SLOW DOWN for wildlife!

With restrictions lifting and everyone getting back on the road for work or leisure, spare a thought for wildlife. In “normal” times, the noise of constant traffic generally keeps most wildlife away from our busy roads. But with over twelve months of reduced traffic throughout the lockdowns, nature has forgotten the dangers of roads.

In the past few weeks we’ve had a number of patients admitted to our Raptor Hospital as a result of collisions with vehicles. Thankfully, all those admitted have not suffered lasting damage and have, or will, be released once they have recovered.

Here are their stories.

This Kestrel was brought in after being hit by a car. She was suffering from a severe head trauma and we were worried she may have a fractured skull. But after 24 hours she was showing the typical Kestrel fighting spirit and had made some improvements, although the trauma has caused her to lose some feathers from her left wing.

After a couple of days in one of our hospital kennels, she was moved to our indoor aviary where we can monitor her movement. She was still a bit sore from the collision but soon made use of the extra space.

The Kestrel continued to improve and was soon moved to an outdoor aviary. Having lost some feathers from her left wing in the incident, we were monitoring her closely to see what impact this had on her flying ability. Thankfully, there appears to be no lasting damage and the feathers will regrow when she next moults, so we hope to be able to release her in the next week or so.

This Tawny Owl was collected after being hit by a vehicle. She had a very sore head but fortunately no broken bones. Just because there are no obvious external injuries, doesn’t necessarily mean all is well, and she was monitored for any internal injuries for a few days.

Thankfully, she perked up and started eating for herself, although the swelling around her eye was giving us some concern. On our regular Vet visit, Elliott checked her over and was happy with her progress. She has some blood in her eye which we will continue to monitor, but her mobility has improved and we hope that she will be released soon.

This Little Owl was found in the middle of a road. She had swelling on her torso and upon investigation there was fluid in her abdomen. Otherwise, she was in good condition and was quite lively when admitted, so we put her in one of the hospital boxes so we could keep an eye on her. Over the weekend, she had other ideas and escaped three times, given our falconers the run around! She was found hiding under the hospital counters and enclosures, which resulted in some removal to contain her again! This proved to us that she was improving, and as the swelling was subsiding, we decided she could go into one of our smaller (but secure!) outdoor aviaries. She has continued to improved and we’ve arranged for her to be released near where she was found over the next few days.

Another Tawny Owl was been brought in after being hit by a vehicle. This bird had swelling around its eyes, head and neck, so will be monitored closely for any longer term damage.

This Barn Owl was brought in by a van driver, after it hit the side of their vehicle. It was very skinny, and we were surprised to find it was suffering from frounce. This infection doesn’t normally affect Barn Owls, but suggests it’s been using a water source used by other birds, namely Pigeons, which are a frequent transmitter of this infection. Thankfully, the owl had no broken bones, so in this case, being hit by a vehicle and brought in to us has probably saved it’s life! After some critical care he appears to have perked up a bit, so we’re keeping everything crossed he continues to improve.

What a difference a day makes!

This Buzzard arrived at our Raptor Hospital suffering from emaciation and an oral bacterial infection known as frounce. This is a yeast infection (also known as canker) and whilst healthy birds appear able to fight it off naturally, it can prove fatal if the bird’s health is compromised in any way. It causes swelling in the tongue and throat, which makes it uncomfortable to eat. This then leads to dehydration, as birds of prey get most of the moisture they need from their food.

Within a few hours of receiving critical care, the Buzzard was much brighter.

When the Buzzard arrived, we gave it a rehydration solution but knew it would be touch and go as to whether it would survive. It was put into one of our hospital boxes to recover and after just a couple of hours was already showing improvements. Within 24 hours it had improved enough that we could start treating the infection, and it was moved to out indoor aviary to give it a bit more space.

We hope that the infection will subside with treatment and that this Buzzard will be able to be released in a few weeks time.

Moving around in the indoor aviary, showing continued progress.

Little Owls

We've had a couple of Little Owls brought into the Hospital over the past week or so. One was found in a sorry state, with a nasty head wound. This could have been from a larger Bird of Prey, such as a Buzzard, or from a cat. The wound required veterinary treatment, so the owl was taken to our specialist vet who is providing critical care in the hope that it will recover. The second Little Owl was found on the floor in a skinny state, and had possibly also been picked up by a cat. Cats pose a big threat to our wildlife, and a bite from a cat can carry some nasty infections, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on this little one over the coming days.

Dementia Friends

During lockdown, some of our staff took the opportunity to become Dementia Friends.

Dementia Friends is an initiative by the Alzheimer’s Society, to raise awareness of this disease and help support everyone affected by Dementia.

Just a week after receiving her badge, our Education Officer Susan shared this experience:

“I was approached by a visitor who saw my Dementia Friends badge and declared "I have Dementia". Because of the training video, I listened as he told me how hard things had been during lockdown but how happy he was that he could get out now. We were watching the falconers flying Nova, our Kestrel and he commented on how the birds still remembered the routine.”

