Injured Wildlife in South Wales

31/12/2025

Happy New Year to you all.
A massive thank you to everyone that has rescued any wild animal or bird during 2025 and either phoned me directly or taken them straight to their local vets. I have collected many of these wildlife casualties (over 300 at last count and probably significantly more by now) transferring them to Gower Bird Hospital for rehabilitation. This has ultimately led to most of them being released and them having a second chance at life in the wild. Apologies for not updating everyone...its been such a busy year and at times simply non-stop!
If anyone is still awaiting an update though, please let me know and I will do my best to find out for you. Xx

15/09/2025

A few bits of advice if anyone finds a Manx Shearwater in the next few days while this stormy weather continues.
These birds being found inland are mostly youngsters taking their first flights from their nesting burrows on Skomer Island. Sadly due to the wind direction they are being blown off course and further inland, hence us receiving so many calls about grounded shearwaters over the last few weeks.
Once grounded these poor birds cannot take off, nor can they walk very far due to the positioning of their legs being more suited to diving, not walking.
They are extremely nervous and easily frightened birds so if found please handle them as little as possible preferably with a clean, dry towel and pop them in a dark totally enclosed (with airholes) box and pop them in a quiet place away from noise, children, pets etc.
You can then phone Gower Bird Hospital, myself (07838 270636) or one of the Pembrokeshire Manx Shearwater advice groups.
Please do not put any food in with them as they will not eat it, and it will just cause contamination of feathers and further problems with their natural waterproofing, (which is obviously essential for their survival out on the seas, especially on their migration journeys to South America in the next few months).
Also, if everyone can check their gardens, streets, local park areas each morning while this stormy weather continues, these little birds will either just be sitting out in the open or will have made their way a few metres to a dark area under bins, sheltered darkened corner...anything which to them resembles a burrow...as they often remain in their burrows on Skomer during the day to avoid predation.
Hope this is useful advice, please text me on 07838 270636 if you need any further info, or if you have found either one of these birds or any other injured or displaced wildlife needing our help. X

15/09/2025

UPDATE. Found by a very kind young man and is now in vets. I will be transferring this little one to Gower Bird shortly. X

If anyone knows where this little one is now please let me know. Went out at 6.30am looking for him/her but nowhere to be seen. He is not in St James either. Please phone me on 07838 270636 if you have picked him/her up....he needs specialist care at Gower Bird Hospital or one of the Pembrokeshire Manx Shearwater groups in order to survive, and ultimately get back to Skomer where he is from. X

08/09/2025

UPDATE...Just been down to check the site and it is a dead sibling, no dead parent birds, so its possible that their nest has fallen down in the stormy weather today.

Just to say a huge thank you to the 2 boys and a girl that just saved a nestling woodpigeon from behind CK's in Birchgrove after finding both parent birds dead. He/she would not have lasted long on the ground like that. To the parents of these children....they are an absolute credit to you. And a big thanks to Kathy too for bringing him/her to me. This little soul is now in an incubator recovering from their obviously traumatic experience, and will be going in to Gower Bird Hospital with me tomorrow morning. X

16/08/2025

Hi everyone, after Forest vets kindly posted on their page, and everyone sharing it, the location of where the little pipistrelle bat was originally found was identified...and this little bat can now be safely realeased back to his home territory. ❤️

I now have another request for help. This time for a juvenile Goshawk which I picked up from Lakeside vets in Llansamlet, Swansea on Wednesday 13/8/25.
The finder had kindly transported and dropped 2 birds in to Lakeside vets at lunchtime...a woodpigeon and a possible kestrel. On examination the bird of prey was thought to be a sparrowhawk. Due to unforeseen circumstances the staff didn't manage to get the location of where these two birds were found, other than it was a "quiet road in Brecon".
Sadly the woodpigeon was too badly injured (possibly due to the goshawks incredibly efficient talons) to survive, but the goshawk is now doing very well, and we really need the exact location of where he/she was found so they can be returned to their familiar territory/hunting grounds. I have pictures of both the goshawk and the box it was in for identification purposes if needed.
Thank you so much, Jane. X
As always my number is 07838 270636.

Please also see Lakeside's post.

10/08/2025

Its been a very, very busy few months. From teeny, tiny nestlings right through to the big old Great Black Backed Gulls, Buzzards and Red Kites (and of course the usual hedgehogs, bats, rats and mice) I have personally collected well over 200 wildlife casualties! Most of these have been successfully rehabbed and many have already been released, thanks in the main to Gower Bird Hospital. A big thank you also though to St James, Forest, Afon, Maes Glas, Animal Doctors, Pdsa, and Vets Now for calling me to pick up the many wildlife casualties they've all had brought in to them in recent months. I have also had a few calls and subsequent collections from CVC, Pets at Home, and Gibson & Jones too.
Thanks to all these wildlife friendly vets, all these little (and not so little) lives were given the necessary first aid needed to start them on the road to recovery. Thanks also to all the members of public who have either phoned me for advice or collection, or have managed to get the injured animal or bird to one of our wildlife friendly vets so I could pick up from there instead; thanks also for being so understanding when the outcome hasn't been the one we all hoped for. Between us all, the injured wildlife I have been involved with has received treatment as soon as possible, thereby increasing their longterm chances of survival. For all the other little souls that had to be put to sleep due to their injuries/illnesses being unsustainable, they were at least saved from any further pain and suffering, bless them all.
A huge well done to everyone involved in getting help for all our sick, injured and displaced wildlife. Xx

01/07/2025

All wildlife, and not just hedgehogs, can get tangled up/caught in discarded litter, often causing horrific and potentially fatal injuries. Please dispose of litter responsibly, cutting up any netting, strings, plastic, handles on carrier bags etc. If you see anything like this discarded out in the open, please pick it up and cut or rip it before putting it in the nearest bin. Elastic bands sometimes dropped by postal workers are another huge hazard to our smaller wildlife too. One of the worst things for small birds and bats to get tangled in are the fake cobwebs sold at Halloween...these are often hung from trees and bushes and are lethal to anything caught in them, due to the nylon used in these products ending up as a tourniquet round little wings, legs and feet...the more a bird or bat struggles, the tighter it gets. If you do use these types of decoration at Halloween please check for any trapped wildlife several times a day and if any are found please cut free but do not release...these little souls will need to come into rehab for assessment, as any injuries and the subsequent skin breakdown that occurs may not be seen until several days later. This is the same advice for any entanglement victim, whatever the original cause. Please do not release even if there are no apparent injuries, please phone Gower Bird Hospital or myself for advice first. Thank you. Jane. X

21/06/2025

Just a quick reminder to anyone trying to contact me about an injured animal or bird. Please send me a text on 07838 270636 or leave me a message on the answerphone. Because I work fulltime and do wildlife collections/ transfers in my spare time, as an independent and totally voluntary self funded service, I am often driving and unable to answer my phone directly. If you leave me a message I can phone you back as soon as I can and it is safe for me to do so. Thanks, Jane. X

19/06/2025

The hot weather is back...please put shallow bowls of water or deeper bowls with stones and pebbles in wherever you can...front lawns are ideal as any thirsty animal or bird can access it without having to negotiate fences or gates...and that one bowl of water could well save its life. X

❗ Don't delay! Place shallow dishes of fresh, clean water around your garden - they can be a lifeline to thirsty creatures like , birds & bees!
🦔 🐦 🐝 🦋 💧
Add a few pebbles so insects can perch & safely drink too!