HACKNEY BIRDS

Local volunteers helping injured and vulnerable birds across Hackney and the City.

• Found bird?
• Help Out
• Contacts
• Supplies
• Donate

Found an injured or vulnerable bird?

For sick or injured birds in London, contact London Wildlife Protection on: 📞 07909 795064 - whatsapp or text.1. Get them out of immediate danger if you can do so safely.2. Contain them. Put the bird in a closed, well-ventilated cardboard box or secure carrier, lined with tissue or kitchen roll.3. Keep them warm, dark and quiet.4. Please don't give food or water unless a rehabber has told you to. It can do more harm than good.5. Stay with the bird until help arrives. If you need to leave, make sure they’re safely contained and share their exact location with the rescue, ideally using what3words or a pinned location.

Can you help with a rescue?

There are a lot of birds needing help across East London, and much of the work falls on the same small group of people.You don't need to be an experienced rehabber or available for emergencies to make a difference. Helping might mean a local pickup, a release, transport, cleaning, or being a backup.We use a simple rota for bird runs and bird-room cleaning up to 6 weeks ahead. It's shared in the WhatsApp group, and it lets people plan ahead so even one slot every few weeks helps spread the load.And if a rescue is posted near you, simply keeping an eye on the bird until someone can collect them can be a huge help.Every little positive human action helps our wildlife and can save lives.

Want to join other local volunteers in your community and help the birds? Email and tell us roughly where you're based, how you want to help, and we'll add you to the local WhatsApp group.Please note this e-mail is NOT for emergencies and is only checked once or twice a week for admin purposes. If you've found a vulnerable bird, contact London Wildlife Protection.

Making room for the birds we displace

By Melanie Knoedler, Pigeon Hope East

When an old building comes down, we count the bricks, the beams and the cost. We rarely count the residents. Many of these buildings have housed pigeons for generations: roosting in the eaves, nesting in the roof voids, raising chick after chick in the same sheltered corners.Feral pigeons are, in effect, abandoned animals. They descend from domestic birds that people bred, kept and then let go, and they depend on the places we built for them. When those places are demolished, adults are driven out, nests are destroyed and squabs (the dependent young) are left to die. A pair that has just laid has nowhere to go, and a fledgling that can't yet fly cannot follow its parents to a new site.None of this is inevitable. Other nesting birds, including swifts, house martins and sparrows, are recognised in planning practice, and developers are expected to plan around them. Feral pigeons deserve the same basic consideration, as a matter of welfare if not of law.A better approach is simple and affordable:
- Survey early. Check for roosting and nesting birds before demolition dates are set.
- Time the work. Avoid active nests and dependent young wherever possible.
- Rehome, don't just remove. Work with rescue organisations to relocate birds into managed dovecotes on nearby land, where they can be fed, monitored and kept healthy.
- Build the dovecote first. Birds settle far better when the new home is ready before the old one goes.
Managed lofts also help the neighbourhood. Birds with a secure home and regular care are healthier and less likely to scatter across surrounding streets in search of shelter and food.Rescue groups across London are ready to help with capture, rehoming and aftercare. What we need from the council and from developers is a willingness to plan ahead and to invest a modest sum in somewhere for these birds to live.If you know of a building due for demolition in the borough, or you'd like to volunteer, please get in touch. A little forethought now could spare a great deal of suffering.

new? start here

If you’re new to helping with bird rescue, a few terms and names may come up a lot:Rehabber
A volunteer set up to care for birds at home. There are only a few in our area, which is why they're so often overwhelmed.PR / Pigeon Recovery, Sutton
This is where many pigeons go when they need longer-term or specialist care. Regular runs to Sutton are really important because they free up space for new rescues in East London. Volunteers usually take birds there by train or car once the handover has been arranged.SEWH / South Essex Wildlife Hospital
A wildlife hospital in Essex that takes many non-pigeon birds and other wildlife needing hospital care. It’s usually a drive rather than public transport.Stringfoot
String, hair or thread wrapped around a pigeon's feet, cutting into them. It's very common in cities and can often be treated. Want to learn how to de-string pigeons' feet and socialise with other bird friends in your area? Let us know you're interested joining our next meet-up.Who decides where a bird needs to go?
The experienced rehabbers handling the case will advise.How are rescues organised?
Live rescue cases are coordinated through the volunteer WhatsApp groups. A rota is used separately to plan regular bird runs and bird-room cleaning in advance.

