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Case Studies A Barn Owlet Early in October, a call came through concerning a Barn Owl chick on the ground underneath a large oak tree. The owner of the land knew exactly where the nest hole was. The uncertainty was that they had been away for a week and did not know how long it had been there or whether the parents were still around. I went out, caught up the chick and checked it over. It appeared to be in good condition, if just a little on the thin side, but certainly nowhere near thin enough to warrant taking it in. I climbed up the ladder and popped it back into the hole in the tree. The next day, they phoned again, still anxious as they had not seen the parents around the previous evening and did not know if the owlet was still there. My helper, Carolyn, went out and couldn't see the chick either, but did comment that the nest hole was too deep so see right inside. Also, more significantly, there was a dead mouse just inside the hole. We decided to leave well alone. Two days later, I phoned to check on any progress, and the owners reported that there had been an adult (or two) around and that there had been quite a lot of owl activity the previous two nights. If this had been a Tawny Owlet on the ground, it would have required no more than just being popped back into the tree, not necessarily its nest hole. Tawny chicks have this natural habit of 'branching out' before they properly fledge and the parents will feed them wherever they happen to be. Barn Owl parents will generally only feed the youngsters while they are still in the nest - hence it was crucial to be able to return the youngster to its exact nest hole. Fortunately, no further intervention was necessary, but the owner's concern and telephone call to us meant all the difference for the little owl between life and an almost certain death. A Buzzard One of three that came in on New Year's Eve. It was found by a member of the public in a country park about 15 miles away, wet, bedraggled and grounded. Examination revealed five broken primary wing feathers and four broken tail feathers. Apart from this, it was a good weight and seemed in good condition, so the problem presumably was a recent one, but in no way was this bird going to fly in this state. To have kept it in captivity until after the moult would have had serious implications and was certainly not a desirable option. I contacted, therefore, our birdof- prey expert who came out that evening and 'imped' all nine broken feathers. This is a falconer's technique of 'mending' broken feathers with the corresponding feathers from a previously-dead bird. It is an intricate task and not to be attempted by the lay person. After just three days in care, I returned him to the park where I released him in the company of one of the wardens. Over the years, I have witnessed many buzzard releases, but never have I seen one fly quite so spectacularly when let go from the hand. For a full 15 minutes, we watched him flying, soaring, hovering, finding the thermals and just so obviously thoroughly enjoying himself. The nine imped feathers did not seem to cause him the slightest problem. We continued watching him until he flew casually off over the river towards a distant copse of trees. A House Martin Not all releases go according to plan. On 26th July, a Shrewsbury vet referred two nestling house martin siblings whose nest had collapsed. Despite their fall, they were both uninjured and we reared them together. They thrived and by 22nd August were ready for their maiden flight. It was one of those rare fantastic summer mornings, clear blue skies, sunny and just a light breeze - ideal conditions for letting them go. I was disconcerted, therefore, when a very crestfallen Carolyn returned from the release. She had taken them to a field near the Priory ruins in Much Wenlock where there are often lots of other house martins and taken them out of the box. She held them, one in each hand, to let them see their surroundings and when they started to get a bit fidgety, gently lobbed them into the air. To her delight, they flew perfectly, calling to each other and were just starting to gain real height when out of nowhere a sparrowhawk shot with lightning speed and scooped one up in its talons. I'm not sure Carolyn really felt any better when I tried to console her by saying that perhaps this might have been one of our sparrowhawks that we had treated and released, in which case we should be delighted to know that it could catch its own food! It has to be remembered, too, that the sparrowhawk is a native bird and as such does have a rightful place amongst our flora and fauna. Still, not exactly what one hopes for having looked after a little creature for a month. A Lucky Hedgehog In mid-June, a member of the public appeared with an adult male hedgehog. It appeared that, unknown to her, her partner had put it in the dustbin a week previously, believing it to be dead. She had gone to put some rubbish in that morning and seen this hedgehog climbing around near the top of the bin. Having fortnightly collections, it was just so fortunate that that week hadn't been the one for the rubbish rounds. Despite his unseemly incarceration, he was surprisingly healthy and just needed feeding up. We put him in an outside run to keep an eye on him for the next few days before releasing him back in the garden where he had been found. A Swan After fishing tackle and lead poisoning, the next most common hazard for swans is the overhead power line. Even if there is no obvious injury, any swan or, indeed any bird, found sitting unnaturally on the ground near power lines should always be brought in to a rescue centre for examination and observation, as injuries often only start to appear several days later. One unringed swan (hence we couldn't trace its history) was admitted one evening in September, sitting by a lakeside, seemingly uninjured but "not quite right" as the member of public described it. A blood test revealed no lead in its blood, but on the sixth day in care, its right wing began to droop badly. Two days later, he had his first Laser treatment to his wing, performed by Barbara Jones, a homoeopathic vet in Oswestry. This was repeated at weekly intervals for a total of three sessions. By the end of the treatment, his wing was fully restored. Over the years, we have had a number of these cases, where the wing is not broken but droops to the extent where it is trailing on the ground because of nerve damage sustained from the electric shock. We have tried every form of treatment, including strapping, and I have to say that the only method that works almost every time is Laser therapy. The speed of healing in just three weeks of treatment is quite remarkable. This particular swan was ringed and released exactly five weeks after his admission. I am most grateful to Barbara for her treatment of such swans; without it, the outcome for these birds would be extremely doubtful. For more Case Studies, click here.

Wildlife the charity has treated this year includes: Ducks, Swans, Other Water Birds, Raptors, Owls, Game Birds, Corvids, Pigeons, Doves, Garden Birds, Hedgehogs, Badgers, Squirrels, Otters, Foxes, Deer, Bats, Rabbits and many other species.