Rescued Raptors

Monday, February 8th 2021

Two more birds of prey that were rescued by a Foxglove supporter were brought in to the centre to be ringed before their release back into the wild. This beautiful Barn Owl was given plenty of TLC to build up its strength. During periods of snow cover small mammals such as voles and shrews stay underneath the snow. Although mice will move about on top of it, they spend most of their time under ground eating stored food. When snow cover is more several centimetres deep and/or frozen hard the owls will have great difficulty finding and catching food. It’s at times like these that some Barn Owls turn temporarily to unusual food sources such as small birds.

A Kestrel too was ready for release after a few weeks of care after being found injured. Like the Barn Owl, Kestrel's feed mainly on small mammals and struggle to hunt through an impenetrable barrier of deep snow.

Fingers crossed that storm Darcy will not last for long!

(0) Comments:

There are no comments for this blog post yet. Why not start the discussion? - use the form below:

Back to Top

Help Support Foxglove

Friends of Foxglove

The Friends of Foxglove Covert is for those individuals, families and organisations who would like to support the reserve through an annual membership subscription. Friends receive a regular newsletter and invitations to attend our various activities and social events.

More Details

Upcoming Events

Access to the Reserve: Closed Weds 16th October ONLY, reopens Thurs 17th

Friday 20th September 2024 |

Please note: the reserve is closed on Wednesday 16th October. Regular opening as described below will resume on Thursday 17th.

We are glad to announce that Foxglove Covert is reopening to the general public on Monday 7th October 2024.

A partial fix of the Foxglove Covert access gate has ensured that the safety features (sensors, emergency stop buttons) are now functional. This will allow safe access through the gate.

Unfortunately, the intercom and remote opening system by which the Guardroom normally opens the gate for entry and exit to the reserve is still inoperable. We do not have a timeframe for when this will be repaired.

Entry and exit to the reserve will therefore take place via key fobs which will be issued in exchange for photo ID (driving licence/passport) to visitors when they sign in at the Cambrai Lines front entrance. These fobs can be used to open the gate when entering and exiting the reserve. They must be returned to the front entrance pass office upon exiting the reserve.

Please note access will be limited by the number of fobs available. You may therefore be turned away at the pass office if all fobs are in use at that time. Please only collect one fob per visiting group and ensure you enter and exit the reserve together.

Please see below for organised events. Booking is essential, as attendees will be contacted with access arrangements ahead of the events.

If you are part of an organised group and would like to arrange a visit to the reserve, please contact reserve staff.