Ilkeston Wild Bird Rescue

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Ilkeston Wild Bird Rescue Rescue, rehabilitate and release.

These 4 beautiful chickens came to us from Beeston Rise Care home. All 4 were hatched there and have grown up with the r...
17/11/2025

These 4 beautiful chickens came to us from Beeston Rise Care home.
All 4 were hatched there and have grown up with the residents and been wonderful therapy. They're featured in the care homes tiktok videos from tiny chick's to the age they are now.

https://www.tiktok.com/?_r=1&_t=ZN-91TMQx96WP8

Due to no fault of their own, they weren't able to stay, and came to us to be cared for before finding them an amazing coop to call home.
They are friendly and love cuddles. We have Deli, Bolt, Pingu and Sunshine.
There are two hens and two roos. 7 months old. All have been health checked, and have been tested for Avian Flu, with a wonderful negative on all 4 tests.
If you could possibly offer these 4 incredible birds a 5* home with all the attention and cuddles they deserve, please drop us a message. 💕

(We won't split them. We'd like all 4 to go together and stay together as they're all bonded).
Homecheck applies, and the government's current rules on housing must be adhered to).

Stringfoot - We often get asked what Stringfoot is, and what we do at Stringfoot Superheroes - Nottingham Stringfoot is ...
31/10/2025

Stringfoot - We often get asked what Stringfoot is, and what we do at Stringfoot Superheroes - Nottingham

Stringfoot is what pigeons get when they slowly gather string, hair, thread, and so on around their feet.
It eventually cuts off circulation, and the pigeon eventually loses their toes, or even entire feet.
Everytime you discard abit of thread or string from packaging, or brush your hand through your hair, leaving the bits of hair you shed, the pigeons pick it up on their feet.
We try and get out as often as we can to destring pigeons in Nottingham town centre. Some we manage to catch and remove before there's any permanent damage, but sometimes we don't see them until it's already too late.

Here's the worst case we've had yet.
This little guy was brought to me in Trinity square whilst we were out Stringfooting. The lovely Jay who used to volunteer for stringfoot groups in Yorkshire, is now down here working with us.
He got a train and walked all the way to us to see if we could help this sweetheart.

Upon seeing his feet for the first time, I said it would likely be an amputation of the foot, as it was in such a bad way with a bad infection already set in.
We got him home, gave him painkillers, and waited a while before working on his feet. We started with a nice warm soak of his feet, took pictures, and then set to work.
It took a total of two hours, but we were able to remove all of the hair, string, dead skin, and mud.
Sadly, our sweet boy lost two toes during this, one from each foot, which were only being held on by the string.
He's on pain medication and antibiotics daily, and he's already a different pigeon.
We've saved as much of his feet as we can, and will monitor him closely throughout the next few weeks.
If he does require surgery in the future, we shall make that happen, but for now, he's thriving since coming in. ☺️💕

AVIAN INFLUENZA As I'm sure you've heard, Bird Flu is at an all-time high right now, even affecting birds at the lake ne...
31/10/2025

AVIAN INFLUENZA

As I'm sure you've heard, Bird Flu is at an all-time high right now, even affecting birds at the lake near to us.
We've thought long and hard about what to do in regards to our approach to bird flu, to continue to help birds, but also keep the birds we already have safe.

We decided that we will continue to take all species of birds, but any species susceptible to Avian Flu must be tested at the gate before they come onto our property.
(Waterfowl, Gulls, Birds of prey).
So please contact us beforehand with pictures, videos and as much information as you can. (Please don't just turn up).

Now, here is the bit I hate the most, having to ask for help. I understand that we do this voluntarily, and it is completely our choice to help wild birds, but the costs are high, and we aren't eligible for any kind of funding. So we rely on the kind donations of the people who follow and support us.

If anyone could possibly help us with being able to buy more tests, we would be so thankful. Even £1 a person adds up.

