Skippers Sanctuary

15/10/2026

I have made a page on Crowdfunder (shows how computer illiterate I am - I thought it was on Go Fund Me, but I’m not sure it makes much difference which platform it’s on…hopefully 😬) to fund a replacement vehicle after the sad demise of my trusty Land Rover.

I have set this up as separate from charity funds as the car will be owned by myself - so is financially separate from the charity. I hope that makes sense!

If you are able, please click on the link below and donate and/or share widely! This charity basically runs on a shoestring, with fundraising only just covering food, supplies, vets fees and maintenance of accommodation for the birds - and it’s only when something like this happens that you realise literally almost everything grinds to a halt without a suitable vehicle!

Thank you in advance to the wonderful Island (and beyond) community ❤️

I rescue and rehabilitate wild birds on the Isle of Wight and need to purchase a vehicle to enable me to continue with my work.

13/10/2026

Alan arrived today via a vet practice after having been found in St Helens yesterday, not flying. He is a good weight, and although initially lively is sleepy now. Hopefully it may be that he feels safe enough to relax now 🤞🏻 With no discernible injuries, Alan is a bit of a mystery. Needless to say I’ll be keeping a close eye on him.

A big thank you to Shanklin Rotary Club for making a very kind donation to Skippers. Funds are running very low currently, so it couldn’t have come at a better time - Thank you so much ❤️

Not so good has been the demise of my trusty old Land Rover. It has finally succumbed to an oil leak which has contaminated other systems in the car and will cost far more than the car is worth to fix - so I am currently without a vehicle. I use the car to get to and from the sanctuary, rescues, for vet trips, food runs, bird collections, tip runs etc etc and it’s really been a workhorse. I’m now desperately in need of a replacement as the charity can’t function without this vital tool. If anyone knows of a VERY cheap automatic car (I’m a dunce and can’t drive a manual!) please do let me know…literally anything that runs will be considered!

07/10/2026

Cliff the Great Skua has been with us a year today. He was found stranded on Ryde Sands after a few stormy days with injuries to his leg, foot, and beak. He was unable to stand or fly, having symptoms of spinal trauma, which along with his wounds suggested that he had probably been bashed against rocks in the storm and was washed in on the tide to the sands at Appley. He arrived upside down in a cardboard box!

With TLC and perseverance he made slow progress, and a year on Cliff can stand, and walk (albeit with a limp) and he has even regained some flight. His steering in flight is not great, and when he takes to the air it is clumsy at best - but he continues to make small improvements and surprisingly, really seems to enjoy his life and the company of the other birds.

Originally when Cliff arrived, my plan was to have him put to sleep if he couldn’t recover enough to be released. Being an offshore bird, used to wild and rocky terrain the ‘pirate of the seas’ wouldn’t thrive in captivity, and it would not be fair to expect him to - but as he continued to make progress he had such a spark about him. He has settled in to the routine, has friends of other species and even goes in to his nighttime aviary ready to be put to bed on his own. His progress has slowed, but he does make tiny improvements still - so there is always the faint glimmer of hope that he might be releasable one day - although to be honest I’m not sure he’d want to go now!

The first photograph is from a year ago today on admission, and the second was taken a few weeks ago of Cliff enjoying the evening sunshine in his favourite spot.

05/10/2026

Last night Friends of the Animals contacted me about a sparrowhawk who had become trapped in the vestibule area of Ryde Esplanade train station. I was in Ryde, so popped down to have a look. The otherwise healthy looking sparrowhawk was able to fly but just couldn’t find her way out.

With only a short net in the car I was unable to reach her, and as it was already dark, I decided to leave her overnight in the hope that a pigeon might wander through beneath her and entice her down to the ground. On returning this morning, she was still in situ - but by now Island Line had contacted their contracted pest control company to come and retrieve her.

After ensuring that this meant she would not be harmed, I returned to the station this afternoon where I met James of Balcombe Environmental Services. The plan had been for me to check the sparrow hawk over - and if necessary to take her in for a day or two to recover, as she was known not to have eaten for at least 24 hours. However, she was obviously raring to go and flew out of James’s hands before I could give her the once over! She flew strongly and so I’m confident that she is none the worse for her ordeal!

Thank you to James, to Susan of Island Line, and Karen who initially spotted the stricken bird and also attended this afternoon.

24/09/2026

Three gulls released this afternoon - two adults and a juvenile. One of the adults was stranded in seaweed on the revetment at East Cowes unable to stand or fly in July, the other picked up from the road at Afton, also unable to stand or fly almost a fortnight ago.

