🌻 IVE TRIED TO KEEP GOING 🌻
With immediate effect I have had to make the decision to close the doors to any further intakes.
The group of people who know me best, know what I'm like. I've said, probably about 8 times this week "that's the last one, nor more now", but it's never that easy. I judge everything case by case and if I think I can safely take an animal in that needs help I will- never to the animals detriment, but definitely my own.
I'll be completely honest and give you some idea of what life is like over here......
I havnt had a full night's sleep in weeks, and when I do have chance to sleep, I have to be up regularly to feed babies through the night. Or check on critical patients that need a little bit more monitoring or take calls from the police at 2am to help with deer that have been involved in car accidents.
During the day I receive anywhere from 10 to 30 calls and messages from people who need help with injured wildlife.
I'm missing messages and calls because I simply can't keep up. I havnt been able to cook my family a meal in a while and that really upsets me.
The financial side of things is incredibly difficult, and you all probably get sick of me asking for donations and help. But it's so hard to keep up. A donation comes in and it goes straight back out. The more animals I take in, the more money I need to keep going and it's a major factor in whether I stay open or close. I'm doing a fantastic event at Bempton in August which will definitely help! I'll do a post on that later!
I'm so grateful to everyone who has donated, either with money or dog food or blankets and towels. You've all been an incredible help!
I'm not looking for sympathy I can assure you of that, I just wanted to explain a little bit.
For now though, I need to stop and catch up on things. Exhausted is an understatement and I can't safely take anything else in.
If you are stuck and need some help, please contact your nearest vet for advice. There is Re
🌻 BE LIKE A GULL, ALWAYS SEEKING THE BEST VIEW 🌻
The season has many different waves. We have waves of garden birds, waves of corvids, waves of different mammals and then we arrive at sea birds.
I quite like when we start seeing the baby gulls. Not only are they incredibly cute, but it means that we have arrived at the latter part of the hardest few months of the year. We are nearly done with the chaos.
Of course, gulls bring their own chaos in the form of projectile poo and scraps over food. But they are very entertaining and a pleasure to watch develop.
This year rescues have been inundated with babies. We had a massive help from our friends over at Mablethorpe seal who took the first few arrivals for us to join their gull army! The guys over there are absolutely brilliant and it was such a help!!
But over the weeks, even they filled up. I don't have an awful lot of space here so I can only house a handful safely until they are ready to leave. While they are here, they have fresh fish and meat daily with added vitamins specifically designed for sea birds. This is massively important when keeping seabirds for more then a few days. They have salt glands which if left unused can atrophy and cause problems.
There are a few different types of gulls along our coasts, these guys are herring gulls- the big white ones that steal your chips 🤣
Gulls are a red listed birds- which means their population is in decline. For me, it makes it all the more special to grow healthy babies that are fit and ready for release to contribute to their declining numbers!
It won't be long and these babies will be on their merry way!
🌻 STARS CANT SHINE WITHOUT DARKNESS 🌻
Little Star 🌟 update for you tonight while I sit and wait for the arrival of a Kestrel.
He's doing really well and moved onto big boy food. I offered him a chick but he wasn't sure so we opted for some chunky meat instead. He will stay on some probiotics for a few days while we worm him and we will gradually acclimatise him to be in a pen instead of the incubator.
He's also still drinking oralade just so we know he is getting the hydration he needs. Oralade is a staple here at HQ and we are running very low on it! If you can help, you will find it on our wishlist which I will post below. Alternatively, please consider us for a donation so we can keep topped up on necessities. I'd definitely recommend everyone has a bottle in for their fur babies, especially in the summer months! It really is a wonderful product.
For now, turn your volume up and enjoy the chompings of our little star 🌟
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🌻 LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT, FIND YOUR PATH TO FULLFILLMENT 🌻
To be a part of an animals life is something you just can't replicate. But to be a part of something much bigger is humbling and sometimes quite emotional.
Birds of prey are very special. That's not to say that any of the other birds that find their way to us aren't special. There is just something magical about this species.
They not only deserve respect, they demand it. They are not only majestic and and agile, but dangerous and moody!
All 3 of these stunning birds came in seperatly. Not directly to us- but via 3 different vet practices. Unfortunatly, no details were recorded as to where they were found, aside from the youngest male. It's so important that if you find an injured animal and take it to the vets, you ask them to record the location it was found. This means that when released, they can be taken back to where they were found.
We ALWAYS try to make sure that is done from our end, even if it means driving for an hour or more.