It's going to cost £402.00 for 40 tests, which roughly works out at £10 a test.
Donations are at an all-time low, and we're struggling already.
If you're able to, please help us to continue helping them. 🥺💕

https://www.paypal.me/RiversWBRescue

Wishlist Wednesday 💕As it's getting colder, we're in desperate need of blankets and heatdiscs for our poorly patients in...
15/10/2025

Wishlist Wednesday 💕

As it's getting colder, we're in desperate need of blankets and heatdiscs for our poorly patients in the hospital wing.
If anyone could possibly help support us by sending these items off of our wishlist, we and our beautiful birds would really appreciate it. Thank you 🥹💕

https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/WMAXZO4TR6G6?ref_=wl_share

This poor adult woodpigeon was brought into us a couple of days ago with bad canker, a mouth full of sunflower hearts an...
14/10/2025

This poor adult woodpigeon was brought into us a couple of days ago with bad canker, a mouth full of sunflower hearts and mud, and unable to lift his head up at all.
We cleaned up the outside of his beak and face, and tried to carefully remove the loose seed.
We managed to remove enough to be able to get medication and a tube down with fluids to try and rehydrate him. An hour later, he was laid unresponsive, and I lost hope. We wrapped him in a blanket and placed him on a snugglesafe heatdisc for the night, being pretty sure he wouldn't make it until morning, so making him as warm, safe, and comfortable as possible.
The next morning, I went straight to him, and he was not only alive but standing! His head remained down, and he still didn't have the ability to raise it. We gave more canker treatment, an anti-inflammatory, and another cropfeed. Later on in the day, he was walking, running, and trying to flap his wings, but his head remained on the floor.
We sought advice from another couple of rescues who have experienced this and had birds fully recover, and then came up with a plan for rehabilitation.
This morning, he was full of energy and slightly raising his head. The canker has also started to clear up.
We made him a little neckbrace to help support his head and neck while he heals. He has already shown improvement since having the brace on, so we know we did the right thing in giving him a chance. 🥹💕

Thank you to all the other rescues and rehabbers that are always there for support and advice when it's needed. I couldn't do it without you guys either. ❤️

Today has been beyond busy with aviary cleanouts, and birds coming in every hour. Here are three of the beautiful pigeon...
11/10/2025

Today has been beyond busy with aviary cleanouts, and birds coming in every hour.
Here are three of the beautiful pigeons that all came in within 2 hours.

Firstly, we got this this very scared juvenile woodpigeon who is full of canker. He'd gotten so desperate for food that he had eaten grass and leaves. We were able to carefully pick all of this out, give him Ronidazole for the canker, and leave him to settle as he's very panicky. He'll receive medication and crop feeds daily until he's better, while keeping contact to a minimum to keep the experience as stress free as possible.

We then got a message about this beautiful brown and white pigeon, who was down near Aldi. He'd been attacked by a cat and after his rescuer messaged us, she boxed him up and drove him over. 🥹
He's on pain relief and antibiotics and has had his wounds treated. He's only a squeaker and still has some of his yellow baby fluff. Despite how bad the injury looks, he should make a full recovery and have a second chance at life. ☺️

We were then brought this little darling. Also, still only a squeaker. Canker, possible ornithosis and a respiratory infection. He's been treated with Ronidazole, antibiotics, and has been cropfed. He should also make a full recovery. 💕

Thank you all for any donations made. Either via paypal/bank transfer/wishlist.
It really does help us keep going. 🥹

https://www.paypal.me/RiversWBRescue

This poor sweet woodpigeon came to us from Nottingham. He was named Winston.There's currently an outbreak of canker and ...
08/10/2025

