Help Leigh Valley Hawk & Owl Sanctuary Replace the Bird Van!
Update
04 Aug 2021
Dear All.
Only FOUR days to go!!! It's wonderful to be able to report that we have raised over $10,000 for our cause! Whereas replacement of the van is not (yet) an emergency, we will be working hard to finalise our on and off line fundraising efforts during August with the hopes of purchasing a new (younger/used) van sometime in late August or early September. The birds have been keeping us very busy here and it's hard to devote much time or energy to the online social media stuff when the demanding work of caring for these feathered critters can sometimes be so all consuming. Unfortunately much time has been devoted to two of our kestrels this week who have been to the vet today, had bloods taken and x rays carried out. Both have a mysterious illness which has effected their appetites. The adage of 'in sickness and in health' is every bit as pertinent to the care of animals as it is in a marriage vow. Owning birds is a marriage of sorts I guess and we owe them the best care they can receive. I do not begrudge the vet bill I paid today (though I winced, briefly) and having critters that are unwell is a part of the swings and roundabouts, the joys and heartbreaks of being in this game. The stress and heartache can be high when the feathered members of your family are not well. As the Queen (of all people) once said; "The price of love is pain." I hope to sleep better tonight now that they are showing some small, early signs of improvement. I am allowing myself a sense of cautious optimism.
As I slid their boxes into the van today it struck me just how much I am looking forward to providing them with a more comfortable ride in the near future. The old van is just so darned bouncy! Thank you everyone who has donated to date for making it a possibility. As our logo states 'mon espoir est en pennes' ('My hope is in Feathers') Well, our hope was in our supporters and they have come through for us, admirably.
Warm regards
Martin
Update
26 Jul 2021
Dear all.
With roughly twelve days to go in the campaign, we are oh-so-close to the half way mark! Never fear! I set the bar rather high and the reality is that even if we don't get to our optimistic finish line, I think I can safely say that the Sanctuary will have a new bird van before too long.
With the help of a valued friend, supporter and Leigh Valley team member we have approached some folk in the car game and there is hope that they may be able to help us out for the amount we raise, hopefully with a very good deal. There's certainly no harm in asking.
For my part I'm simply amazed that in such troubled times that you, our wonderful supporters, have been willing to dig deep, stump up your hard earned cash and support this campaign.
Here at the Sanctuary we have not been doing much driving in the old van anyway, thanks to the recent lock down. Here's hoping that it has the desired effect of driving 'Rona' case numbers down and that we can all get back to work soon. The busy season is approaching with September - November being traditionally our most manic period. This year could be especially so if the pandemic allows as schools scramble to re-book previously cancelled displays, RMIT book me for lab days in our joint kestrel research project (on hold for much of the year) and members of the public approach us about photography days and personalised encounters that have until now been impossible when stuck in one's living room.
Noticeably absent this year are the public displays booked by Landcare groups etc. We had one just recently in Ballan and it made me realise just how much I miss putting birds of prey in front of these community groups who work so hard to enhance and protect the habitat of these amazing animals. At the end of the day they are the people helping to prevent extinction of our precious native wildlife.
I'll sign off for now and I will update you all again soon!
Thanks again
Martin
Update
16 Jul 2021
Dear All.
Thanks so much for the continued support you've shown for our cause. Most recently two anonymous donors which I think relates to our recent display at Ballan. Also a BIG thanks to "one who will not be named" for a generous donation that has taken our donation level to nearly 9 thousand dollars. We have just under two weeks to go in our campaign. If we don't get to our target (which I set rather high) then it is not the end of the world. At least we will have some funds to play with and hopefully we can find a generous car dealer willing to come part of the way on price. We also have a generous offer from a wonderful relative for an interest free loan. We have approached a number of local businesses and organisations for assistance so we are really just biding our time at this stage and waiting to see what responses we get and where we might stand in a fortnight or so...
Meanwhile the fantastic students of Wedderburn College are fundraising for us as well. Our volunteer Patrick and I will be heading up there to conduct a display (covid permitting) at the end of August.
Meanwhile we have had to cancel further displays and work thanks to this latest Victorian lockdown. It really is a dynamic time and whereas the necessity of restrictions are undeniable, the loss of work does hurt, especially on a shoe string budget like ours. Fortunately the losses are not huge (unless the lockdown is extended) and most of our displays can be postponed rather than cancelled altogether. For their part the birds couldn't care less so long as their food is forthcoming and they get some stimulation and entertainment from time to time.