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useful contacts

It's often quicker to help the bird yourself than to call around. If a rescue is posted in your neighbourhood and the finder can't stay with the bird, it's always best to go straight to the reported location and keep eyes on the bird until help arrives.BIRDS
🐦 London Wildlife Protection (birds only):
WhatsApp or text, 07909 795064🐦 Pigeon Recovery Sutton (pigeons):
Text only, 07789 334486. Website
Not open to the public. Birds can be left safely outside the front door between 1:00 and 9:00 p.m.🐦 The Swan Sanctuary (waterbirds only):
01932 240790OTHER WILDLIFE
🦊 The Fox Project (foxes only, 9am to 9pm):
01892 731565🦊 Fox Angels Foundation (foxes only):
Message on Facebook🐭 Gerbil & Rodent Rescue (rodents only):
Message on Facebook🐿️ Urban Squirrels (grey squirrels only):
07415 983900. Website🦇 National Bat Helpline (bats only, 9:30am to 4:30pm):
0345 1300 228🐿️ South Essex Wildlife Hospital (drop-off only, 9am to 10pm):
01375 893893. Good for emergency care for badly injured squirrels, birds of prey, foxes, other wildlife.VETS & OTHER
➡️ Veteris, 51 Hoxton Square, London N1 6PB (24/7 vet): 020 3808 0100. 24/7 emergency line: 0330 808 9066
➡️ Hello Vets London Fields, Unit A, 2 Triangle Road, Hackney, London E8 3RP: 020 4587 1351. Open Mon to Fri 8:30am to 7pm and Sat to Sun 9am to 4pm
➡️ Celia Hammond Animal Trust, Canning Town (cats and pets only): 151-153 Barking Road, London, E16 4HQ. Tel: 020 7474 8811Facebook groups for London pigeon and wildlife rescue
- London Pigeon Welfare Group
- London Pigeon Rescue
- London Pigeon Stringfoot & Rescue
- Pigeon Rescue and Protection UK
- Greenwich Wildlife Network for Greenwich and Bexley SE London

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useful rescue supplies

None of this is needed to help, most rescues just need a box. However, these are things people have found useful over time. We do not earn anything from these links, they are not sponsored.For bird rescue
🔹 Boxes size of a wine box, with air holes. IKEA blue bags for transport.🔹 Foldable landing Net, 50cm Stainless Steel Fixed Handle on Amazon🔹 Matt Hayes Telescopic Landing Net (for birds larger than a pigeon) at Argos🔹Pet carrier (large) at Argos🔹 HotHands Adhesive Body Warmers (Disposable heat pads are great if the bird has a longer transfer time & needs warmth) on AmazonFor rehab starters:
Specialist rehab equipment should only be used with appropriate instruction from an experienced rehabilitators.🔹10ml Bird Feeding Set on Amazon
Recommended to have longer tubes.🔹 Hari Tropican Complete Hand-Feeding Formula for Baby Birds, 2kg on Amazon🔹 Heat Pad on Amazon🔹Infusion Set on Zedmed

support the birds

Caring for rescued birds means an ongoing need for food, medication, carriers, cleaning supplies and other essentials. Almost all of it is paid for by the rehabbers themselves.If you’d like to support the work in another way, please consider donating:💸 Donate to Pigeon Recovery📦 Support Pigeon Hope East by buying supplies from Amazon WishlistThank you!

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