The Nature Gallery's Sue Whitehead

The Artist

In 1990 Sue began to do drawings and paintings of the birds that came in for healing to raise funds for the hospital. The birds were mostly Raptors as their size and life style made them easier to treat, force feed and keep alive.

It was a pleasure after a gap of ten years for Sue to be painting again. Since leaving the Birmingham Jewellery College in 1972, she had earned her living making gold and silver jewellery. She moved to Mid Wales from Shropshire in 1976 to run her own business in the peace of the Welsh countryside. It was here that she first started caring for birds.

Since working from mid Wales, Sue has had her work exhibited in Wildlife Art exhibitions and has undertaken various commissions.

Grace the weimaraner and Molly the hungarian vizsla

Caring for Sick & Injured Birds of Prey in Mid-Wales

The Mid Wales Bird Hospital was established in 1988. During the nine years we ran it, we cared for over 500 birds. We concentrated on birds of prey as they are much tougher and easier to force feed, a necessary operation when they come in concussed. But we never turned anything away (not even otter cubs!)

We had herons, swifts, swans, ducks, the inevitable racing pigeons and all manners of small birds, but we had the most success with the raptors.

Injuries ranged from concussion to breakages, to the avian form of farmer's lung. Most of the injuries were caused by vehicles, but glass windows, cats, barbed wire and shooting also caused problems.

We had moments of great joy when we were able to return a bird to the wild and moments of great sadness when one died, but overall a feeling of contentment that we had done what we could to balance some of the harm done by man and repay the pleasure we gained by watching these creatures in the wild.