TREVOR WEEKS: Helping tawny owls, pigeons, a fox, and a pair of nesting swifts

The owl was placed in a box and delivered across to WRAS’s Casualty Centre at Whitesmith. He is rather concussed and been given medication to help and will be closely monitored.

This was the second Tawny Owl rescued in 12 hours. Sunday night we had a good evening of team work. Rescuer Tony rushed to a road casualty hedgehog by Polegate’s Tesco Express Petrol Station.

I met Tony at the Casualty Centre about 11pm. I arrived at the centre as Karen and Katie returned from delivering two nestlings swifts (rescued earlier in the evening at Ridgewood Uckfield) to one of Wildlife Aid’s Swift specialists at Carlshalton.

At the same time rescuers Chris and Laura rushed out to a road casualty fox at St Anthony Avenue Eastbourne which they rushed to the centre. Tonys hedgehog was given first aid and bedded down for 24 hours observation.

Another answerphone saw me rush out to a baby pigeon at Robertsbridge. I contacted Kathy who started preparing for the little birds admission.

I passed Chris and Laura as I left the centre. Almost half way there I received the news that the little bird had passed way. Within minutes I then came across a Tawny Owl on the A271 between Battle and Ashburnham.

The bird was sat in the road and was clearly stunned. Using the ambulance with its orange beacons flashing, I blocked the oncoming lane of traffic to protected the bird.

Back at WRAS the bird was able to fly but in a rather disorientated way.

First aid was given and bedded down for the night. I finally got home about 1.30am.

Saturday night I rushed across to a hatchling wood pigeon in Burgess Hill town centre tonight after it was caught by a cat and received a nasty wound on his back. First aid was given on site before transporting to Kathy at Uckfield for specialist care. The little chap is doing well.

Rescuers Jen and Laura rushed to a gull stuck in a blackberry bush in Eastbourne on Thursday night.

After some gentle persuasion, he was sent on his way. They then went to TEVA in Brampton Road Eastbourne to a swan that crashed into some barbed wire fencing.

A bit sore from the ordeal but after some TLC he was all bedded down and enjoying some dinner.

Once recuperated he was take back to Eastbourne and released at Princes Park.

Kathy has now had dovelet 70 of the year come into care!

This way more than any previous year! This one was rescued by rescuers Kai and Gemma who also dealt with a baby finch, a gull road casualty and a hedgehog with a nasty wound with maggots and various problems all in the same evening. Rescuer Hannah at the same time dealt with a pigeon in netting in Seaford and Katie dealt with two pigeons in Bexhill with wing injuries, whilst Chris dealt with a dog attacked woodpigeon in Heathfield with a nasty fractured leg.

That same night rescuers also had another hedgehog with some very nasty wounds that needed urgent treatment. Our care team over spent 2 hours giving first aid to the poor hog.

The recent wet weather followed by warm weather has led to several occasion where large numbers of flying ants have been about.

Every time this happens gulls and other insect eating birds have a field day catching and eating them.

Ants produce formic acid which can caused these birds to cat strangely almost as if drunk meaning they don’t react to danger as quickly as normal.

We also see swift, swallows and house martins doing similar at this time as year as their fledglings take to the wing for the first time and spend time darting across roads chasing down insects building up their weight for the lengthy migration route ahead.

Please keep an eye out and slow down when you start seeing birds darting across the roads to help avoid collisions. If there is one doing it there is likely to be several more.

Because of how busy we have been over the past couple of months, we are quite behind with our paperwork and getting casualty records on the computer.

At the moment we are struggling to deal with every call asking for casualty up-dates, so we would like to apologise if we are not able to help you or give you much information at the moment.