Paddington on tour

Paddington's had a very exciting day!

At 10:39 (this time has been confirmed from the video footage) this morning (Saturday 28th July), he flew off the tray. This was no accidental flight of fancy, but a deliberate and well planned flight. It didn't look like the first faltering flight, so maybe he has been off the tray before. I will go back over hours of video footage to check.

Anyway, this flight didn't end too well, leaving him stranded on the ground nearby. Some very kind person (I don't yet know who) managed to catch him and took him to the Vale Wildlife Centre at Beckford. This is where the ringing system really works well, as within a few minutes, the Gloucester Raptor Monitoring Group received a call to say he had been rescued. The GRMG arranged to collect him and bring him back to his home at Tewkesbury Abbey.

Having decided (the hard way - after climbing all the way up) that it was far too windy to let him out of his cardboard box in the top of the tower, we descended to a lower, safer, roof on the east side of the Abbey, just under his tray.

Here, the box was opened and we retreated.

By the time we got down the tower, Paddington was sitting on the parapet none the worse for his day out.

Many thanks to the person(s) who found him, and for doing the right thing. Also thanks to those at Vale Wildlife (click here) and the GRMG