Being a Dementia Friend is about taking action, and we hope that by wearing our badges it will normalise conversations about this disease.

To find out more about the Dementia Friends project, please visit: https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/

GUEST BLOG - Can birds help our mental health?

In the second of our Guest Blogs, we speak to Sandi Monger about the impact of having access to nature during lockdown on her mental health.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hey, I’m Sandi and am a nature loving, outdoorsy, adventure aspiring photographer and conservationist. Currently, I do not work in this industry but I go out for a lot of nature walks, am a member of wildlife groups, litter pick in my own time and I am an amateur photographer too.

For someone who used to be extroverted and really outgoing, life has thrown some things in the way which has made me the complete opposite. Nature has been my salvation!! I can talk to almost anyone and can even deliver workshops.

How important is the outdoors to you?

I have always been an outdoorsy person from when I was a child. I’m not one who plays video games or watches tv that much, even as a child... I was always outside playing games with my friends. As a teen I thought I was really cool so I pretended I didn’t like wildlife any more than the next person. However, I always loved watching the birds in the garden and I would actively search for insects. As I got older, I realised I needed to put myself first and that’s when my love for the outdoors and wildlife really came out. I have got to the point where I need to spend time outside every day, even if it’s in the garden, just to soothe my mind.

You mentioned you watch birds of prey when out for walks:
What species do you see most often?

Before lockdown one (March 2020) I rarely saw a raptor/bird of prey and that’s probably because I was working and only ever going on short walks. I was always so jealous of every person who saw one! When lockdown hit, I really struggled with my mental health because my whole family (in different households) were shielding except from me. This meant that I had to do everything which I didn’t mind because it got me outside! But this time outside was not enough, I needed more, I needed green space and wildlife to help me out. When we could, I ventured outside to my local green areas and that’s when I started to see them. We often saw the same individuals (usually kestrels and buzzards) because we couldn’t go far and only have 3 walks we go on.

We have 3 main walks that we go on, the first being called Catton Park. We see all sorts of birds but our main sightings include this kestrel, buzzards and sparrowhawks. This kestrel is extremely habituated to humans and dogs, we see her every time we go.

The ‘river walk’ we go on is filled with so much wildlife, small birds (tits, wrens etc), migratory birds (redwings, fieldfares), water birds (kingfishers, cormorants) and all the insects. One time we decided to take a break and watch the river because it’s incredibly soothing. That’s when I noticed a buzzard land just over the river in perfect view, I couldn’t believe it! Since then, we see have seen that buzzard almost every time we go there.

Most recently and early in the year, we have come across a tawny owl and 3 owlets!! My first ever owl sighting and one not to forget! Whilst I have loved seeing them, I also have a sense of worry because news spread over private forums, people starting flocking to see them, travelling outside their local areas, going to the trees off of the paths and disrupting the owls! For my own mental wellbeing and for the owls general welfare, I actually got in contact with a charity which is stepping up to help monitor the situation. Even though we see them so often, we always get mega excited and it’s as though a massive release of hormones hits me! I’m uplifted, instantly in a good mood.

‘The field with no name’ is a long walk down a big cycle route surrounded by lots of fields and marshes. This walks takes us out to a massive field, but it’s actually two smaller fields attached to each other. As soon as we walk in through the gate there is almost always a female kestrel. She is very active, flying from tree to tree! At the start of the year we also saw a male (my first ever male) and watched them following each other about and doing areal displaying, we were hoping for babies!!

What’s the most memorable encounter you’ve ever had?

During the national lockdowns, when allowed we (my support bubble) would venture out and go for walks. On our walks to the ‘field with no name’, we saw this buzzard almost every time we went to the field but she was extremely shy, she really didn’t like being seen, until a few weeks ago!

After not going to the field in a while we decided to go for our daily walk there. We hadn’t even entered the field when we heard ‘meeeew’, ‘meeeew’ over and over again, repeatedly as if a conversation was being had. This is when something amazing happened! I know it sounds dramatic but trust me, it’s worth it. Before going into the field we decided to walk around the river, by the roadside because we thought we would get a better view of where they usually rest. We were wrong, as we stood by the river, the two buzzards were flying incredibly low over the field until we saw the female swoop down and land on a tiny nest at the top of a tree.

We rushed round to see her properly and as we walked into the field, the male was circling above and we knew we shouldn’t go any further, so we didn’t. The female then flew away and we were gutted but it doesn’t end there. Because we usually see so much wildlife there we continued our walk around the fields and it wasn’t long until the buzzards came back, swooping incredibly low and flying back into that nest. This time we were already quite close so we just stayed still, not wanting to scare her away. She didn’t stay long again, so we carried on with our walk. Within about five steps she was back and properly investigating this tiny nest. The male then came down very low and landed on top of a small bush not too far away and within seconds the female joined him.