We had no choice with these guys but to find a suitable location for release. This does happen occasionally and it's our responsibility to ensure the environment is suitable for the species to live and thrive.
The larger male who you will see first in the video had absolutely no intention of waiting any longer, hence why he's already out before we even managed to open the carrier 🤣
The second two, a female (who we actually didnt think would make it) and a younger male were a little more cautious, but still eager to leave. All 3, flew incredibly well and we had quite the show for 10 minutes afterwards before they all disappeared into the distance.
A MASSIVE thank you to all 3 vets for giving them full checkovers and addressing any concerns they had. We couldn't do this without the teamwork involved with various parties.
Thrilled with these 3 birds! A fantastic end to their stories.
🌻 DRIVING INTO THE DARK 🌻
A late night call! We can't always attend them, but when I saw how upset the lady was, I had to go and check.....
Whilst driving home, a lovely lady sadly hit a badger that came out of nowhere. A lot of wildlife find their way onto busy roads and often end up as RTA victims. Not many people stop, or even bother to report these things and so the animal is left to suffer.
This lady couldn't do that. She felt so guilty and upset and explained that the badger appeared suddenly. With nowhere to swerve to due to other vehicles, she hit him.
It's important for her, and you all to know- it's not your fault. It wasn't done intentionally, nor was it done maliciously. It was an accident. And an accident is just that- an accident.
She wasn't sure if he had passed away and so I popped out to check.
I couldn't locate him which tells me that he potentionally wasn't killed and maybe made his way back into the bushes. There is no way of knowing 100% if he is OK, and all we can do is check again tomorrow in daylight.
And so.....back to bed. Ready to do it all again tomorrow!
* Please note- my camera was set to record a 10 second interval. I wasn't using my phone whilst driving 🙃 *
🌻 8 DUCKINGS AND A MOMMA 🌻
These 8 babies all came in one by one- a couple 2 by 2.....
They were all tiny, some injured, some orphaned- but all in need of help!
We have raised them, nutured them, fed them the best money can buy as well as some natural bits and bobs to make sure they got everything they needed to be strong enough for release.
A massive success and all 8 babies and their surrogate mother are now back where they belong ❤️
🌻 ITS NOT ONLY FINE FEATHERS THAT MAKE FINE BIRDS 🌻
Now, I'm not saying we have favourites, every species is treat with the same attention to detail, HOWEVER I do like a bird with attitude. Some species such as the bird of prey family and the corvid family offer a challenge, which is just what I like.
The umbrella of birds that make up the Corvid group are one of my absolute favourites.
The Corvid family include:-
🌻Magpie
🌻Rook
🌻Crow
🌻Jackdaw
🌻Raven
🌻Jay
🌻Chough
These birds are exceptionally intelligent and being able to watch them grow and learn is an absolute privilege.
I absolutely adore their characters and their attitude. They are truly wonderful to hand rear, albeit a little complex and expensive. They require such vast amounts of high protein food, but not just from one source. Every rehabber does things differently, but here at HQ we use a variety of foods depending on their ages.
These 2 little ones are on a scheduled feeding rota. Their first feed is around 7-7.30am and is made up of Royal Canin puppy mousse with an avian insect mix which is rich in daphnia, ant eggs, crushed mealworms and buffalo worms and dried berries and seeds. We then alternate their feeds throughout the day. They will have waxworms, chopped chicks, boiled egg,and their puppy mousse. Today, we have used 3 full tins of puppy mousse feeding the young rooks we have in.
As they grow, we introduce other foods- fruits, veg, suet, insects, raw meat, eggs, to name a few.
They are one of the laziest birds to wean 🤣🤣 they much prefere being fed to feeding themselves and in my opinion it only adds to their charm!
In the nest, the loudest, tallest baby gets fed first so quite often feeding time is extremely loud as they battle with their shouts to get the first blob of food. They are incredibly messy birds and it's been said, by someone who will remain nameless- 'cough, Gemma'- that they stink 🤣🤣 I quite like the smell although not the cleanin
🌻 THE TALONS OF A RAPTOR ARE SHARP, BUT ITS MIND IS SHARPER 🌻
Our friends over at Hull Wildlife Protectors asked for our help a few weeks ago with a sparrowhawk that had flown into a conservatory window.
This happens with all sorts of birds, but the faster fliers end up with the most damage. We were worried about a collar bone fracture, but that was all clear and after a few days of box rest this incredible bird was ready to go home. We always worry, especially this time of year, that we have a female in that potentially has a nest of eggs or babies that need her. So time is of the essence. Sparrowhawks will start building their nests in April and lay between 3 and 6 eggs. Amazing birds!!
