A MAN originally from Anglesey has said he is keen to “pay back my gratitude” after creating a bird rescue group, and has pleaded for donations to help fund it.
Joe Greenwood, who now lives in Prestatyn, was particularly drawn to corvids (crows) from a young age, and would often spend hours sitting alone watching the birds.
He said he often felt isolated and struggled to make friends, partly due to his fascination and love for animals, which he saw almost as a form of escapism from the outside world.
About five weeks ago, Joe, 29 set up “Helping Hard Corvid Rescue”, largely a one-man operation where, with the assistance of donations from the public, he will help birds in need.
Joe, who works at the OpTIC Centre in St Asaph Business Park, has so far received £820 in financial donations, and has already provided help and sanctuary to a number of feathered friends.
He said: “It (setting the group up) was something I wasn’t really going to do, because I’ve always rescued birds, but I was struggling financially and had a chat with someone at work, who said I should reach out and seek more help.
“A lot of it (fascination with birds) was down to my upbringing, and how my interaction with wildlife and animals made me feel. I felt obliged to pay back my gratitude, really.
“With crows and rooks, there’s not a lot of help for them. They tend to get put down a lot.
“They’re frowned upon a lot – people say they’re bad luck, or a sign of the devil; these old legends still linger. It was just a gap that I felt needed filling.
“Usually, I’ll assess the bird and if it’s something I can do on my own, like dehydration, I can sort that out.
“But if it needs anything more critical or intense, I’ll usually go to the vet with it, and that’s paid for by donations. It (the group) is just me and my partner, who feeds the birds when I’m at work.
“We’ve rescued about 10 (since setting the group up). The furthest I travelled was to Mid-Wales to pick up a rook, but most were from the Prestatyn, Rhyl, or Kinmel Bay area.”
As for where any money pledged by the public will go to, Joe said it will help pay for vet bills and treatments, toys, food, or places for birds to make a new home.
He also has an outhouse which he’d like to convert into a holding unit, with equipment he can use to tend to the birds.
This new venture, in some ways, marks the realisation of a childhood dream of Joe’s, who aspired to be like Steve Irwin or David Attenborough as a youngster.
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He added: “Today, we’re off to the vet with a crow who is very unwell with lungworm.
“Originally, we had one main flight cage, which we shared with my rook I’ve got, called Fagin. Any rescue birds used to go in there with him.
“What we’ve down now is have another aviary built, and we’ve had nesting boxes and rescue cages built; we’ve bought food, treatments, toys, and some of it has been put aside for veterinary treatment.”
For more on Helping Hard Corvid Rescue, go to: www.facebook.com/groups/1129098854310088.
To make a donation yourself, visit: www.gofundme.com/f/helping-hand-corvid-rescue.
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