Both of the buzzards continued to fly very low and to investigate nest sites. We were standing on the side of this field where they had previously landed when the female came flying very low, about 5-10m from our heads. She was flying for ages, just above our heads until she decided that she may go back into that bush. Just when she was about to land, she clocked us and flew away.

So as you can see, birds have become a really important role in my life, in particular my mental health. If I'm ever stressed, sad or feeling down then I would always take myself out for a walk because my local birds always relieved that negative feeling. It's as though I became quite attached the the birds I saw regularly but also a sense of excitement when you saw a new bird.

What one tip would you give everyone to help wildlife?

One tip? That’s a hard one but I would probably have to say respect it! Respect it in terms of picking up your litter, not destroying habitats/nests or eggs, stop chasing birds, don’t pollute rivers with fishing gear but also just adjusting your attitude. I have seen many comments on social media or had many conversations with people who are really ignorant, you know? Some local fishermen will kill otters because they’re apparently taking their fish! The fishermen’s fish?! Get that, right!! But you will see many birds building nests filled with litter, or the birds are entangled with litter themselves. But it’s not just that, the little guys need help too #SayNoToTheMow. If everyone respected wildlife and nature then that would be a real stop forward, people will see the need for change and they would hopefully help.

New Nest Box for Hack Pen residents

We have a good working relationship with several local landowners, who allow us to carry out conservation work on their land.

We have previously talked about our hack pen, which is used as a final point of monitoring before releasing birds that have come into us at the Raptor Hospital. The hack pen is a large aviary with a feed hatch and a release gate. It allows birds to build fitness before release, and get used to their surroundings. It also gives them the opportunity to catch their own prey, as the pen has gaps at its base to allow small rodents access.

Local farmer Sam with Education Officer Susan at the hack pen, following a virtual chat with a school about our Raptor Rescue work.

Since it was installed last Autumn, we have released several Kestrels and Sparrowhawks onto the farmland, and monitored them using trail cams. Last month we reported that Sticky and Holewing Barn Owls had been paired together and placed into the hack pen before release. As a pair bonded couple, we were aware that they might want to breed, so provided a nest box inside the hack pen. When the gate was opened and the birds were free to leave, we were encouraged by them continuing to visit.

Barn Owls will often have two broods if the conditions are right, so we were keen to provide them with another option. After speaking with the farmer, we were able to provide a triangular Barn Owl box, which has now been installed on a mature Oak tree at the field edge.

Installing large nest boxes requires a bit more effort than the ones you might have in your garden for Robins or Blue Tits. The boxes are usually made of marine plywood, which although fairly lightweight, can be rather cumbersome to manoeuvre into position. This is especially true if fixing to a tree, which is rarely flat and smooth, and often has branches in exactly the wrong places! It is important to note that in fixing the nest box, care should be taken not to damage any part of the tree.

Barn Owls particularly like an open view from their nests, whereas Tawny Owls don’t mind having some cover to help hide their nests.

Farmer Sam said “We are very keen to help Barn Owls on the farm, we have been part of an agricultural environment scheme since their inception in the 1990’s however the latest stewardship scheme has really improved habitat for all species.  Being a bird of prey we can use the barn owl population as an indicator species for how our habitat management is performing.  If we can create the right habitat for insects and invertebrates then this will provide a food source for larger species and so on.   We have had great success with our current owl boxes and so when Suffolk Owl Sanctuary suggested a location on the farm for another box we were very keen to install it. 

I’m not sure there is a more pleasing sight than watching a barn owl out hunting the hedgerows or grassland.”

If you’d like more information about building or installing nest boxes for Owls, please visit:
https://www.owl-help.org.uk/wild-owl-nestbox-project

Spring is Sprung!

As we prepare to open our gates and welcome visitors back to the Sanctuary, the timing couldn’t be better to see the spectacle of spring in all its glory! Towards the end of March and start of April the daffodils really put on a show across the site and the blossom on the cherry and hawthorn bushes added some colour to the tree tops.

In the woodland walk, primroses and violets have made way for the large fronds of Lords and Ladies. We’re leaving some areas of the Sanctuary a bit untidy to encourage wildlife. In the pond, some of the amphibians have been busy creating the next generation of toads, frogs and newts!

Our birds have also been enjoying the good spring weather and have been getting back into routine in preparation for displays starting back soon.

"Grandad" Owl

A few weeks ago we reported that we had started ringing some hospital birds before release, in order to try and find out what happens after we release them.

Bird ringing in the UK is co-ordinated by the British Trust for Ornithology and involves catching wild birds under licence and attaching a small lightweight metal ring to their legs. Each ring is inscribed with a unique alpha-numeric code which identifies that bird as an individual (a bit like our National Insurance Number). This means that if that bird is encountered again, we get an idea of it’s life history.

