WILD BIRD RESCUE DORSET
Based in Wareham/Lytchett area. Intake only from 8am until 6pm daily.

Information about me (Sandy) and the rescue.
Due to total burn out and having shingles in October, 2024, from overdoing it, being emotionally exhausted, and not resting or having one day off for 8 months solid, I have had to put in place some necessary self-care protocols so that I don’t crash and burn out again.

If I go down, so does the entire rescue!

Over this past year we have seen a HUGE increase in abusive behaviour and a blatant unwillingness to help transport a bird to the vets or to us. This has not only been emotionally challenging but has put extra strain on our capacity to help. We cannot continue down this path, hence this page to explain our side and to try and encourage finders to help out a bit more.

Please don’t assume we are a big organisation and can come out armed with nets, ladders, and have a fleet of rescue vehicles and volunteers, we don’t, and we can’t.

We are a tiny rescue with a handful of voluntary drivers that work. It is not always possible to collect birds or come out on a rescue mission so please make some effort to find someone to help. Please find anyone, friends, family, neighbours, carers, colleagues, ask on your local facebook neighbourhood groups or even ask someone on the street – literally anyone. Excuses are not productive for a suffering animal. Where there is a will, there is always a way!

Although we have a very small handful of voluntary drivers, it is only myself who deals with all the enquiries, feeding the babies every half an hour from dawn ’til dusk every single day, medicating, cleaning and looking after all the birds. Because we are just a small home based rescue we encourage finders to transport birds to us or to local vets. I say “we” because my husband is the one who keeps me upright and does all the charity paperwork, dealing with HMRC and the Charity Commission, which keeps us running from a legal aspect.

Our lives are put on hold during the entire spring and summer months because the birds come first. We have NO days out, no lay ins, and we cant even sit down and watch a film together in its entirety. Some days I don’t even have time to grab a shower! My hubby does all the shopping and cooking and without him I couldn’t do half of what I do for the birds that come in.

We both also work full time jobs to pay the bills as we do not take a penny out of the charity money. This isn’t a pity party speech, it is just the truth to help you understand from our side of things and know that we are not sitting twiddling our thumbs waiting for an enquiry. It is literally non-stop. We both love what we do for our wild birds and would choose it over and over.

On average 600 birds a year come into rescue, and during busy season I could easily take 50 or more enquiries in one day! That’s a lot for one person.

I also have a job to pay bills as I run the rescue completely voluntarily. I am a therapist so cannot check my phone when I’m in with a client. Basically I’m a one man band with a few wonderful supporters. So to help me to get the fastest help for the bird I need you to please go that extra mile and help with transporting it to us or a vet.

I am available 8am until 6pm every day but as I do have to work I can only reply in-between my clients. Please be patient and do not keep messaging me on every social platform 10 times before I can answer. This is non productive and causes me additional work and stress. For extreme cases with bald hatchlings I will try and be available outside of those hours to intake.

More info on my FAQ page
and also Help I found a bird page
View our resources page to find out local vets, 24 hour vets and other rescues

Below is a quick outline of what to do:

• If you have a bird please stay calm.
• Do not worry about feeding the bird or giving water. This is not necessary!
• First protocol is to keep it boxed, safe, secure and quiet.
• Please do not handle the bird as they can carry all kinds of parasites and diseases, especially when poorly. Also, natural oils in human skin strips their feathers of their waterproofing properties.

If you have cats and dogs then a spare room or even a bathroom is a good start where you can close the door and keep the bird safe in a box. If that is not an option, then a garage, shed or even your car to keep the bird safe until help can be sorted. Line the box with soft kitchen roll or toilet paper so it doesn’t cover itself in faeces or slip around and dislocate its hips.

If the bird is bald or hardly has any proper feathers it is a baby and needs to be kept warm at body temperature, around 36 degrees constantly. Keep the baby warm in your hands, down your bra, or if you have a heat pad make sure to keep the baby warm to the touch. Make a deep cosy nest out of toilet paper and cover it, keep the baby as warm as possible. Never try and feed it anything. They can go hungry but can’t survive fluids going down the wrong hole!

Do not ever put any food or water in any birds beak unless you have been professional trained to do so as they can aspirate and drown. If it is sick, injured or cold they cannot eat or drink anyway as they cannot digest it, so you would be causing more harm and more stress to the bird.

If the bird is severely injured and you can see its insides, or its legs or wings appear broken and hanging down then it needs to be taken to any vet asap. If it is out of hours please find any 24 emergency vet locally to you, try our resources page or try Google. You will not be charged as all vets have a duty of care by law to see wildlife brought in by the public.

More info on my FAQ page
and also Help I found a bird page
View resources page to find out local vets, 24 hour vets and other rescues

Know that ANY abuse or emotional blackmail will absolutely not be tolerated. ANY abusive remarks, or bad attitude will result in profile and number blocking. This voluntary job is hard enough without being verbally or emotionally attacked. We can only do our best as every day brings different challenges, and in rare situations, sadly, we may be unable to help due to being full up, not enough facilities, or the bird may have to be put to sleep, being the kindest option if it cannot be rehabbed and is suffering.

THANK YOU for understanding and for being patient.
TOGETHER we can make a difference but I can’t do it all on my own. I need you!
TEAMWORK saves lives !

Thank you for caring and doing your part in saving a soul.