A Wing And A Prayer

This month Wildlife Aid Foundation founder Simon Cowell MBE experiences one of his most unusual brids of prey cases yet and reports on the progress of three little ducklings

- Simon Cowell MBE

BIRDS of prey are amazing animals and at the Wildlife Aid Foundation we always derive a huge sense of satisfaction when we manage to save one and return it to the wild. There are populations of these magnificent creatures across the county and we are blessed to have buzzards, owls, hawks and red kites in the skies over Surrey. Throughout the year hundreds pass through our aviaries on their journeys to recovery, each with a different story.

One of the more unusual birds of prey cases we’ve seen in recent years arrived a few weeks ago. The patient was a large adult buzzard that had been found completely caked in mud, which had penetrated through its feathers and dried into a hard crust.