Friends from across the Pond...
We are extremely fortunate to have so many loyal supporters and adopters here at the Sanctuary and we are always immensely appreciative of the help we are given. As a charity, we rely entirely on donations and admission charges for the upkeep of the centre, the care of our resident birds and the work we do to rehabilitate young or injured wild birds and return them to their natural habitat. Also, we put a great deal of time and effort into a number of conservation and education projects with a view to spreading the word about the vital importance of preserving our native bird-of-prey species and the ecological balance they help to maintain.
Just this week, we received a donation from a most unexpected quarter and it came as a lovely surprise. A very kind letter arrived at the Sanctuary from Belen Lopez, the Environmental Kids Organisation Sponsor at the Sun Ridge Middle School in El Paso, Texas, USA. The school had raised money for the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary through a penny drive and proudly presented us with a cheque for $146.96!
So we would like to say a great big THANK YOU to all the children who donated their pennies to help us with our conservation work and we would like to say, if you ever happen to be visiting England and find yourselves in our neck of the woods, we would be very pleased to see you!
Hospital Update
As many of you will know from reading our previous blogs and newsletters, whatever else is going on at the Sanctuary the work of the hospital continues come rain or shine, high days or holidays. This year has been no exception.
One recent Barn Owl intake was found by the road-side looking rather the worse for wear, but actually by the time it arrived at the Sanctuary it was looking a whole lot better. Close examination revealed no breaks or injuries and so it seemed likely that the owl was just dazed. Once its flight had been tested, the bird was given a clean bill of health and returned to the wild, close to where it had been found.
Of course this is the best kind of scenario that the falconers can hope for, although sometimes life just isn’t quite that kind. Unfortunately, another Barn Owl - a victim of the cold weather and the difficulties of finding food - was not surprisingly unable to regain its strength after what we presume was a fair amount of exposure to the chilly elements and so passed away peacefully a few days after being brought to the hospital.
At present we have a Kestrel in the hospital, which had flown into someone’s patio widow. Luckily, investigation showed there was nothing really wrong apart from the fact that it’s tail was only an inch long! Just a case of early moulting causing flight difficulties, so once the Kestrel’s tail has grown again and the falconers are sure she’s up to prime weight and fitness (and of course weather permitting at the moment) she will be released back into the wild.