Although Covid-19 may have temporarily closed our doors to the general public, the doors to our raptor hospital are still very much wide open!
Do you remember Plump, our not so little, feathery global superstar…?!
A few months ago we rescued a soggy little owl from a ditch. She was unable to fly, so our falconers initially thought there may a potential injury. Upon arriving at our on-site raptor hospital we recorded her weight, and it was immediately obvious this little owl was in need of some unique care.
Using our keel scoring method (a chart to determine fat distribution around the body of birds) we found this chunky little owl was close to a score of 5, which meant her keel was almost completely shrouded in fatty deposits! Perhaps more worryingly, we were also unable to feel for much muscle. This could possibly have explained why this little owl was found in a ditch as a lack of relative muscle would have undoubtedly hindered her ability to fly - something that we became increasingly aware of when we put her into a large flight aviary at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary during the first stages of her care.
Little owls are fairly resourceful creatures and are generally quite happy pottering around at ground level, picking up all manner of invertebrates and small rodents - this particular ditch and field became a gourmet buffet to Plump!
At Suffolk Owl Sanctuary we have specially designed private aviaries were we can monitor the health and movement of birds before release, in a discreet manner. Aviaries are designed to encourage as much vertical flight as possible to build and maintain the vital keel muscles used for flight. At first, Plump was unable to even reach the lowest perches, so we had to adapt her aviary by installing a few ‘step’ perches to encourage her up to the higher points. Over a matter of days these perches were removed based on her developing ability, as she was encouraged to take flight around the aviary (a bit like a short circuit training session!).
By nature, owls are sedentary, and would not think much of sitting for hours on end after consuming a big meal - but in Plump’s case, this is no good for a little bird who needed to shed weight. This exercise process therefore was of great benefit. Every other day we encouraged Plump to move around the aviary, building vital muscles and burning fat.
Within a few weeks she was expertly traversing her surroundings and following a couple of weight checks, we felt it was time for her to go back to her field of plenty. Although we were working to trim her weight down, we had to be mindful we didn’t shave too much body mass off - fatty deposits are actually a resource for smaller birds in times of need. Although we were seeing warm winter weather and prey was plentiful, we also had to consider that a cold snap could have seen off a bird with very little body reserves.
Luckily for plump she firmed up well and had a successful release, where she headed off to the top of an old oak tree.
Upon review of this unusual situation, our experienced team are fairly confident these circumstances are consistent with this bird having been previously released by a lesser-experienced rehabilitation facility or individual. We cannot stress enough just how important it is that any injured wildlife is taken to a highly experienced and specialist treatment centre, in order that the subject receives optimum care and the best possible chance at recovery.
Our raptor hospital relies entirely on donations. If you are able to donate to help us continue to provide a high standard of care and rehabilitation during this crucial time, please click here.