This poor sweet woodpigeon came to us from Nottingham. He was named Winston.
There's currently an outbreak of canker and ornithosis in the Nottingham pigeons, so I was expecting a feral pigeon from the fountains with ornithosis.
When he arrived, I was shocked to see he was a woodpigeon, and ornithosis was the least of our worries. He had severe canker and avian pox.
There is no proven cure for avian pox, just supportive care while they battle it.
For serious canker cases, they can be treated with Ronidazole, and metronidazole, which is vet prescribed only. Usually in cases this bad, the canker blocks up the throat so you're unable to give meds and fluids/feeds orally.
Somehow this little guy had a clear space all the way down to his crop. We were easily able to insert a feeding tube and give him medication and a feed of warm formula. We had hope. We got him snuggled down on a blanket with a snugglesafe heatpad for the night, and hoped he'd fight his way through.
Unfortunately, he passed away in the night. It was just too late for him. 😔
We can't save them all, no matter how hard we try, but if theres a tiny bit of hope, we have to try.
It always hurts to lose them, but knowing he was safe and warm, fed and had a chance, sometimes thats all we can hold onto. 💕

We couldn't keep doing this without your guys' help, and we do worry as we go into the time of year when donations are at an all-time low.
The medication is expensive, and so far, we've spent £137 on medication since Monday.
We've also spent £55 on transporting sick animals over the last 3 days.
If anyone is in a position to help with donations towards the costs we face every day, it is truly appreciated. Thank you so much.

https://www.paypal.me/RiversWBRescue
(Please send via family and friends so we don't get charged for it 🫶).

(A couple of people have asked for bank details, but it isn't allowing us to send the first message. So please message us if needed ❤️).

Breeding season is over. Could anyone please have a word with the pigeons and let them know, I think they missed the mem...
08/10/2025

Breeding season is over. Could anyone please have a word with the pigeons and let them know, I think they missed the memo. 😅

Pigeons breed all year around, and don't we know it. These are just two of the numerous baby pigeons we've had this week.
A beautiful, healthy woodpigeon fledgling (which is a blessing after the endless stream of woodpigeons with canker that we've had recently), and a young feral who was found on a conveyor belt in someone's work place.
He has an injury to one eye, which may have caused permanent loss of sight on one side.
If this is the case, he'll eventually join our unreleasable pigeon aviary, where he can be supported to live as independently as possible, but with permanent safety.
Both are currently being cropfed as they're too young to feed themselves, but weaning will start soon. ☺️💕

This beautiful little squab is called Precious. He was taken in by my friend and rehab buddy, Colleen, while I was volun...
08/10/2025

This beautiful little squab is called Precious.
He was taken in by my friend and rehab buddy, Colleen, while I was volunteering with another rescue for the day.
Upon being admitted, Colleen discovered that he was full of fly eggs.
(Flies lay their eggs in a baby birds nostrils, ears, mouth, and even eyes).
If they go undetected and hatch, they sadly eat the baby alive. 🥺
Colleen spent hours removing every fly egg she could find, (second picture shows the amount being removed), kept him warm and safe, and then got a taxi over to us from Nottingham at 11:30pm.
I checked him over for any more fly eggs but couldn't find any. His crop was full and solid, so we weren't able to feed him straight away, but it slowly emptied through frequent gentle massaging.
We were finally able to feed him, and the little darling could only take 1ml of formula at a time. 🥹
We weren't sure he would make it through the first night, but here we are 2 days on. He's doing so well. Very active and wriggly. Taking a small feed every 2 hours. It should only be another day or so before he opens his eyes. 🥹
My heart is in my mouth every time I check on him, but I'm slowly getting more and more hopeful that he's going to make it as time goes by.
They're so tiny and fragile at this age, but so very precious, too. 💕

Just to let everyone know that we are open again for new admits. There's currently a huge canker outbreak in pigeons (we...
04/10/2025

Just to let everyone know that we are open again for new admits. There's currently a huge canker outbreak in pigeons (we've seen it more in wood pigeons than ferals, but please keep an eye out for any that may be sick).
They'll usually be grounded, underweight, and have what looks like a swollen throat or obvious yellow lesions in the mouth. Although sometimes it's in the crop and can't be seen, it can usually be smelt. There are various medications for canker, and we are always willing to try and do our best for every bird that needs help.

