Kestrel - photo by Bert Mulder

This month we have seen a variety of species of wild birds of prey brought into the hospital. As you will read, most of them were very severely injured or ill. Unfortunately rehabilitation sometimes goes in cycles and this month was one of the more difficult ones. We received 11 wild birds during the month.

There were two Barn Owls; one came to us from Dorset with a fractured humerus and the other with an injured pelvis or spine. We saw two Short-eared Owls from Salisbury and Newbury. Both had wing damage too severe to be treatable. Short-eared Owls do not come our way very often and one of these had been caught in barbed wire causing an open wound.

Barn Owl - photo by Thea Love

This month has seen more Sparrow Hawks come into the hospital. Three of them had serious head injuries or Frounce, which is a bad throat and mouth infection, none of which were treatable. However one, which came from just outside Winchester, was found trapped in a net over fruit bushes on an allotment. It had a dislocated right leg and possible ligament damage. It is on medication and is beginning to show some improvement. It will take time to heal and it is too early to know if it will be fit enough to return to the wild.

Also this month we treated two Tawny Owls and a Kestrel, all with wing damage. They did not make it. The Kestrel and Sparrow Hawk reported on last month are both continuing to recover now in the pre-release aviaries outside.