By Katy Woodhouse

Just outside Amroth, although you might not know it, one lady is dedicating her time to helping save lives.

Maria Evans, with the support of her husband, David, has spent 30 years rescuing and rehabilitating birds of prey and swans, as well as any other injured birds that come her way.

Tinker's Hill Bird of Prey and Swan Rescue Centre is set in stunning countryside and the land has been designed to offer the best habitat for water fowl, with pools and safe areas for the wide variety of birds. Maria aims, whenever possible, to release the birds back into their natural habitat.

The dedication and passion Maria has for her work has earned her the respect and admiration of all who have met her. This really is a 365-days-a-year job.

The injuries that many of the rescued birds have suffered are quite horrific, even more so when they have been inflicted by humans, either deliberately or through negligence. Maria firmly believes that people must realise that if we do not care for our wildlife, we may lose many beautiful species.

"About 60% of the injuries to swans are caused by fishing line and sometimes from road accidents. We do occasionally get the vandalism types, where someone deliberately hurts the bird but fishing lines is one of the big problems and this is caused by carelessness with hooks and tackle" explained Maria.

Tinker's Hill is not open to the public because the birds are wild, and for them to have the best chance of recovery they need as little contact with people as possible. "For the best chance of rehabilitation the last thing these birds need are people, they are wild birds" said Maria.

In 2006 alone, 123 birds of prey, 175 seabirds and 264 swans were successfully treated and released by Maria and Tinker's Hill is constantly striving to maintain and improve the facilities to house the unfortunate birds that have been too badly injured to be released.

"We are a sensible outfit, we don't keep the one-footed, one-winged, they are wild birds and don't like to be in captivity. But we do have one or two that catch your heart, particularly when you put so much effort in. We sometimes find sheltered accommodation for them, like a private lake," said Maria.

One such bird is four-year-old Baby, a common buzzard that was hand-reared by Maria and is too tame to go back into the wild. Baby accompanies Maria if she does talks at schools and captures the attention of all the children. The buzzard is the commonest UK bird of prey and many of us will recognise them perched on pylons all around Pembrokeshire.

Another of Maria's birds that goes on trips to nearby schools is a barn owl. Even at 16, much older than it would live to in the wild, the delicate and beautiful feather coloration and patterns are delightful to see at such close quarters.

One of the rarer birds of prey at the centre is also one of the smallest. The hobby is the second smallest of the true falcons, and it eats large insects and small birds. The hobby is migratory, but the one at Tinker's Hill is on an extended stay.

Two of the most impressive and imposing birds at the centre are Thor and Saskia, the two European eagle owls, that have formed a strong bond after they were rescued from separate homes. "I have had Thor for 20 years, he was rescued as part of an RSPCA cruelty case. Saskia came to join him six years ago, with a badly damaged wing which we were unable to mend properly because her previous owner had neglected it for so long." The pair are not native to the UK so cannot be released but they are flourishing under Maria's care. They even successfully raised a chick last year.

Maria is also improving the treatment and rehabilitation areas, a recent addition is a new area for cleaning the many birds that arrive covered in oil. Maria explained: "It can take up to three hours to wash a heavily oiled swan. One thing swans hate is to be dirty so if you see a grubby one they are probably sick. A man canoeing at Newgale once found a buzzard covered in oil, which as brought here and was all cleaned up and released."

But all this care and attention costs a lot of money and Tinker's Hill is reliant on donations. Maria has calculated that the centre needs at least £6,000 a year to keep running, the ten swans she has at the moment eat 20 loaves of bread a day alone. "I get the best quality wholemeal bread and they also have whole wheat, the cygnets have high protein feed. The birds of prey eat what they would eat in the wild. I've got five freezers on the go filled with rats, mice, chicks, and pheasants."

As well as the ten swans currently at Tinker's Hill, Maria has ten rescued ducks and chickens which pay their way with eggs. In the pools four cygnets are waiting to be released and in the bird of prey barn four buzzards and seven tawny owls will soon be back out in the wild. The smallholding is the perfect peaceful setting for the rehabilitation of birds. "Every day is different, you never know when the phone is going to ring and I will have to dash off," said Maria.

Unable to open up the centre to the public, to protect the birds, Maria is always on the hunt for other funding, any donation you can give, will be put to good use helping the hundreds of birds that are brought to Tinker's Hill each year. If you ever come across an injured bird, Maria urges you to contact her on 01834 814397.

9:31am Tuesday 26th February 2008

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