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\u201cIt has built up its strength, we tried to release it last week, but can\u2019t find its parent so we\u2019re going to try for a soft release from here,\u201d Ms Skehan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a special door at top of aviary allowing it to come and go until it finds its feet so to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starting as a wildlife carer in 2017, Ms Skehan is part of small but dedicated group in the region committed to rescuing and rehabilitating animals with the goal of releasing them back into the wild.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a group of us across the Bellarine, Surf Coast, Winchelsea who help each other out.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot just knowledge, guidance, but also emotional support \u2026sometimes it\u2019s hard being a carer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I started rescuing about five years ago, there was hardly any bird carers around. There\u2019s a few around Ocean Grove, otherwise there\u2019s no large flight aviary anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people might look and see just a bird and an aviary, but it\u2019s so much more than that,\u201d Andy Meddick said after inspecting the new facility recently.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes many people and hours of effort, dedication and gathered knowledge, to successfully rescue, care for, rehabilitate and release wildlife.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Skehan thanked local builder Patty Brown and concretor Tim Leith for their part in building the aviary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been really good sports, they didn\u2019t charge extra for the original quote they did at the end of 2020, despite the rise of building costs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The facility is still a work in progress, the soft release trapdoor is a new installment, security cameras have been added and the next step is to plant native vegetation around the enclosure.<\/p>\n
Ms Skehan is hoping the maiden resident Kestrel, now able to fly, will gain confidence to fly the coup within weeks.<\/p>\n
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A $30,000 state government grant has enabled construction of a new large-scale aviary for rescued birds in the Surf Coast and Bellarine regions, helping fill a gap in the ability of wildlife carers to rehabilitate larger birds. \u201cIt\u2019s a community resource that\u2019s needed,\u201d Torquay wildlife carer Cindy Skehan said of the eight metres long and […]<\/p>\n