This Marsh Harrier was brought in from another rescue after being hit by a car. Whilst the other rescue are very experienced with Raptors, they didn’t have suitable accommodation to give this bird the long term rehabilitation she required. Upon arrival, she was taken for X-Rays which showed no breaks, just soft tissue bruising. She was moved to our quiet off show aviaries to recover and was a model patient.
After a few weeks to recover from her injuries, we arranged to have her flight tested at another facility. She passed the assessment with flying colours, and having been given the go ahead for release by our vets, we arranged for Dr Hugh Hanmer from the BTO to come in and ring her.
This was a novelty for Hugh, who had never had the opportunity to ring a Marsh Harrier before. The Marsh Harrier was already sexed as a female based on her plumage and was aged as a second year bird.
Once she was ringed, we arranged for Chris, who originally took care of this bird, to come and collect her. She was then driven back to Cambridgeshire near where she was found and released into a suitable area.
Chris said “She went off well. It’s always such an emotional thing to do. I really can’t express how grateful I am to the brilliant team at SOS.”