Hopefully the smokers have flown, Mum! Blue tit chicks wait for feeding time in their ashtray nest

By TOM GOODENOUGH

Snug: The family of blue tits all seem content with their new nest in the ashtray outside the golf clubhouse in Wales

Being born in an ashtray certainly isn't the best start in life for a youngster.
But at least for the six newborn chicks who call the unusual residence home, their next choice of nest is sure to be an upgrade.
The family of blue tits have taken up habitat in the ashtray outside a golf course clubhouse in Denbigh, Wales.
And after discovering that the chicks had hatched, staff say the ongoing mystery of why cigarettes kept ending up on the ground was solved: the birds had been pushing out the butts to make room for their new brood.
Kylie Jones, who works at the bar at Denbigh Golf Club, said: 'We thought something odd was going on when we saw the butts on the floor.

Cosy: The innovative birds are now using the holes in the ash tray to peep outside into the wider world

Mystery: Staff were baffled by the appearance of cigarette butts on the ground but the question was solved after the discovery of the nest

'It went on for about a week and then we realised there was a nest in there.
'We put a sign on the ashtray (and) the next thing we knew there were these little birds looking like bald aliens.'
Despite their humble surroundings, the family of birds seem more than content with their nest.

Safe: Thankfully the happy family of blue tits are well-protected by four warning signs keeping smokers at bay

And the blue tits have even started to use the holes in the ashtray as windows to enjoy the recent good weather.
Despite the potential danger of living in the ashtray, however, the family are also well protected by four signs warning off smokers.
Staff said that the extra signs were needed after visitors thought the first one was a hoax.

source: dailymail

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Are you my mum? An endangered spoon-billed sandpiper chick explores its new home after fraught trip from Russia to join UK conservation project

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

The spoon-billed sandpiper is one of the world's rarest birds; there are thought to be less than 100 breeding pairs left in the wild

A tiny spoon-billed sandpiper gets acquainted with its new surroundings after being rushed from Russia to the UK to join an emergency conservation project.
More than a dozen of the critically-endangered chicks - named because of their distinctive beaks - have become the first of their kind to hatch in this country after surviving a fraught trip from the Siberian tundra as eggs.
The delicate little creatures, which are no bigger than a bumblebee when they hatch, are one of the most threatened bird species in the world.
Fewer than 100 pairs in the wild and numbers falling by a quarter each year, leaving it facing extinction within five to 10 years.

A spoon-billed sandpiper chick explores its new surroundings at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) centre in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire

Conservationists have launched an emergency captive breeding scheme, in a bid to preserve the population long enough to tackle the threats faced by the sandpipers along its migration route to South East Asia and its wintering grounds in Burma.
Last year, eggs were incubated and hatched in Russia, before being brought to the captive breeding facility at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire.
But because of the difficulties experienced in transporting live birds from Russia to the UK, the experts this year decided to collect and transport eggs before they hatched.

Two newborn and extremely endangered spoon-billed sandpiper chicks feed on insects after hatching from 20 eggs imported from Russia

It was a close run thing to get the eggs from the Russian Far East before they hatched, according to WWT's head of conservation breeding, Nigel Jarrett.
He said the first chicks emerged just hours after the team arrived at Slimbridge at the end of their week-long journey by helicopter and plane from Russia and 14 had now hatched.
A few more eggs are hatching, but were collected when they were freshly laid, rather than in the ideal condition of having been incubated for a week by their parents, so might not survive.
The spoon-billed sandpiper, which has a unique spoon-shaped beak, is only the size of a bumblebee when it hatches. The newly-hatched chicks will be kept separately from the existing flock of 12 birds until they are much older.

The hatchlings are latest arrivals to a breeding programme which hopes to save the species from extinction

The birds brought back last year will be mature and ready to breed next year, when they are two years old.
'It's important to do everything to prevent the species' extinction,' Mr Jarrett said.
'The spoon-billed sandpiper is a beautiful and unique bird, but whatever it looked like, we couldn't stand by while it went extinct.
'We hatched the first of our conservation breeding flock on the tundra last year and brought them back when full grown
'With all we learned then, it made sense to transport them as eggs this year and the huge privilege for the UK is to have these amazing little chicks hatch here for the first time.'
In addition some birds have been reared in captivity in the Russia to be released there, to prevent them being eaten as eggs by predators.

This tiny chick, which is little bigger than a bumblebee, is among the first time the species has hatched in the UK

Taking eggs away to rear by hand will also encourage the parents to lay again which will increase the population.
Mr Jarrett said: 'As well as the conservation breeding programme preserving birds possibly for release and preventing extinction, it also allows us to develop techniques to intervene so we can cut out predation of eggs and chicks.'
And he said: 'We've also got to address the problems in their staging and wintering areas.'
The birds have been hit by loss of inter-tidal habitat in East Asia as they migrate south from their Russian breeding grounds and bird trapping by villagers in their wintering sites in Bangladesh and Burma.
The scheme to save the birds is a collaboration between WWT, the RSPB, Birds Russia, Moscow Zoo, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Birdlife International, ArcCona Consulting and the Spoon-billed Sandpiper Task Force.

source: dailymail

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Waddle we look like when we grow up, Mum? Hilda the hen hatches clutch of ducklings after sitting on wrong nest

By NICK ENOCH

Hilda the Bantam hen has hatched a clutch of ducklings after accidentally sitting on the wrong nest of eggs

They may not look like their mum - or sound like her - but that doesn't seem to bother these fluffy little birds.
Hilda the hen has hatched a clutch of ducklings after accidentally sitting on the wrong nest of eggs.
The broody Bantam hen nested over the five eggs for a month, apparently unaware that they had been laid by a duck.
Farm owner Philip Palmer was also none the wiser as Hilda barely left the duck eggs alone until they hatched after 28 days.
And even when tiny Indian runner ducklings emerged instead of fluffy yellow chicks, Hilda wasn't put off and adopted the babies as her own.

