The raptor hospital here at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary has been relatively quiet of late (which can hopefully only be a good thing!), but unfortunately this week we have had an influx of poorly, injured owls.
During periods of bad weather it is often common to see an increase in hospital admissions. Cold, wet weather is not ideal for native birds of prey as it provides less than ideal hunting conditions, meaning prey can be scarce or often impossible to find. This pushes many species (such as tawny owls and barn owls) to adopt unusual hunting tactics, meaning they are pressured to hunt more often than would be usually necessary for survival.
We are seeing an increase of RTA cases which could indicate the birds are using roadside verges as hunting locations more frequently, as these locations can support an abundant source of prey. This dramatically increases the risk of injuries such as concussion and broken bones.
Here we have a tawny owl recently admitted to Suffolk Owl Sanctuary raptor hospital, who has suffered an eye injury after being hit by a vehicle. The eye is filled with blood as a result of impact and this bird is currently being treated with anti inflammatories and eye drops to take the swelling down. Once the swelling has reduced we can assess any visual impairment.
Here we have another tawny owl with a similar issue; an eye impact injury. It is common to see eye injuries in owls after a RTA - the eyes take up a large portion of the skull cavity and generally suffer with any head impact the owl receives.
Finally, here we have a young barn owl. RTA are very common amongst barn owls as they often hunt during busy times of the day (such as evenings and mornings during rush hour). Many of our country roads (even A roads) cut through their preferred hunting habitat, and if focussed on hunting, vehicles are often ignored by the bird. Being so light in body, these owls can be easily blown across busy roads or into oncoming traffic - luckily for this one he only suffered a bump on the head with some residual bruising around the eye area.