Please also keep an eye out for birds in this awful weather. I spent the night worrying about all those poor babies that have been blown out of their nests and not found yet. 🥺 💕

05/09/2025

📌 Temporarily closed due to illness 📌

Sorry guys, but I'm currently unable to take any new admits. I'm on day 5 of being seriously ill with covid, and struggling to be up long enough just for feeds and meds for the 100+ birds currently in our care.
Please don't just turn up with a bird or leave it in a box in my garden. It's a daily thing now. 😫
Also, please don't post my address online as this is encouraging people to just turn up and leave birds. 😔

We'll be back open as soon as I'm well enough to function properly.

Thank You 💕

Fundraising (and kindness) appeal: Thanks to your kind donations, we've been able to buy and build a new aviary, giving ...
22/08/2025

Fundraising (and kindness) appeal:

Thanks to your kind donations, we've been able to buy and build a new aviary, giving our magpies an upgrade to help them prepare for release towards the end of September.
We extended our small bird aviary and re-purposed it for a jackdaw release aviary, as we couldn't find a placement elsewhere for soft-release for them.
We scrubbed and repurposed our old magpie aviary into a baby pigeon soft-release aviary.
We have an aviary of crows ( some releasable this year, some needing long-term placements who will eventually go to a wonderful crow rehabber in Sheffield who's building an aviary for them).
We then have 2 avaries with none release pigeons and 1 with the attic flock. (Who are all doing well and will all eventually be able to be released).

We now have 7 avaries, and all are full, with more birds coming in by the day.
(We easily get over 50 messages/calls a day at the moment, and I'm really struggling to keep up with them and all the care, feeds, medication, and cleanouts. So please be kind, and contact multiple rescues at a time 🥺).
Also, please take into consideration that we do not drive or have access to a car. (And aren't financially in a position to take lessons or maintain a car).
We do collect within walking distance, and will get an uber under special circumstances. (eg - An elderly person who isn't physically able to contain and transport a bird).
But please don't become abusive towards us if we ask you to transport to us. We honestly can't afford constant taxis, nor do we have the time between everything else, yet we get some awful messages and comments from people when we can't go out and collect a bird.
Sometimes, it's really enough to make us not want to do this anymore.
We're really doing our best and apologise to anyone we're unable to help or for any messages missed. 😔

Everyone who knows me, knows I absolutely hate asking for help, and will do all I can to get by, but running a rescue has taught me that I have to ask for help when I need it.
Contrary to popular belief, we get no form of funding, nor do we get any free vet treatment or free medication. We have to pay for everything for each bird, which includes consultation fees. We get nothing for free, although some vets will do xrays and pain relief/antibiotic injections before they bring a bird to us. (It isn't often as they're not always able to).
We're needing to fundraise now to get another aviary (we have birds coming from another rescue that are sadly shutting down, and currently have no aviary space for them).

We urgently also need to be able to fund a couple of tip runs for all of the aviary waste and broken down avaries/pens/old branches.

We're going through an insane amount of animal food a day now too. We're using 14 tins of cat meat, 2kg mealworms, half a bag of handrearing formula, and 10kg of seed a day. That's just the basics without the meat, fruit, and vegetables we add in. 😅
We're also due to pay for 3 more months of medication.
We've been inundated with baby pigeons with canker over the last month.
These pictured are just 2 from today. Both look healthy on the outside, but have severe canker that I've struggled to get a tube past to give food and medication.
We have to buy the medication needed for each bird (in this case, it's Metronidazole, which is prescription only by a vet).

Everything is just adding up, and we really need your help, please. 🥺
Anything is appreciated, even £1 a person would add up and help us cover our current costs.
Thank You. 💕

https://www.paypal.me/RiversWBRescue

https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/WMAXZO4TR6G6?ref_=wl_share

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