Volunteer rescuers from East Sussex Wildlife Rescue helped by staff from Eastbourne Borough Council had to launch an emergency swan rescue after a dead cygnet was found at Decoy Pond, Hampden Park, Eastbourne on Monday. Staff from Eastbourne Borough Council asked specialist veterinary staff from the Shepperton based Swan Sanctuary to post mortem the cygnet. Staff at the sanctuary were shocked at the cygnets condition and that he had weighed just 2.7kg almost half its expected weight due to a severe parasite burden.
Tag Archives: birds
Emotional Rollercoaster For Wildlife Rescue Volunteers
A surge in casualties is stretching a Sussex animal hospital to the limits as the busy spring and summer season begins.
Volunteers and part-time staff at East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) have been rushed off their feet since the beginning of Easter dealing with an average of 25 calls for help per day.
Think Nesting Birds says Sussex Wildlife Charity
East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) is asking anyone thinking of cutting down trees or bushes to think about nesting birds at this time of year.
The winter storms have caused many people to question whether they want to live so close to trees and many dangerous or damaged trees are being felled too. "I have seen so many trees cut down recently and sadly despite the best efforts of many tree surgeons to avoid cutting trees down which have nesting birds in, many are just not seen until after the youngsters are found on the ground now orphaned" said Trevor Weeks MBE founder of WRAS.
It’s Spring! First Young Garden Bird admitted to Sussex Rescue Centre
The first baby garden bird of 2014 has been admitted to East Sussex Wildlife Rescue & Ambulance Service (WRAS) during the night of 18th March 2014. The nestling blackbird was found in Polegate sat at the side of a road. The finder carefully picked it up out of concern it could get run over and took it home before calling WRAS for help and advice.
Sussex charity to give away disinfectant to help garden birds
A Sussex wildlife organisation is urging people to clean their bird tables and feeders after a spate of garden birds being admitted suffering from coccidia which can easily be spread by unhygienic bird tables.
East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service says people who love wild birds may not realise the harm their bird feeders and tables could be causing. 'Many people enjoy watching garden birds visiting to take food from bird feeders and off tables but how often are they cleaned' In a restaurant you wouldn't reuse a plate time and time without washing it. You wouldn't put cat or dog food down in a dirty bowl with out cleaning it first too. The same goes for bird tables and feeders. Every time you fill one up you should clean it out first and at least once a week you should disinfect the feeder and table' said Trevor Weeks founder of East Sussex WRAS.
Turkeys roaming free round Sussex towns and villages
12 Turkeys have been spotted in different locations roaming freely round Sussex Towns and Villages over the past 3 weeks. The last report was of 2 turkeys sat on a wall in Juggs Close, Lewes. 7 Turkeys were seen roaming around Alfriston last week in the Weavers lane area and the week before that 3 turkeys were seen wandering around Glynde village near the recreation ground.
Gull Rescue Team busiest ever Season so far
A volunteer rescue service has been busier this year than in any previous year helping to rescue gull chicks falling off roof tops. So far in 2009 WRAS has been called out to over 200 call-outs to gull chicks in trouble and just over half of them have been returned to their parents thanks to WRAS's two main ambulances which carry ladders. The rest of them have either died from injuries or ill health or been taken in for hand rearing. These figures are up on last year which is probably more to do with WRAS being the only organisation which carries ladders and is capable of returning gull chick to their parents and due to other organisations just telling people to leave them under bushes for cats to take.
Swans and cygnets cause chaos on Langney Roads
A pair of swans with seven cygnets have been causes chaos of roads round Langney in Eastbourne. Sussex Police have now been called out three time and East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS) have received over 100 calls of concern from local residents whilst the family of swans have gone on a walk about round the local housing estate.
“When was the last time you saw a pair of tits on a bird?” asks Trevor
Rescuers from an East Sussex animal charity are asking well meaning people not to feed milk to injured wildlife which could potentially kill the casualty.
Members of East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS) are regularly called out to deal with young or injured birds and mammals only find that they have been given milk to drink. "Unfortunately milk is bad for and potentially life threatening for most baby birds and mammals who find it difficult to digest cows milk and other types of milk too" said Trevor Weeks Rescue Co-ordinator for East Sussex WRAS, "we get called all the time to people who have found birds and start giving them bread and milk to eat and drink. When was the last time you saw a pair of tits on a bird? Birds do not have breasts. Birds especially are not used to milk and have difficulty in digesting it."
Public support grows to find culprit for bird shootings
The public have really pulled behind a campaign to find the culprits of the shootings of several birds across East Sussex. Sussex Police and East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS) have had numerous calls from the public concerned about the recent spate of shootings across East Sussex.