Many birds are ringed as chicks still in the nest, and we have supported the Thornham Owl Project for a number of years to enable this monitoring to continue. Ringing chicks in the nest allows ringers to determine exactly what age the birds are, as different species have different moult strategies, making it harder to age adult birds to an exact year.

Last week we received a call from a local vets to see if we could help with a Barn Owl they had received. The owl had been picked up from the side of a road, so we can assume that he’d been hit by a vehicle. Upon arrival with us, he was assessed for injuries and thankfully there were no obvious breaks so he was given some pain relief and time to recuperate. In the process of checking for injuries, we discovered that he had a metal ring on his leg, so once he was settled into one of our hospital aviaries, Jess submitted the ring number to the BTO via their website.

The digitalisation of ringing records results in much faster reports back, and she soon received a reply with the original ringing details for this bird. Turns out, he was ringed as a chick near Boxford on the 26th May 2012, making this bird almost 9 years old! This is by no means a record breaker - the oldest Barn Owl recorded in the UK was over 15 years old when it was last encountered.

In the wild, the average age of Barn Owls is only about 4 years old. Most birds perish in their first winter, struggling to hunt in bad weather and getting into territorial disputes with other birds. When the young leave their nest, they don’t usually travel very far, and this bird was picked up at Long Melford, which as the owl flies is only about 7 or 8 miles away from where it hatched.

This owl was a bit wobbly on his legs for a few days but has made good progress and we will hopefully be releasing him near where he was found soon.

For more information about Bird Ringing, please visit:
www.bto.org

Long term hospital patients ready for release

When a bird comes into our hospital, we always hope to release them back into the wild as soon as possible, providing they are fit and healthy enough to survive. However, for two Barn Owls, they have spent a significant part of their lives in our hospital due to coming into contact with man made threats.

Sticky came to us in September 2019 having been found stuck in a glue trap. Despite our best efforts to minimise the damage, the glue took several days of delicate washing to come free from the feathers, by which time it had already caused irreparable damage to those primary feathers. All birds can moult their feathers if they get worn or damaged, and in raptors this usually takes 2-3 months for them to replace 2-4 feathers (they won’t replace all their feathers at once as this would make it impossible for them to fly and find food in the wild).

Falconers have learnt ways to encourage a bird to moult, and these methods were used with Sticky. However, she wanted to do things in her own time and, as she would in the wild, she grew out her feathers 3 or 4 at a time.

Holewing was found in May 2020 having been caught up in barbed wire. We recently shared another blog about fatal fences. Holewing was so named because of the hole in his wing, which our consulting vet, Elliot, did a marvellous job of patching up. Because of the damage, we knew that Holewing would need more time in our hospital than most birds, so we decided to put him in a large aviary with Sticky.

These two become companions over the past few months. We were pleased to see the hole disappear in Holewing’s wing and Sticky moulted the last of her damaged feathers.

We intended on releasing them via our Hack Pen, which was completed in October last year, but given the length of time they had been with us, we didn’t want to rush this process. We had a few other birds that we felt would benefit from a period in the hack pen before release, so Sticky and Holewing stayed with us over the winter. Then at the end of January, just as we were planning on putting them out, we were hit by that snow, and if there’s one thing that knocks Barn Owls, it’s snow!

Holewing on the left and Sticky on the right, both ready for release.

Having waited until early spring, we hope that the weather will not cause any issues for the Barn Owls when they are released. In preparation for this, Sticky became the first rehab Barn Owl to be ringed for a number of years, as Holewing already had a ring on! This means we were able to find out exactly when and where he was ringed - in a nest box east of Thetford in 2014 as a chick!

Sticky being given a unique metal ring.

Ringing wild birds is useful as it helps scientists see why populations change over time, track migratory birds which may be caught on either their breeding or wintering grounds here or abroad and also gives an idea on the general health of birds. Barn Owls are routinely ringed as chicks in nest boxes by licensed volunteers, as Holewing demonstrates.

Susan is a bird ringer, so was able to assist with taking biometrics of the birds. Here she is measuring Holewing’s wing length.

By ringing our rehab birds, we hope to discover where our birds disperse to after release. We are keeping everything crossed that they may be subsequently found breeding in one of the many Barn Owl nest boxes found in the area as part of the scheme we run in conjunction with volunteers from the Thornham Owl Trust and is funded by the generous donations of S.O.S. supporters.. We will share any ringing recoveries here on our blog, so watch this space!

Sticky, showing off all her new feathers which she’s grown while in our aviaries.

For more information about bird ringing, please visit the British Trust for Ornithology website:
www.bto.org

Making improvements while we're closed

It’s almost a year since the pandemic closed our gates. We were fortunate to be able to reopen towards the end of the summer season and enjoyed a few months of “business as usual”, albeit with restricted numbers, social distancing and extra cleaning and washing going on. We closed our gates again in December, in response to the outbreak of Avian Influenza, and have remained closed to visitors as part of the nationwide lockdown since, although our hospital has remained open throughout.

