Frequently Asked Questions


Question: What does The South east Birds of Prey Centre do?

Answer: We help re-habilitate these marvelous creatures and work with the national Parks and Wildlife team at the Slobs to help recover, look after them and if possible, set them free again.


Question: What is the typical injury?

Answer: This varies but mostly wing damage from Road Traffic Accidents and unfortunately shotgun pellets.


Question: What happens if a bird is too injured to help it recover?

Answer: When we are handed a bird, we immediately refer to our local vets who have an interest in ‘exotic species' (Parrots, Snakes, Large wild birds etc). We x-ray and evaluate its best chances. Sometimes a healthy bird with a damaged wing will never be able to feed itself back in the wild, so the choices are often difficult


Question: Do we euthanase?

Do we help it to recover and lead a happy life in an aviary and breed from them, setting the offspring free?


Question: How did you get into it?

Answer: Enthusiasm, I have always been interested in wildlife and conservancy issues, also having been in the Royal Society for the Protection on Birds in the UK , had a particular interest in Birds of Prey. Having settled in Ireland 4 years ago, decided to think about how we could make a difference.

Just before last xmas, I found a damaged Buzzard in our local woods. I contacted the team at the Slobs and found out that whilst they could temporary look after the bird, they had limited facilities to help re-habilitate the bird over the long term. Unfortunately this bird had to be euthanased because of shotgun wounds.

It's been a long, sometimes difficult year trying to help. Of the 12 birds we have handled only 3 have been healthy enough to set free. We tried hard to help a falcon survive that had been shot near Our Lady's Island and this area is a sanctuary. The Bird died after 12 days.

We currently have a Peregrine Falcon in residence that will probably never survive if we set her free, unfortunately it was shot and the wing damage means that its flying dynamic will stop it hunting.


Question: What are the types of Birds of Prey and do they have any special attributes?

Answer: They fall mainly into 2 groups


Falcons mainly hover above in the skies and swoop down to catch their food. They tend to eat fast moving prey such as rabbit and Crow. Buzzards are a much maligned birds as they only eat small prey, insects, worms, mice (they maximum they would hunt is a rat, but they would be very hungry to go outside their natural passive behavior)


Hawks & Owls are ‘opportunists' tend to or remain static for very, very long periods of time or ‘tree hop' waiting for food to wander by. They tend to hunt the slower moving prey such as mice, rats, small unhealthy rabbits.


Question: You are a member of the Irish hawking Club, Is there a conflict between how you hunt with your own birds and the rescue & recovery work that you do?

Answer: No, being a Bird of Prey owner and part of the hawking club team, gives a network of contacts that have experience in all sorts of wild bird problems. Just recently one of the team managed to recover a shot Peregrine, pick out the shot, re-break the wing bone that was setting and it's on its way to recovery to a full and healthy life.

There is a small but growing network of people that can help recover and re-habilitate many wild species (not just Birds of Prey).


Question: How does the South East Birds of Prey Centre fund itself?

Answer: 2006 will be the first full year of operation. We have donated some of our savings to ensure that all ‘emergencies' are responded to. There will be no commercial gain and we look to donations of time/energy/money to move forward.

e.g.: Our local vets are brilliant in that all consulting time is free, that some of the medicines are gratis. On average we spend around €120.00 during the initial recovery period (x-rays, medicine etc), and make sure the bird is fed, housed etc over the recovery period. Often this involves higher than average heating bills as ‘patients' should be kept in seclusion, in the warm for 6-8 weeks. The Centre pay's for additional x-rays etc.

Our aim is to help recover, re-hab, return all healthy birds. When they cannot return they can lead a healthy life even breeding offspring to set free later, for improving the ecological balance of Ireland .


Question: What would you like to see done in the future?

Answer: In line with our increasing understanding of Irelands ecological balance, I would like to see more awareness and education for all generations. The Centre will in 2006 and beyond make available time and energy to visit schools & clubs (such as the very well attended Nature club at the slobs) to present information on endangered species.


Answer: The more enlightened people there are the interest level increases and so does enthusiasm. We should have our own Raptor rescue network throughout Ireland to ensure protection and rescue of these endangered species.


Answer: The Nature club set up by the team at the Slobs is doing a fantastic job of educating us in our natural wonders, just recently I attended presentations on Whale Watching, Irelands Bats and our native Ducks. The club meets 1 st Thursday every month and attendance is brilliant.


Answer: Preserve some large tracts of land to let these fantastic birds fly free and encourage other species to grow and help ‘naturally' to keep our ecological balance of hunting pest.


Answer: I do not advocate reducing the sporting interests of gun clubs, in fact I am the Secretary of the newly formed Bishops Mountain Shooting club, near New Ross but we only shoot clays and do not support any shooting of wildlife.


Answer: I would like to stop the constant damage to the bird of prey population by eventually reducing the amount of birds shot in the name of sport. This is controllable through education, unfortunately road traffic accidents to wildlife is a fact of life, but an enlightened public will be more likely to stop and help recover an animal/bird.


Answer: I would like to see more of people doing what Jim Hurley, who rescued an endangered Corncrake and Kevin McCormick who rescued a very rare Merlin and stop the mindless shooting, such as the Peregrine resident in the church tower in Wexford, where someone pulled up in their car, opened the sunroof and shot the bird.


Answer: More media interest from a national and local perspective, many of our success and sad stories have appeared locally in newspapers. More can be done to understand the impacts on national stocks of endangered species, by the government making available funds to let the local guardians of nature (the team at the Slobs) to expand the brilliant work they are already doing.


Answer: Juanita Brown and her recent interview on South East radio was terrific in her enthusiasm for our own natural wonders, and her new book will make a difference to understanding what we have and what is at risk.

Last Updated 27.07.09