A New year begins.

A New Year dawns with hopes for the happiness and well being of all the resident birds here and any new arrivals that may come in.

2014 was an incredibly busy and tiring year. There was a constant intake of injured and abandoned birds, ending the year with 30 battery hens that could not be re homed normally because they were either too sick or had leg fractures.

142 casualties were successfully treated and were able to be released back into the wild. Some are unable to be released and are now in their forever home at Little Wings. There are now 170 birds in my care. The little ones that were not able to be saved were made as comfortable as possible and were warm and  safe, thus saving them  from ending their lives being killed by predators or starving.

Keeping the cost of running the sanctuary is an ongoing challenge. Food and electricity bills are frightening. Sick birds need constant heat. Then there is bedding, medications,Vet bills and the up keep and maintenance of the outhouses and land.

With the 1000 euro the fundraiser raised in October and donations, I was able to get 6 foot fox proof fencing in another field. The cost of this was 2000 euro. It was not as big an area as I had hoped but that would have cost another 2000 euro and there was just not enough in the pot.

I am holding another fundraiser in a few weeks to try to attain this goal.

I had great news just before Christmas that I had been given the animal welfare  grant from the Ministry of Agriculture.I was awarded 1000 euro.

I would like to say a special thank you to those who were so kind to donate to make it possible to get some fencing done.

Amparo, Nuala, Lough Bo kennels,Niamh, Sue, Alan and Lottie for the grain, Agnes West, Dundalk Rotary club and to all that give me encouragement when things get a bit overwhelming !

My sincere thanks to Susie Brown the sanctuary Vet. JUST THE BEST !!!

I run the sanctuary entirely on my own. I cannot afford to pay anyone to help and cannot afford to pay for insurance to cover volunteers working. It is all time consuming with no days off at all, and very often day and night during the summer months.

However the satisfaction of helping any bird in need, far outweighs the commitment needed. It is a huge privilege to gain the trust of these beautiful creatures and I think I have the best vocation in the world.

My constant companion, Autumn, is the best comforter and baby sitter of the birds that I could wish for, as you can see from the photograph. We are a team.

May 2015 be a kind and healthy year for you all.