Tracy Parsons, the ‘bird lady’, has rehabilitated hundreds of injured birds and animals since she was seven

Tracey Parsons is a big-hearted animal lover who rescued her first animal when she was seven years old. She has lost track of how many animals she has rehabilitated since then.

Parsons is 35 years old and runs the Blackbird Boutique in Blackheath, London, which sells animal-themed goods such as greeting cards, necklaces, earrings, bags, apparel, and handcrafted candles.

Parsons was intrigued by the charming songbird who had lost her mother when she rescued her first animal.

Parsons kept the bird in her room while researching how to care for them at the local library.

She started gathering worms from her mother’s garden, and the bird began to follow her. The bird began to wake her up in the morning with a lovely song.

Parsons told The Guardian, “It made me feel like Snow White. I’ll never forget it.”

If someone finds an injured bird or animal in the area, Parsons is the person they call. Many people will bring animals right to her front door; she always has time to save animals.

“I like animals,” she said, “because they’re pure and reflect the delicate beauty of nature. And they don’t have their own voices, so someone has to be their voice and protect them.”

Parsons has rehabilitated everything from ducklings, foxes, deer, kittens, squirrels, peregrine falcons, buzzards, owls, and sparrows. No animal isn’t worthy of her time, and she rehabilitates them all with her own money.

 

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She estimated that she spends £1,000 a year on medication and feed for her animals. Parsons said songbirds are the most difficult to care for because they need to be fed every 15 minutes from the early morning to late night. Squirrels also take a lot of time and need to be fed every four hours, 24 hours a day.

Once Parsons cares for the animals, and they are healthy and rehabilitated, she either places them back into the wild, takes them to the Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary, or if they can live with domestic animals, they are rehomed with loving families.

She told The Guardian that most of her rescue stories are so crazy they’re almost unbelievable. She recalls one time in 2019 when she was in her shop and opened a curtain to find an injured fox cub. The little guy was so scared, he ran away but returned the next day and every day following.

“I called him Amber,” she reminisced. “He’d jump in my lap, follow me around and sleep in the window display.” Many think foxes are aggressive, but Parsons reassures that “They’re friendly, loving creatures. Deers are adorable, too.”

 

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The number of animals that need rehabilitation or care is constantly changing. In the spring, she usually has more animals to care for. Last year, she rehabilitated 95 squirrels in total, all by herself.

Sometimes, the stress can be overwhelming with the business and animals who always seem to find their way into her care. That first bird that she saved at the age of seven made for the sweet spot she has for music. She often uses it as an emotional outlet when tasks are feeling neverending. Music makes her happy, and she has even composed some songs of her own.

Animal rescuers like Parsons have such a pure heart, and we know the animals around Blackheath are genuinely grateful for her.

This article by Hailey Kanowski was first published by OneGreenPlanet on 1 April 2022. Lead Image Source : PopTika/Shutterstock.

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