or otherwise we would appreciate it. They need lots of grass or lettuce to give them a healthy diet. Every year one species of wildlife arrives at our door more than any other. This year it is an Owl Year. We have yet another two young  Barn Owls in. They both look good and have been eating. They are now being separated so that we can carefully monitor how much each bird is eating. They will be weighed regularly to make sure they are gaining sufficient weight but are not getting too heavy too quickly. I will check out our records before I write next time and check up just how many Owls we have cared for this year. Storm Amy did bring casualties. Two young Wood Pigeons fell out of their nest or through the bottom of the nest as pigeons are dreadful nest builders. I have a horrendous cold which I brought back from my holiday so I have offered to take the two babies to rear for a while at home to ease the pressure on work at the Centre. Hedgehogs are still coming in really small. We rarely lose a hedgehog but this year several have died, just too small to cope. This is upsetting for everyone. We do whatever we can to encourage little hoglets to eat. Additions to their meat like little tasty biscuits, chicken soup (from a recipe by Barbara) and grated non lactose cheese. Feeding time is a bit like working in a restaurant kitchen. Each hog has something different to try to get it going. We can only do our best. Once we know the little hogs are going the right way we will be offering them for sponsorship. I will let you know when the pictures have all been taken and we are ready to go. Pat Goff 2nd October 2025 It’s always nice to return to the Rollo Centre after a holiday and see what has changed.  It was great to see that a lot of the birds have been released so we are down to a more manageable number of three owls, plus Errol of course.  This week a further five pigeons had been released so there are just a few of those now, although pigeons are brought in on a regular basis throughout the year.  The four cygnets are doing well and are finally in the same, big pond, area.  They are still scrapping a bit but are tolerating each other fairly well.  Hedgehog numbers are continuing to slowly increase, there are around thirty now. On a sad note, we have been taking calls about guillemots appearing on the shores weak and dying, with a couple brought into the Centre.  Guillemots are brown and white seabirds that come to the shores in the UK around March or April to nest.  They stay through until July or August when their chicks have grown, after which time they head back far out to sea.  Their breeding colonies are on the cliffs around the coast and on the islands, and they pack themselves onto the ledges so that each pair of birds has a territory of about a beak’s length.  The female lays a single egg on the bare rock which is incubated by both the parents.  Then, when the chicks are two to three weeks old, they leave the nest by plunging into the sea where their downy feathers are designed to keep them afloat.  It is the male bird that looks after them until they can cope on their own, teaching them to dive and feed.  Guillemots are fast and direct flyers, excellent divers and strong swimmers.  Using their large wings, they swim down deep to catch fish, crabs and molluscs.  They have flexible skeletons and valves in their ears that help them equalise which means they are able to dive to up to 180 metres deep, being able to hold their breath for several minutes at a time.   It is thought that the birds that are washed up at this time of year are either adults that are left exhausted after the breeding season, or this year’s weaker youngsters that have not developed the strength and skills needed to survive, left behind as their parents move back out to sea.  Guillemots are affected by bad weather and stormy seas which make diving and fishing very difficult.  Also, as with many of our wildlife species, they are being impacted by climate change that is reducing fish numbers.  As glaciers are melting and glacial water is entering the oceans, the drop in the salination level is warming the sea water and the fish that guillemots eat are driven to live deeper below the surface where it is cooler.  This makes it even more difficult for any weaker birds. Unfortunately, there is very little that can be done for these starving birds which is upsetting and hard to accept.  It is very rare for a guillemot brought into the Rollo Centre to survive, they refuse to eat the fish, perhaps because it isn’t living, and they are not accustomed to any human interaction because of the remote lives that they live.  From my research, we are not alone in this, with other animal rescue charities also noting that they do not survive in care.  Whilst it seems cruel, the best thing is probably to leave them be and keep dogs away from them where possible. Gill Powell