Thanks everybody and stay tuned!
Martin
Update
27 Jun 2021
Just a brief update for all our wonderful supporters! We haven't posted much on social media in the last few days. Apart from anything I felt that a bit of a break from posts might give our many viewers, particularly on Facebook, a break from "van campaign fatigue". We'll definitely be making an effort to ramp things up again this week. We've reached nearly 6 thousand with just over 4 weeks to go which is awesome. If nothing else we'll at least be able to revamp the current van a bit, although we are still hoping to reach our target and aim to upgrade it altogether. The response from local clubs such as Rotary has not been deafening unfortunately but we'll continue to try to get a response from them. Meanwhile balancing our bird work with all of this online and campaigning stuff continues to be a challenge. Talia took Skeksi the Barking Owl for a fly today, for the first time in a while. Local currawongs were bothersome apparently (they don't like owls much) so the session was kept fairly brief. I think they both enjoyed it though and it was nice to see him out and about in our woodland. Next week we'll starting work on a new kestrel enclosure. There's always work to be done and maintenance to be carried out. We are helped in these endevours by our current crew of wonderful volunteers - Molly Watchorn and Patrick Glennon. Molly has returned from a couple of years abroad where she worked at various UK based raptor centres so her insights have been invaluable. Patrick comes to us with a background in various trades and has been busy rectifying my dodgy construction techniques and doing repairs around the place, as well as rapidly picking up some bird handling skills. Its so great to have them both. So that's the news from Leigh Valley! Take care everyone and thanks again for going over and above for us! Martin
Update
22 Jun 2021
Hi All.
Here's a quick update for our wonderful supporters. Where would we be without you? I am personally so touched and grateful for the contributions you have all made. I suspect some of you kind folk have donated so much that it must have been painful on the hip pocket. Although I feel a tremendous sense of gratitude, perhaps more importantly I feel a sense of obligation to ensure that these contributions are honoured by continuing the environmental education work we do, with its important messages of sustainability, habitat protection and biodiversity preservation. But beyond all of this useful 'spin' or 'greenwash' what does this really mean in a practical sense?
For me the journey began as a youngster, when a Black-shouldered kite alighted in a tree above my young head. I must have been about six years old and it was such a close encounter that it affected me deeply. Since that day I have been trying (assisted in no small part by Talia and our volunteers) to recreate this experience for my fellow humans; young, middle aged and old alike by bringing them face to beak with our beautiful birds of prey. For me a deep empathy for wildlife began with a single experience. I hope it has the same effect on others. And wildlife needs empathy from us. Only if people feel a love for these creatures will they truly want to protect them and care for their habitat. The poet laureate of Deep Ecology, Gary Snyder once wrote that 'nature is not a place to visit, it is home'. Your contributions have shown me that you believe that too. That giving back is important. That caring for the world around us,and trying to spread an infectious love of the natural world (and the truly AWESOME adaptations and sheer beauty of birds of prey) is worthwhile. Well, welcome to the Leigh Valley family!
This update has turned into a monologue that is perhaps simply preaching to the converted. But since we've raised a quarter of the amount required in our campaign I think and hope that we deserved that pat on the back! The next challenge is keeping the momentum going. I have noticed a sudden drop off in donations since the weekend. This was inevitable I guess as our most staunch (or more tech savvy) supporters reacted to our plea and reached out to help. Now we are trying to email and otherwise contact our less tech savvy supporters as well as reach out to entities like Rotary Clubs etc to keep things moving. We live in hope!
Well my brief update has become a novel! Have a great week everyone!
Martin
DONATIONS93
Anonymous
Mon, 30 Aug 2021
$ 50
$ 50
Kegan Smith
Fri, 6 Aug 2021
$ 150
Keep those birds in the air mate.
Keep those birds in the air mate.
$ 150
BOB CARTLEDGE
Thu, 29 Jul 2021
$ 150
Keep up the good work Martin and team
Keep up the good work Martin and team
$ 150
Lou Bentley
Mon, 26 Jul 2021
$ 50
We're local, we love birds. Been wanting to come and visit for ages. Wishing you all the best, hope this help you continue.
We're local, we love birds. Been wanting to come and visit for ages. Wishing you all the best, hope this help you continue.
$ 50
Anonymous
Fri, 23 Jul 2021
$ 20
You are true champions and I truly appreciate your dedication. Thank you. I wish I could give you more.
You are true champions and I truly appreciate your dedication. Thank you. I wish I could give you more.
$ 20