Before your first night
Learn to pick one up without making it worse.
Most people who find a grounded bird mean well and do the wrong thing. They chase it, they give it water, they keep it in a bright room. Our training takes an evening and it is the difference between a bird that flies again and a bird that does not.
What it covers
Three modules, and you can stop after any of them.
01
Handling a grounded bird
Two hours in a room. How to approach one, how to pick it up without breaking a feather, what to do about the dog and the traffic, and the three signs that mean it needs a vet tonight rather than tomorrow.
02
Running a patrol
One evening on the road with an experienced pair. Your stretch, your torch, the call sheet, and the paperwork that turns a rescue into a data point we can show a town hall.
03
A morning at the care centre
Optional, and the one people ask for twice. Weighing, feeding, cleaning, and watching a bird you carried in a box last week walk off a cliff edge under its own power.
The practical bits, in four lines.
Free
for members and for anyone who intends to patrol this season
One evening
plus one night on the road, and an optional morning at the centre
16 and up
under 18 with a parent or guardian on the same patrol
No background
no biology, no first aid certificate, no equipment of your own
Sessions run at the care centre in Saint-Leu and dates go up on the calendar about a month ahead. If none of them work, write to contact@petrel.re and we will pair you with a patrol that trains on the road.