Even when tiny Indian runner ducklings emerged instead of fluffy yellow chicks, Hilda wasn't put off and adopted the babies as her own

It would seem that the only time Hilda will realise the difference is when her brood waddle down to the pond and float - something chickens just can't do.
Phillip, 45, who runs the Farmer Palmer's children's activity farm near Poole, Dorset, said: 'Hilda doesn't seem bothered at all - the ducklings follow her around just as chicks would.

Philip Palmer, who runs the farm in Poole, Dorset, where Hilda lives, was also none the wiser as she barely left the duck eggs alone until they hatched after 28 days

'Our ducks and chickens live together so a duck must have laid her eggs and that caused the mix-up.
'When I saw Hilda sitting on some eggs, I thought they were hers or another chicken's and, as she barely moved, I had no idea they were duck eggs.
'She was quite happy to sit there and nest them for the next 28 days and when they hatched I was shocked - instead of chicks, we had ducklings!
'It was so surprising but lovely and she has proved to be very capable at raising them.
'The ducklings aren't aware that their mother is a hen and Hilda is totally unaware that she's actually got a bunch of ducks waddling behind her.
'The ducklings don't leave her side and if they get scared they run for cover under their "mum".
'It is very sweet to see. The only way they will really notice the difference is when the ducks start swimming in the pond.'


Phillip, 45, who runs the Farmer Palmer's children's activity farm said: 'Hilda doesn't seem bothered at all - the ducklings follow her around just as chicks would'

source: dailymail

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That'll put the cat among the pigeons: Kitten forms close bond with feathered friend

By DAVID GERGES

Picture perfect: A cute moggie cat enjoys playing with a chick

The long-held belief that cats and birds are amongst nature's worst enemies is being challenged by a kitten and a chick that have struck up the unlikeliest of friendships.
This picture reveals the special bond between the pair with the cute moggie happy to eat, sleep and play with its companion.
The pair formed their relationship after five-year-old Maria Fedorov brought the hungry stray kitten home to her parents house in Moscow Russia.

Warner Brothers' cartoon featuring Tweety Pie and Sylvester the cat has notoriously played up to the animosity between the pair

Reluctantly, her parents allowed her to keep the bird and to their surprise they instantly became best friends.
Maria's father, Alexander, from, Moscow, Russia, said: 'When Maria found out she could keep the kitten she was full of joy.
The next morning while helping her mum with the morning shopping she saved a chick from a cat in the market square and also brought it home.
'We told her they might not make a great pair but she was sure they would be okay.
'Despite our fears both pets started to play with each other. They moved everywhere as twins, played, slept and even ate together.'
Research conducted a year ago suggested that the two fierce enemies with cats estimated to kill 275million animals each year in Britain, of which 55million are birds.

source: dailymail

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Foster mutt: Rottweiler plays mother to orphaned bunnies, birds... and even kittens

By JAMES TOZER

Dave the rottweiler has helped bring up four ducks, three geese, five rabbits, 13 kittens and five puppies - plus countless new-born chicks


You probably wouldn’t pick a ten-stone rottweiler to nursemaid orphaned bunnies and birds. But even kittens are in no danger from Dave the Dog. All he wants to do is look after them.

Owner Amanda Collins discovered her six-year-old pet’s maternal nature when she brought home an unwanted French giant rabbit.

‘Dave just walked over to him and started licking him to clean him,’ said the 25-year-old, who runs a pet shop in Blackpool.

‘They bonded straight away. Now they sleep together, and I’ve even seen them sharing each other’s food.’

Miss Collins, who has looked after a menagerie of abandoned animals, soon found this wasn’t a one-off.

'When I brought home the ducklings, I thought he might not be the same as with the rabbits, but he just went over to them and licked them on the head,' she said..

'I filled a paddling pool with water so they could learn to swim in it, and Dave went and laid down in the water so they could clamber over him. He even lifted them out if they got into trouble.'

So far, Dave has helped bring up four ducks, three geese, five rabbits, 13 kittens and five puppies - not to mention countless new-born chicks.

Dave had a traumatic upbringing – his first owner docked his tail with a cleaver – but has remained amazingly good-natured and has now been voted Britain’s most inspirational dog in a contest sponsored by worming specialists Drontal.

The online contest attracted over 6,000 entries and 265,515 votes were cast.

And six-year-old Dave's owner hopes his success will help improve the breed's image.

'People see him coming and cross the road to the other side - it's so sad,' said Miss Collins.

'Most rottweilers aren't big vicious things - they can be very gentle and obedient if they're looked after and trained properly, and Dave is the perfect example of that.'

source: dailymail

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