What a hoot for Daily Express wildlife competition winners
JESSICA Millward has no time to flap as one of the winners of a Daily Express competition.
She and half a dozen others gathered at Horse Common to watch owls and other birds of prey along with TV presenter Chris Packham.
The wildlife campaigner had stepped in to help the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds raise £90,000 to buy the 91-acre plot in the New Forest.
It is now home to 130 birds in the care of the Hawk Conservancy Trust, including this stunning 10-year-old tawny owl called Troy, who took a fancy to Jessica.
Another winner, Joshua D’Arcy, 22, – who helped raise £9,473.50 via our contest to spend an afternoon bird-watching with Chris – was even braver as he allowed a vulture called Fagin to perch on his arm.
Chris, 60, who has visited the attraction since he was a teenager, told them: “I’ve loved vultures enough that I’ve fed them.
“And, of course, I don’t mean I’ve given them a piece of meat. I mean, I’ve given them a piece of myself!”
He then pointed to a small scar on his right hand as he explained how a hand-reared griffon vulture “pecked” him and took a “massive chunk of skin”.
He added: “The bird was wandering around. It’s a bit like a petulant child because we were not paying it sufficient attention. It decided to have a go at me, a little peck.”
Tom Morath, who is part of the trust’s bird team, warned the visitors that Fagin takes after his Oliver Twist namesake because he is the “most fantastic pickpocketer”. As if on cue, the 4lb bird, who is “not always the most graceful lander”, jumped straight into Tom’s back pocket for his lunchtime snack of diced chicken pieces.
The majestic bird later soared across his 100ft enclosure resembling the African savannah, with a watering hole and dispersed trees.
Joshua, from Salisbury, said: “It was awesome. I could really feel the talons. I can’t believe that happened.”
He said his love of nature had been inspired by Sir David Attenborough and Chris Packham, who is backing the Daily Express Green Britain Needs You campaign.
●●To donate to the Horse Common appeal, visit www.rspb.org.uk/ horsecommonappeal. To find out more about Hawk Conservancy Trust, go to www.hawkconservancy.org/
pleased that so many readers and the paper have engaged with our Plant For The Planet initiative.
“It’s a hands-on project to encourage people to grow something.
“The Daily Express’s Green Britain Needs You campaign has been so positive and has engaged so many people on the whole issue of making more space for nature and tackling climate change.
“It has been a great initiative. Well done to everyone that has got involved.
“This campaign to buy Horse Common is almost the climax to a great year’s work.”
●●To help raise funds, send cheques made payable to RSPB to Daily Express Horse Common appeal, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL or donate via rspb.org.uk/ horsecommonappeal