The juvenile had become trapped in a courtyard behind a shop in Newport High Street just over a week ago and was rescued by Friends of the Animals.

18/09/2026

The eagle eyed among you may have noticed that there were 10 long-stay gulls released in the last video - the one I forgot to mention was a chap found last winter in Ryde with an injured foot and unable to fly.

I am being good about remaining closed to anything but gulls - however this beautiful little Red Legged Partridge was hit by a car yesterday and courtesy of Friends of the Animals has snuck in under the radar 😉

16/09/2026

Today, 9 long stay gulls were released. Some of these gulls have been with me for up to a year and needed to have a full moult before they could fly well enough to be released.

Among the group were Lucky, and Tube Gull. Lucky was found bleeding with horrible fishing tackle injuries at Cowes Enterprise College many months ago, and Tube Gull came in last winter unable to fly, stand, or even lift his head. He was literally on the brink of death on arrival and put up such a wonderful fight to be well enough for release. Because he needed such intensive one to one care, Tube Gull and I had quite a bond - so to see him back where he belongs was quite an emotional moment!

Also in this group was Bus Station Lunatic from Newport Bus Station who was found with concussion, missing feathers and unable to fly a few months ago as well as an adult who had been hit by a car in Newport around a month ago, a juvenile found in Shanklin at the beginning of the year unable to fly and being attacked by other gulls, another juvenile who was hit by a car in East Cowes about 6 weeks ago, as well as another juvenile hit on the dual carriageway in July and two overwintering juveniles from last year who needed a full moult before release!

Of course it’s always lovely to see birds released, but this group had between them overcome so much and proves just how much long-term rehabilitation pays off. I’m just in awe of these fantastic birds ❤️

15/09/2026

Penny arrived a week ago in quite a poor state. She had been spotted at the side of the road by eagle-eyed James, who knew something wasn’t right and used his Mum’s phone to contact me. James got Penny to safety and stayed with her until I was able to go and pick her up.

I suspect Penny had been hit by a car or flown into overhead power cables as she was very wobbly on her feet and fell over when attempting to walk. She was also very underweight and subdued.

A week on and Penny was well enough to move outside today. She’s been eating like a horse, putting on weight nicely and is much steadier on her feet now. Hopefully it won’t be too long until she’s up to flying.

Here she is exploring in the sun this afternoon (excuse the feathers on the ground - everyone is moulting at the moment!)

13/09/2026

Two Great Black Backed Gull juveniles, released a couple of days ago. The first one to fly came in as a baby having fallen from his or her roof, and the second was spotted sitting motionless on a main road in Cowes after a suspected RTA with concussion and neurological damage. Beautiful to see them strong and back where they belong.

11/09/2026

Firstly, apologies for a lack of posts for the last few weeks. My wife finally had her first surgery, swiftly followed by several complications and a subsequent hospital stay, so I’m afraid posts went out the window!

I’ve been continuing to take in new admissions and in the last month have taken over 80 casualties in, even though I’m closed 🤣 I didn’t realise it was that many until I’ve just had a count up in the admissions book!

Moving forward, my wife will be starting chemotherapy in around a fortnight, which sounds like it’s going to be quite difficult - so much as I hate it I’m going to have to be even stricter with myself. Currently I’m ‘officially’ open only for gulls - but realistically, I’ve still been taking virtually all species knowing that the only alternative is for the bird to be put to sleep, due to lack of other facilities for wild bird care on the island.

The next couple of weeks are going to consist of scans and tests pre-chemo, and then the treatment itself - and it’s just not going to be possible for me to be as flexible as I have been. I absolutely hate, hate, hate having to say no to birds who need help - hence not sticking to my self imposed rules before - but I really am going to have to be stringent with myself now.

If you find an injured bird, please take it to a vet. If this is impossible - for example it is a species which is dangerous to handle (offshore seabirds, large birds of prey etc) please contact Friends of the Animals. As many of you will know, I work closely with them and may still be able to co ordinate the admission of seabirds and gulls through them if I’m able to.

The photo is of Houdini - one of the many gulls to arrive in the last few weeks. He was seen on the canoe lake at Sandown with a broken wing, but evaded capture for a few days. Finally caught, his prognosis for future flight was virtually nil but given how cheeky and resourceful he is - and the fact that his fracture was closed - no one had the heart to see him put to sleep, so he has joined the main gull group.