Barn Owl about to fly from the box

We have been looking after thirteen wild birds and one new Trust bird this month. As we worked up towards the Christmas break we were in a position to re-release five wild birds, in the areas where they were originally found. They were:

• A Kestrel from Christchurch in Dorset which had been hit by a van;
• Two Buzzards, one brought into us by Wiltshire Wildlife and one from the Basingstoke area of Hampshire with a shoulder injury;
• One Barn Owl that came from near to the Trust, after hitting a car;
• A lovely Little Owl that had fallen into a vat of molasses in a farm yard in Dorset.

All went off very well.

Buzzard in a hospital bay

We are caring for a Buzzard referred to us from a vet in Eastleigh in Hampshire. This bird is quite lively but is not really improving. It is very wobbly on its feet and may have spinal damage which is difficult to diagnose. (At the time of writing, this bird is about to go back to our vet for further x rays and examination). I’ll let you know the outcome next month.

Mindy the Brahminy Kite

We have treated four other Barn Owls. All had to be euthanased because of the severity of their injuries. Two had both legs broken, one had bad head and eye injuries and one had a broken right wing and hip. These birds had probably all been involved in traffic accidents. We have seen three Tawny Owls; again we think that these birds received their injuries by colliding with moving vehicles. Two had broken legs and one was referred to us by our friends at the Hungerford Veterinary Centre with a fractured wing and blood in the eyes. We try very hard to treat all the injured wild birds that are brought into us, but sometimes the injuries are so severe nothing can be done but to put them out of the pain that they are suffering. Not our first choice but sometimes necessary.

To end on a more cheerful note, the Trust has received back from Whipsnade Zoo, Mindy a Brahminy Kite. She is spending some time in the hospital while undergoing her final health checks before going out into a park aviary. Some of you may remember Mindy being here some years ago.