• Admissions & Booking
    • • Planning your visit
    • • Group Visits
    • • About your visit
    • • Meerkat Kastle
    • • Find Us
    • • Discovery Centre
    • • Download a map of S.O.S.
  • About S.O.S.
  • Making a Donation
  • Help for Injured Owls
    • * Avian Flu
    • • What to Do
    • • Injured Owls
    • • Orphaned Owls
    • • The S.O.S. Raptor Hospital
    • • Raptor Rescue Orgs.
    • • Help For Other Injured Wildlife
  • Adopt-an-Owl...
  • Saving Britain's Owls
    • • Overview
    • • Wild Owl Nestboxes
    • • Keeping Owls as Pets
    • • Owls & The Law
    • • Nest Box Scheme
  • Education at S.O.S.
    • • S.O.S. Education Department
    • • Education Visits to S.O.S.
    • • Outreach Visits
    • • Higher & Further Education
    • • School and Group Projects
    • • The SOS Shop
    • • "The Screecher" Newsletter
    • • Group Talks
  • Encounters & Experiences
    • • Gift Passes
    • • Close Encounters
    • • Owl Encounters
    • • Meerkat Encounters
    • • Armadillo Encounters
    • • Porcupine Encounters
    • • Half Day Animal Keeper
    • • Half Day Bird Keeper
    • • Keeper for the Day
    • • The WILD Club 2025
  • Pellet Detectives
  • S.O.S. Events
  • We Are Hiring
  • Raptor Factors
  • Photography at S.O.S.
    • • 2024 Photo Competition Results
  • Home Fun For Kids!
  • The S.O.S. Blog
  • Volunteering at S.O.S.
    • • Help Us at S.O.S. H.Q.
    • • Volunteer Hosts
    • • Corporate Volunteers
    • • Join the Owl-Reach Team!
  • Hedgehog Care
  • Bees, Bugs & Butterflies
  • Suffolk's Endangered Wildlife
  • Newsletter Archive
  • Legacies & Donations
  • Local Events & Places to Stay
  • Our Sponsors
  • S.O.S. Privacy Policy
  • Use of CCTV at S.O.S.
  • S.O.S. Safeguarding Policy
  • Menu

Suffolk Owl Sanctuary

  • Admissions & Booking
    • • Planning your visit
    • • Group Visits
    • • About your visit
    • • Meerkat Kastle
    • • Find Us
    • • Discovery Centre
    • • Download a map of S.O.S.
  • About S.O.S.
  • Making a Donation
  • Help for Injured Owls
    • * Avian Flu
    • • What to Do
    • • Injured Owls
    • • Orphaned Owls
    • • The S.O.S. Raptor Hospital
    • • Raptor Rescue Orgs.
    • • Help For Other Injured Wildlife
  • Adopt-an-Owl...
  • Saving Britain's Owls
    • • Overview
    • • Wild Owl Nestboxes
    • • Keeping Owls as Pets
    • • Owls & The Law
    • • Nest Box Scheme
  • Education at S.O.S.
    • • S.O.S. Education Department
    • • Education Visits to S.O.S.
    • • Outreach Visits
    • • Higher & Further Education
    • • School and Group Projects
    • • The SOS Shop
    • • "The Screecher" Newsletter
    • • Group Talks
  • Encounters & Experiences
    • • Gift Passes
    • • Close Encounters
    • • Owl Encounters
    • • Meerkat Encounters
    • • Armadillo Encounters
    • • Porcupine Encounters
    • • Half Day Animal Keeper
    • • Half Day Bird Keeper
    • • Keeper for the Day
    • • The WILD Club 2025
  • Pellet Detectives
  • S.O.S. Events
  • We Are Hiring
  • Raptor Factors
  • Photography at S.O.S.
    • • 2024 Photo Competition Results
  • Home Fun For Kids!
  • The S.O.S. Blog
  • Volunteering at S.O.S.
    • • Help Us at S.O.S. H.Q.
    • • Volunteer Hosts
    • • Corporate Volunteers
    • • Join the Owl-Reach Team!
  • Hedgehog Care
  • Bees, Bugs & Butterflies
  • Suffolk's Endangered Wildlife
  • Newsletter Archive
  • Legacies & Donations
  • Local Events & Places to Stay
  • Our Sponsors
  • S.O.S. Privacy Policy
  • Use of CCTV at S.O.S.
  • S.O.S. Safeguarding Policy


The Suffolk Owl Sanctuary
Stonham Barns
Pettaugh Road
Stonham Aspal IP14 6AT
e-mail:
info@owlhelp.org.uk

Tel: 03456 807 897
Option 3: General information
+ Adoptions, Courses etc.
Option 5: If you need help with an injured bird of prey

Reg. Charity No. 1086565

1fa12cba-2e60-490b-95c1-8a011d206c0b.jpg

Anglian Water to the rescue

July 01, 2020

This male kestrel came to us recently, having been found by Anglian Water in an outdoor sewage processing pit. 