BUT…we have not been idle during this time!

Last year during the summer lockdown, we built some new off-show aviaries to give some of our birds a break during their annual moult. These will also be used for some of our breeding birds and can be furnished with suitable perches and boxes as necessary. We are grateful to a local manufacturer who donated wood offcuts to us, which has enabled us to create a variety of new perches and nest boxes for our aviaries.

Over the winter, we took the decision to cut back the Rhododendron hedge between Ozzie the Kookaburra and our Flying Team aviaries. Winter is the best time of year to cut back hedging as you’ll cause the least disturbance to wild birds, and whilst the resident Starling flock have lost this roost, there are plenty of alternatives they can choose from in the vicinity of Stonham Barns. This has not only lessened the risk of having the wild birds near our aviaries, but has also let in much more natural light to an otherwise relatively dark area of the Sanctuary. We’re sure Ozzie is enjoying a bit more sunshine now!

We’ve also replaced the fencing around our Children’s Play Area.

Last week, work began on improving one of our original octagonal aviaries, which has stood for 25 years! Mir, our Steppe Eagle who took up residence here around the same time, has been temporarily moved to another aviary while the work was carried out. This has involved removing all of the wire mesh and cutting back the vegetation which is a natural feature of this aviary. We then replaced the mesh on the roof and most of the sides, but have enclosed a couple of sides which face into the prevailing wind. This will give the residents a bit more shelter from inclement weather. We also added a hatch, which will allow us to put flying team members into this aviary in the future.

With a reopening date coming up soon (hopefully the 12th April), our attentions are now turning back to the birds and getting them ready for meeting the public again, so make a note in your diary.
Our Advance Booking system will be open from March 20th and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

World Wildlife Day 2021

For World Wildlife Day 2021 we thought we would celebrate the wonderful Wildlife that call Suffolk Owl Sanctuary home!

Many of our visitors will know that in addition to our captive birds, we attract numerous wild birds, from Blue Tits, Robins and Blackbirds to Starlings, Green Woodpeckers and Sparrowhawks. Sometimes our pond on the flying arena even attracts ducks, but they never stay very long!

We also encourage insects to pay us a visit, and last summer we planted wildflower mixes in some of the spaces between aviaries to provide food for pollinators such as butterflies, moths, bees and beetles, as well as to brighten the place up a bit.

Our Woodland Walk features several wildlife friendly areas, including a pond, insect hotel, log piles and overgrown areas. These are vital refuges for insects, birds, amphibians and small mammals, where they can find food and shelter.

To find out how you can make your own garden wildlife friendly, why not visit our resources to:
Make a Bug Hotel:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5751dba960b5e94cd64107d5/t/600333ce1e378c5ba11e821d/1610822626798/How+to+make+a+bug+hotel.pdf

Build a Pond:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5751dba960b5e94cd64107d5/t/60033341c50f244aee4ed2a8/1610822478289/How+to+build+a+pond.pdf

Make a Recycled Bird Feeder:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5751dba960b5e94cd64107d5/t/60033385655a78118b966f52/1610822555316/How+to+make+a+bird+feeder.pdf

When we had snow in January/ February, we placed a Trail Cam on the Flying Arena and captured this lovely footage of a night-time visitor.

GUEST BLOG - Dr Elliot Simpson MRCVS from Aquilla Veterinary Services Ltd

Here at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary we work with a variety of people and organisations. We thought we’d ask some of them to share some insights into their work.

To kick us off, we’re happy to introduce Dr Elliot Simpson MRCVS, who is our specialist avian vet.

How did you get to where you are today?

Well, where to start! It probably really began, somewhere very similar to SOS. I was absolutely fascinated by seeing birds, and in particular birds of prey, within falconry centres and zoo collections. This fascination then manifested into a passion, and after studying the various sciences at Sixth Form College in North Norfolk, I took a gap year to further my volunteer experience. I worked for three months in the Falkland Islands with Falklands Conservation, volunteering with camp treks across the islands to perform the annual penguin count census. I also volunteered with their veterinary team, which was part of the Agriculture Department.

In 2009, following my gap year, I was fortunate enough to get a place at Bristol Vet School. Having qualified in 2014, I began work as a mixed large animal vet back in Norfolk, steadily building up my experience working with zoo and avian patients.

In 2019, myself and my fiancée Sophie (who is also a vet) spent some time volunteering with providing medical care to the animals on a small island in the Caribbean, where they filmed much of the infamous pirate franchise. One police officer, coconut-filled beaches, and only a weekly food delivery to everyone. A true desert island!

At the start of 2020, I then launched my own zoo and avian veterinary service. And having just celebrated our first year anniversary, here we still are!

