On Wednesday 28 June, the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust contacted us about two ill herring gull chicks- one with a limp and another who was weak with an injured eye. In order for them to get treatment, Deputy Head of Bird Care, Holly, met them as they arrived in style via the 19:15 Scillonian sailing! Arriving at our site just after 8pm, they were assessed and left to recover from their journey overnight with painkillers on board and a full belly.
The gull with the limp had no obvious injuries causing the limp and was bright and active so it was decided that he will be monitored and begin a 3 day course of painkillers to see how his leg progresses. The next morning, we booked a vet appointment for the little chap with the eye, now named Oxley, as after a thorough triage assessment it appeared he may have sustained some kind of trauma and the eye could have been infected.
The vet determined Oxleys eye injury to be a ulcer. He then began a course of two different kinds of eye drops (one antibiotics and one to make the eye more comfortable) and painkillers. He responded well to treatment and had a follow-up appointment on 04/07/23 which confirmed his eye was healing well.
Within a few days Oxley began to look very different from the gull that arrived, now able to stand and feed himself!