Luckily, everything worked out well for this bird and she is now back where she belongs and living her best wild life!
🌻 JUST A BABY, ENJOYING HIS DINNER 🌻
We currently have many different species in with us, one of which is the field vole :)
We have 3 of these chubby little blobs in currently that were found alone and struggling!
Little field voles like these 3 are fairly common in Britain and with a life span of only 1 year, they manage to pack plenty into their little lives. They are active both day and night and can produce between 3 to 6 litters of babies a year!
Here you can see me stimulating them to go to the toilet before they enjoy their milk!!
Very cute little things and fascinating to learn about!
🌻 THE WAIT IS OVER 🌻
I'm very, very proud to announce that we are now WILDLIFE CARE BADGE HOLDERS!!!!!!
This is an incredibly big deal for us!!
Wildlife rehabilitation isn't governed here in the UK and we feel it should be. Having this badge has entailed us having a full vet check at the premises and sitting a knowledge assessment which I completed today and passed!!
Moving forward we have an obligation to submit records frequently and also give evidence that we have a good working relationship with a vet. It holds us accountable!! Which is what every rescue should have to do, in our opinion.
A massive thank you to the whole team over at the Wildlife Care Badge for all the effort and care they put into the whole process. We are really looking forward to being a part of the evolution of the badge and seeing what comes next!
For now, I'm going for a nap!! Oh, wait!!! No I'm not- I've got baby birds screaming at me for feeds 🤣🤣
🌻 SOME DAYS YOU'RE THE PIGEON, SOME DAYS YOU'RE THE STATUE- LIVE WITH IT 🌻
Let's talk about pigeons!!
Year after year, pigeons are our most admitted patient here at HQ. And this year has been no different.
We have a fair few baby pigeons, collared doves and wood pigeons in at the moment, and I wanted to show you how well they adapt to us being their parents.
Pigeons are fed by both mum and dad, who regurgitate the food directly into the babies mouth- who then, in turn, swallow it down. We can't replicate this 🤣 although I'm sure jen would give it a good go!
Instead, we use a gavage feeding method when then babies are young. This means that we use sterilised syringes and a short tube to place the liquid hand rearing formula directly into the pigeons crop. This is where the food is stored for the body to slowly pass it through the digestive system and get all the good stuff to where it needs to be.
This method doesn't cause the pigeon any discomfort or pain but it's definitely something that needs to be done by someone with experience. Please don't attempt to do this alone. There are many things that can go wrong with gavage feeding- rupturing the crop, placing the tube incorrectly and causing potential aspiration and pneumonia and overfeeding which can cause the food to come back up and enter the windpipe.
I've never met a baby pigeon who isn't enthusiastic come meal time which makes our job much easier.
This little wood pigeon, as you'll see, sees my hand as mum's beak and when he gets his beak In-between my fingers (replicating mum or dad's mouth) he opens wide to accept the food.
We will talk about weaning a little further down the line!
With 31 babies in as of this morning, we may be a little slow in replying to messages. Please do call us if we havnt responded to a message. Sleep is a thing of the past and I have to say, I'm looking forward to the end of summer when all the babies are grown up 🤣🤣
🌻 ARE YOU FEELING BETTER AGNES? 🌻
Little Agnes is certainly moving in the right direction. Her jaw has stopped locking and she is eating and drinking really well.
She really did give us a fright when we picked her up!! One of the only times I've actually flapped!!
Agnes eats puppy meat and puppy milk along side water-the puppy meat is very very soft and we would absolutely never give her anything that would cause discomfort. For context, she ate the FULL bowl with ease (post edited after comment made) In the next week or so we will be moving her on to chicks and chicken wings to get her fully weaned before we plan the next steps in her journey!
Every cub that comes through is very special to us, but Agnes will definitely hold a special place in our hearts for a long time to come!
It's very important that we don't handle Agnes aside from her daily checks- this is because she is a wild animal and being so young, the risk of imprinting is much much higher (post edited after comment made) She is kept in a quiet part of the hospital to limit stress and has a teddy to snuggle up with as well as toys for enrichment. A lone cub is never ideal and we will be finding her a family as soon as possible, she definitely deserves it! 🩷
We are very low on funds at the moment, this little one will go through A LOT of food and milk during her stay. She is just one of many little lives we have in at the moment, all of which cost money!! One day I will win the lottery but until then we rely on you're generosity to do what we do!
If you can help, please consider us for a donation!! 🌻
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