Can you describe a normal day in the life of an avian vet?

The first thing to probably say is the best part of the job is that no day is normal, and no two days the same! But generally speaking, admin begins at 06:30; any urgent emails or accounting work, followed by walking the dog at around 07:30, then usually the first call in the morning, starting around 09:00. This will usually involve visiting a client (as most are small zoos/owners of exotics). Sometimes patients are booked in for procedures, whereby I work with a local (and very kind) small animal practice in Norfolk to facilitate surgical or diagnostic procedures.

Afternoons are usually, if there are no emergency or other calls, filled with writing up the notes from any calls in the morning, replying to more emails, and, generally, paperwork! Every patient has their own file, which, every time they are seen, has to have everything recorded.

What have been your most interesting/challenging cases?

A very good question. Avian cases can often be very challenging, due to the fact that birds are generally very bad at showing any signs of being ill. It means that often by the time you may notice something is wrong, they are very sick.

We recently had to see a barn owl that belonged to a private owner, that was cohabited with a small number of other barn owls. On this particular day, for whatever reason, this barn own had suffered a presumed attack at the hand of the others.

This was a challenge as not only did we need to treat the exhausted and hypothermic (cold body temperature) owl, but also consider changes that had to be made to avoid another attack happening in the future. This is where being a vet can be very rewarding, as not only are you treating the animal in front of you, but you often have to play detective to work out the whole story, and how to address the bigger issue. I am pleased to say that the owl made a full recovery, and is now doing well!

What one tip would you give everyone on how to look after wildlife?

Hmmm... one tip! That is a tough one. I guess, as a sneaky answer to try and cover as wide amount of wildlife as possible, my one tip would simply be this; whatever you do, be wildlife- mindful, and do not let perfect be the enemy of good.

You have a hedgerow to cut? Consider the wildlife, and when may be best to cut it, when it won’t harm nesting birds. Have space in your garden? Why not put a bird table out there? You have the option of buying three peppers loose or three in plastic? Make that conscious effort and avoid the plastic. You have an area of the garden you could seed as wildflower or just leave to overgrow and see what happens? Do it! Don’t be put off thinking “that small pile of leaves in my garden won’t make a difference,” as every little bit everyone does, really does add up.

Being wildlife-mindful doesn’t have to be at our detriment, or a chore - it is engaging, thoroughly rewarding, and to be honest, surely is our duty. Especially when we have such a beautiful array of species living on our doorstep, that are facing such uncertain times ahead. Learn to enjoy wildlife, as it is far more enthusing to involve yourself with something you enjoy.

Tawny Owls need to learn the Green Cross Code!

We’ve recently taken in two Tawny Owls who have been involved in collisions with vehicles.

This individual was found by one of our volunteers after being seen by the roadside and was unable to fly or stand. Upon investigation he was found to have a slight fracture to the pelvis which luckily was not displaced so we hope with a bit of rest and recovery he will be back to normal. Until then he is enjoying a much needed warm break from the weather!

Our second Tawny patient found itself concussed after flying into the finder's lorry. He was kind enough to pick him up and bring him to us for assessment and was found, albeit a bit dizzy, to be suffering no obvious injuries. A very lucky tawny! He should be on his way soon after some rest and recovery

Buzzard boy

This sweet male buzzard was brought to us by Loren at Ryder Davies vets in Woodbridge after being found on the ground. Luckily he was in decent condition, albeit a bit thin, but was suffering from a sore leg which potentially could have been the result of an RTA.

After a few days indoors he was showing signs of improvement so was put outside in a flight aviary to recover further and within a week feeling much better. He has since been returned to where he was found and released.

Kestrel feeding time

We’ve had a busy few weeks in the hospital. This is to be expected when the weather takes a turn for the worse. The prolonged cold spell and deep snow makes it difficult for all wildlife to find food and stay warm, but for young birds experiencing winter for the first time, it can be deadly.

This young male Kestrel was found at the side of a road in a weakened state and was taken to Uplands Vets. They couldn’t find any obvious injuries suggesting it had been hit by a vehicle, but did discover that he had an oral infection. Usually this is a common infection called frounce but Uplands were kind enough to culture the growths and found it to be clear of trichomonas parasites so he is currently being treated for a bacterial infection instead. It is possible that he picked up an infection from being in poor condition and foraging on the floor beside the road.

When he first arrived he was very weak and needed to be hand fed small strips of high quality meat and offal (heart, lungs, liver etc) with no casting (feathers/bone) to limit the stress on the body. As you can see he was very thankful of the meal!

Once he has gained some strength and is feeding by himself, he’ll be placed in one of our aviaries to give him some more space to build up condition before he is released.

Romeo and Juliet

This pair of Kestrels arrived together the day after Valentines Day after being found in an unused holiday cottage - luckily the finders have been popping by to check up on the property, where they were greeted with these two trying to set up their love-nest in one of the bedrooms!

