Hello! 

We are Izzy (Trainee Falconer) and Mat (Falconer), staff at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, and we are aiming to raise money for our birds of prey by running a 10k race  - bird themed race attire is highly likely! 

Here at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, we rehabilitate sick and injured wild birds of prey, preserving and conserving Britain's wild raptor populations. Most of the birds that come to us are in pretty poor shape when they arrive; they may have been hit by cars, baby birds abandoned by parents, starving, trapped, or fatigued, so it takes a lot of time, expense and critical care to nurse them back to health before release back into the wild. This conservation is also facilitated by our nest box scheme, by which we have nest boxes throughout Suffolk and surrounding counties, where our  specialist bird ringers track and monitor our bird of prey populations and released individuals.

We also have a captive collection of centre birds, which are exercised during flight displays; these facilitate the birds' wellbeing, whilst educating the general public about conservation. Some of our flying team have come from neglected or challenging backgrounds - some were neglected exotic pets or mistreated previously in life, therefore we love to see them happy and flourishing now at the centre. For example, Bramble, our barn owl, was once kept as a pet in a very unsuitable budgie cage where he could not move; now, he is one of our most successful and thriving member's of the flying team, and we encourage him to go off and do lots of free, continuous flight, "quartering"  just as his wild counterparts do.

We appreciate that times are difficult right now, but if you are able to and would like to donate to our cause, we would greatly appreciate it (the birds too!).

£1 - could pay for one hospital patient's food for one day.

£10 - could buy an enrichment device to encourage our centre bird's natural behaviours, or, could fund essential training tools.

£50 - could buy a trail camera to help record footage of hospital patient's, to monitor the birds' health, behaviour and mobility in-aviary and at hack pens prior to release.

And vitally, every penny could contribute to larger, more specialist raptor hospital equipment and fees, such as:

 - Covering the costs of an x-ray for an injured bird of prey

- Veterinary bills, i.e. surgical procedures

- Specialist equipment (we need new ophthalmoscopes - lots of birds that we receive from road accidents have eye injuries and head trauma).

- Aviary refurbishments

Thank you :)