It was soaked through, covered in sewage and couldn’t fly, however, thankfully, we couldn’t find any obvious signs of injury, sickness or starvation. We assume this kestrel could have attempted to bath, or was possibly hunting insects around the tank and fell in. 

326af4bc-1d32-4f8e-b9ff-3dcdb677c495.JPG

After administering some fluids to help with hydration and shock, we began to carefully bath the kestrel in warm water and washing up soap. Washing up soap is great for removing contaminates from feathers, but it does also temporarily remove the waterproofing oils on the feathers - so we gave it several days ‘box rest’ to dry off and preen. This is a process whereby the bird will add waterproofing oils back onto the feathers.

The kestrel ate very well from day one and we are pleased to say it is now under observation outside in an aviary, to ensure it can move around easily enough ahead of release.

c1d97518-ec93-4902-8dbc-caca06d60beb.jpg

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, the response to our ‘Save Our Sanctuary' appeal has significantly helped us towards the expense of feeding, caring, cleaning, veterinary services and medication requirements of the injured or unwell wild birds of prey that pass through our hospital. 

However, accrued financial shortcomings means we need to continue to raise funding to look after birds such as this kestrel, who need specialist feeding, exercise, medication and veterinary treatment.

Determined to survive, we ask for your help to maintain our full range of rescue, rehab and conservation services through the winter months ahead, without compromise. Donating a few pounds a month to our 'Onwards & Upwards' survival fund by becoming a Friend of S.O.S. will help us to do this.

As always we thank you for your support, and we hope to be able to welcome you back through our doors soon.


Prev / Next

Featured Posts

Top
Featured
May 13, 2025
No Mow May
May 13, 2025
May 13, 2025
Mar 16, 2025
British Science Week 2025
Mar 16, 2025
Mar 16, 2025
Mar 2, 2025
World Wildlife Day 2025
Mar 2, 2025
Mar 2, 2025
Feb 27, 2025
A Visit From Our Vet- Meerkat Microchipping and Raptor Rehabilitation
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 2, 2025
National Hedgehog Day 2025
Feb 2, 2025
Feb 2, 2025
Jan 24, 2025
How to Help Birds this Winter
Jan 24, 2025
Jan 24, 2025
Jan 6, 2025
For Eve – Autumn Days.
Jan 6, 2025
Jan 6, 2025
Nov 15, 2024
A Brief Summary of the History of Falconry
Nov 15, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
Oct 1, 2024
Red Squirrel Awareness Week
Oct 1, 2024
Oct 1, 2024
Sep 13, 2024
International Vulture Awareness Day 2024
Sep 13, 2024
Sep 13, 2024
Sep 3, 2024
Meet the New Team Members!
Sep 3, 2024
Sep 3, 2024
Jul 5, 2024
Red Squirrels return to Suffolk Owl Sanctuary
Jul 5, 2024
Jul 5, 2024
Apr 4, 2024
Winter guests released
Apr 4, 2024
Apr 4, 2024
Mar 27, 2024
Why no Owls???
Mar 27, 2024
Mar 27, 2024
Mar 18, 2024
British Science Week 2024
Mar 18, 2024
Mar 18, 2024
Mar 13, 2024
Lizzy the Tangled Tawny Owl
Mar 13, 2024
Mar 13, 2024
Feb 27, 2024
Sparrowhawk rescue
Feb 27, 2024
Feb 27, 2024
Feb 12, 2024
Volunteer Training
Feb 12, 2024
Feb 12, 2024
Feb 12, 2024
Double release marks historic moment
Feb 12, 2024
Feb 12, 2024
Feb 1, 2024
Lincoln stays with his best friend
Feb 1, 2024
Feb 1, 2024
Jan 29, 2024
Mary the Buzzard
Jan 29, 2024
Jan 29, 2024
Jan 26, 2024
Piper the Tawny Owl
Jan 26, 2024
Jan 26, 2024
Jan 4, 2024
Hospital updates
Jan 4, 2024
Jan 4, 2024
Dec 29, 2023
What a year for learning...
Dec 29, 2023
Dec 29, 2023
Dec 12, 2023
24 hours later...
Dec 12, 2023
Dec 12, 2023
Dec 11, 2023
Chimney Tawny
Dec 11, 2023
Dec 11, 2023
Nov 28, 2023
Group volunteers lend a hand
Nov 28, 2023
Nov 28, 2023
Nov 28, 2023
Winter maintenance for nest boxes
Nov 28, 2023
Nov 28, 2023
Nov 8, 2023
New home for Nelson
Nov 8, 2023
Nov 8, 2023
Nov 7, 2023
A Tale of two Shorties
Nov 7, 2023
Nov 7, 2023