The theory was that they had entered via a chimney in the room, most likely looking for somewhere to start nest building together. Although fairly dehydrated and hungry these two probably didn't have a bad place to weather the cold snap!

It’s very unusual to be brought in an adult pair in such good condition (except the odd scrape) so we hope to get this pair out as soon as possible so they can continue their nest building!

Cowlick the Kestrel

This is Cowlick, a young male Kestrel who was found on the floor in a barn being licked by cows! It’s possible she had been living and hunting around the farm and happened to get a bit waterlogged after the recent rains. He must have found shelter in the barn but the cows just wanted to check he was ok, it seems!

He was also suffering from a foot infection called bumblefoot - this is seen a lot more commonly in captive birds with inadequate perching (usually hard flat surfaces can cause it) It's rare to see this condition in wild birds, which suggests he could have been perching / living in the barn for a while, as they usually have a lot of flat surfaces. Failing that it could simply be an old puncture wound that has become infected. He is currently receiving treatment to ensure he is fit for release in the near future.

Sparrowhawk in a sling

Sometimes, our team need to think outside the box when treating birds that are brought into us at the hospital.

This female Sparrowhawk was found underneath a window in a garden and was unable to stand. She had presumably collided with the window while hunting.

Upon arrival, the team found she had an area of swelling on her spine which was preventing her from standing. She was given medication but the team needed a way to support her body without putting too much weight on her legs while she recovered. They made a little sling for her out of a piece of fabric, cutting holes so her feet could touch the floor and hold her in a natural standing position. This was hung inside one of our small hospital boxes to prevent her from crashing around and making her situation worse.

A makeshift sling helped this Sparrowhawk in the early days of her recovery.

She had to be tweezer fed for the first few days which she took to readily thanks to her strong fighting spirit! That bird wanted to live!

The team assessed her daily and she made good progress so that after a week or so she was transferred into an aviary, where they could monitor her for any long term damage.

After several weeks she was deemed fit and well enough to be released and was returned to where she was found.

Fatal fences

Fences are widely used in the UK to form barriers and mark boundaries. However, did you know that they can also caused issues for wildlife?

In 2020 we had a few cases brought into our Raptor Hospital of Barn Owls having been found caught up in barbed wire fences. Barbed wire is usually used to keep livestock contained in fields, with the sharp metal barbs reminding cattle and sheep that they should stay on their side of the fence. To livestock, the barbs are less likely to cause damage to their thick hides unless the animals are driven into the fence (in the case of panic through being chased).

Barbed wire fences should be kept taut, which means that even a large animal should merely “bounce” off them if they do charge. However, farmers move livestock between fields and some fences may not be regularly checked or maintained. A broken fence post or a lost staple can leave the barbed wire loose. For livestock, this could mean it gets wound up around their legs, and cause damage as they try to escape. However, livestock are checked regularly and any injuries would be dealt with and treated, and hopefully the offending fence fixed.

For wildlife, any injuries are likely to go unnoticed until it’s too late. In the case of birds, they can get tangled in the loose wire, panic and in an attempt to get away cause more damage as the barbs cut their delicate skin. This was the case in all the cases we had last year.

Unfortunately, for most of the owls, they were too badly injured by the time they came in to us and the kindest thing to do was to euthanise them to end their suffering. However, we were fortunate that one did make a full recovery, thanks to the dedication of our specialist vet, so was able to release it a short time back.

There is nothing better than seeing a Barn Owl flying out over a field after release, especially one that was so horrifically injured when it first came in to us.

Fences in urban areas can also cause issues for one of our favourite mammals, the Hedgehog. This species has declined drastically in recent years and last year we wrote how it had been listed as vulnerable to extinction in the UK (https://www.owl-help.org.uk/blog/2020/8/10/hedgehogs-classed-as-vulnerable-to-extinction)

As their name suggests, Hedgehogs are typically associated with hedges, which were traditionally used to mark boundaries and contain livestock. With increased demand for food, and hedges taken up more space and maintenance than fences, massive swathes of them have been ripped out of rural Britain to create larger fields for crops. The loss of hedges has meant suitable habitat and food sources have been depleted for Hedgehogs, as hedgerows support a community of species from plants and insects to mammals and birds.

In towns and cities we have fenced ourselves into our gardens and removed much of the natural surface in preference for easy, low maintenance paving or decking. This not only removes the natural food sources for wildlife (plants which produce nectar and pollen, seeds and fruits) but also places for them to live (insects need vegetation to lay eggs on and soil for their young to pupate and hibernate in).

In addition to this, fences create barriers, and the solid base found on many boundaries restrict movements of animals like Hedgehogs, who struggle to find food, shelter and mates in ever smaller territories.

