Here at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, we pride ourselves on being available to help sick, injured or orphaned birds of prey from across Suffolk, and sometimes beyond!
Most of the calls to our emergency helpline come from people who have already got the bird in a safe place, like a box, or are calling for advice having found a bird in a specific location.
However, sometimes we are left messages which can send us on a wild “owl” chase down country roads, delaying the initial recovery of the bird and taking considerable staff or volunteer time as they search for a small bird over a large area.
One such recent case reported a Barn Owl that was seen beside a road near Newmarket. We were given a grid reference location, but when we arrived there was no sign of the bird. We were then informed that the grid reference was for the 1km square, so Jay spent about an hour driving down each lane in that grid square to try locate the owl.
In order to help speed up any rescue attempts of wild birds of prey, we are asking that members of the public use one of two apps available for free on their smart phones to significantly improve this service.
Google Maps is already a popular option for those who travel and have to navigate to unfamiliar locations. But did you know that you can also use it to tell others of specific location by dropping a “pin” on the map. By using the compass icon to navigate to your current location, you can then hold your finger on the screen to “drop a pin”. This will generate a red "pin” on the map, which you can save, then share via email or text with us.
what3words is gaining popularity amongst many delivery and emergency services. The whole world is divided into 3m x3m grid squares, and each 3x3 square is allocated a unique 3 word code. This can be easier to use or remember compared to a 10 figure grid reference to have similar level of accuracy. To find your location, you simply open the App on your phone and hit the compass logo for the dot on the map to find your location. It may take a short time for the accuracy to increase (ideally less than 10m), but the what3words code location will come up at the top, which you can then share with us. By sending us the three word code, we can navigate to that exact location and avoid any delay in helping any birds in need.
For example, we use what3words to direct emergency services to the closest access point to the Sanctuary if we have a medical emergency on site, as our main entrance (pins.shorten.perfume) is a about 100m away from the access gate to the Flying Ground (sparkles.viewer.extent).
Knowing the exact location that birds are picked up from also helps us when they are ready for release so that we can return them back to their territory, if appropriate. It can also be used to aid any police investigations should there be suspicious circumstances involving a bird that’s brought to us, so accuracy is crucial.