16.11.2012

Saving Ollie

It’s Friday and the weekend beckons, perfect time for a story of how an aerial lift helped save a nifty little owl.

The story began when Paul Doidge found a baby owl that had fallen from a nest in an old barn, and was still alive. Finding such a young owl at this time of the year is unusual, but the wet weather in the UK this year has apparently severely disrupted their breeding season and so it seemed even more important to try and rescue this one’s life.
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Paul Doidge with young Ollie

Doidge called all the usual suspects for help and advice, such as owl sanctuaries, vets and animal rescue charities and was told by all of them that the young barn owl wouldn’t survive so not to waste his time and to leave nature to take its course.

Unable to bring himself to do so he started feeding the reluctant owl little bits of meat and it gradually gained strength to the point where he was able to start feeding it whole mice and other delicacies. The owl, by now named Ollie thrived and time came to return it to its mother.

The Owl experts, now interested in Ollie suggested that he should be put into a new nesting box in the barn where he was born. The problem was that having made the nesting box it needed to be placed on one of the rafters high up in the eaves of the old barn. Using a ladder to reach it was tough enough but fit or install the box from a ladder was clearly not an option.
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Ollie tries the new box for size

Bringing a platform in was also going to be challenge as a large oil tank blocks the entrance to any form of equipment. Doidge decided to see if a friend of his – John Keely of Niftylift – could help. He came along and checked it out and suggested one of the manufacturers 21 metre trailer lifts would be ideal if tight.
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Setting the machine up

Sure enough the unit’s combination of up and over and long outreach worked perfectly allowing the box to be fitted firmly to the beam and then to place the maturing owl inside.
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There was just enough room to clear the tank and squeeze in under the door -the unit was equipped with Niftylift’s SiOPs anti-entrapment system.

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Installing the box between the beam and a timber

We understand that Ollie has now been fitted with a leg ring, successfully reunited with his mother and is continuing to thrive - naturally.
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A job well done