To raise awareness of this, an organisation called Hedgehog Street was launched and developed a Hedgehog Highway idea, encouraging home owners to cut a small hole in the bottom of their fences to allow Hedgehogs to move around and get access to new gardens. For more information on this, please visit: https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs/link-your-garden/

Photo by WildSouthUK

You can find more information about keeping your garden Hedgehog friendly here:

https://www.owl-help.org.uk/hedgehog-care

We have also joined forces with Suffolk Prickles and hope to be able to offer additional space for their Hedgehog Rescue later this year.

https://suffolkprickles.org/

State of UK Birds Report

Every few years, bird survey data gathered by thousands of volunteers from across the UK are brought together to provide detailed information on our wild bird populations status in the State of UK Birds report. This report was published at the end of 2020 and we thought you might be interested in a summary of how UK birds of prey are doing.

Buzzards are increasing everywhere apart from in Wales. They top the English list of species successes with a 1070% increase between 1995-2018, and come second for Northern Ireland with an increase of 1305% between 1995-2018!

Red Kites top the list of successes in Wales, with the highest increase in population (413% increase between 1995-2018).

Kestrels appeared on the list of declines in Scotland, with the second highest decline (61%) between 1995-2018.

Across Britain Tawny Owl occupancy dropped to 53% from 65% in 2005 (see below for more information on this).

Hobbies have shown a long term population increase of 568%, which could be in part due to climate change*. However, short term declines of 23% in the past 10 years, suggesting they have passed their recent peak in population size.
*Hobbies may have benefited from milder conditions due to climate change in the past few decades, but may now be suffering from other negative effects, such as a decrease in the abundance of larger invertebrate prey.

Around 19 million pairs of breeding birds have been lost since 1960s! While this number will include some birds of prey, the majority of these lost birds will be passerines and waders, which make up a significant proportion of many predatory birds diets.

Here are a few extracts from the report that are relevant to birds of prey specifically:

“Increases in the number of red kites and white-tailed eagles have resulted from targeted action, such as reintroduction projects, habitat creation and land management supported through agri-environment schemes. It is worth noting, however, that despite these recoveries, most of these species remain dependent on ongoing conservation support and are found at levels far lower than before historic population declines.
Increases in both the long and short term are obvious for most of our birds of prey. A release from historic levels of persecution and the impacts of organochloride pesticides has allowed raptors such as ospreys, peregrines and marsh harriers to recover. However, hen harriers remain a notable exception, with a lack of recovery, and indeed a short-term decline, caused by illegal persecution.”

“Project Owl
During 2018 and 2019, the BTO ran Project Owl, a set of interrelated, UK-wide research and engagement projects focused on owls.
Two of the major projects within Project Owl aimed to better understand the population status and calling behaviour of tawny owls. We chose tawny owls as the primary focus for several reasons: they’re widespread in the UK (although absent from Northern Ireland and some islands); they have distinctive calls and so can be identified even by inexperienced volunteers; and, most importantly, they are thought to be undergoing a decline which has been detected in the daytime Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) that required investigation through a bespoke survey.

Declines in occupancy
The Tawny Owl Point Survey was a survey to determine their presence or absence (occupancy) during autumn 2018. This was compared to past surveys in 1989 and 2005 to investigate changes in occupancy over time.
The survey followed a standardised methodology and was coordinated via the volunteers of the BTO Regional Network. The method involved carrying out multiple, 10-minute-long surveys in a set of pre-selected tetrads. Volunteers typically visited their tetrad twice and recorded the presence or absence of tawny owls during two consecutive 10-minute periods on each visit, although there was some flexibility in the visit structure.
Over 2,120 volunteers took part, with 2,900 tetrads surveyed. It is estimated that there was a 51% probability of hearing a tawny owl in any given survey period, assuming they were present. Taking detectability into account, there is evidence of a significant UK-wide decline in tawny owl occupancy, from an estimated occupancy of around 62% in 1989 and 65% in 2005, to 53% in 2018. Analysis is currently ongoing to identify potential causes.

Tawny owl calling behaviour
The other survey carried out was the Tawny Owl Calling Survey, which was coordinated by the Garden BirdWatch (GBW). By allowing participants, many new to monitoring, to select their own sites, this survey proved highly popular. It ran from 30 September 2018 until 30 March 2019, with over 9,000 1-km squares surveyed.
Despite the unstructured nature of the design, the large dataset can be analysed to investigate changes in tawny owl calling behaviour over the winter, during the night and in relation to a range of environmental factors.
Analyses are still underway but patterns of calling behaviour will help design and interpret future surveys. There is evidence that owl presence is influenced positively by certain types of woodland and negatively by artificial light and urbanisation.”

The State of UK Birds 2020 report was jointly published by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), together with the UK’s statutory nature conservation bodies.

You can find the full report here:
https://www.bto.org/sites/default/files/publications/state-of-uk-birds-2020-report.pdf