Every Bird Matters

News and Views from International Bird Rescue

12 thoughts on “652 birds in care; 126 washed of oil”

  5. You guys are awesome. It’s not something everyone would jump in and tackle. If I lived closer I’d come give ya a hand.

    Just wanted to let you know you are appreciated. 🙂

    (Oh, and sorry…I only drink Seattle’s Best lol.)

    Chelle B.
    The Offended Blogger
    offendedblogger.blogspot

  6. I am such a bird lover! I wish I lived closer, I would LOVE to help! But unfortunately I am afraid I would be too tender hearted,,,,I would probably just stand there and cry!! But thanks to all of you who do this for the birds! Is there a STRONG chance now that the 126 birds that were washed will probably make it?? Or are they still at risk? Just curious,,,,,,,,

  7. Just came across this blog,those poor birds,i only wish i could be there to help.I’ll keep checking back to see how things are going.
    Best of luck to all those good people who are able to help.

  11. The fact the birds are being quickly washed of oil is a good thing.

    There’s still no way to say what percentage will survive, but our experience shows us quick rescue, stabilization and washing usually mean the birds have a great chance.

    The birds that have problems usually have been out in the wild too long and have developed a host of problems, including hyperthermia, oil injested toxicity and keel sores (from sitting on rocks, beaches and other substrate).

  12. Thank you for posting this information. I was at Ocean Beach this morning 11/13, at 730 am. I found a Western Grebe that was affected by oil, although not completely covered. I hailed the volunteer staff who were placing the refuse bins along the beach. They reported the bird to the single park ranger present who said that even she herself was not qualified to rescue the bird by putting it into a bird box. I stayed with the Grebe for an hour watching it attempt to get into the water and feed. Twice it did make it into the water, but it was overcome by the cross tide and eventually washed up again. I was incensed that it took an hour, and me flagging down an official law marshall of some kind on an ATV to actually get something happening. From where I was standing I could see the set up of the beach cleaning center, a 5 minute walk from me. That it took an hour was ridiculous. That there was not a single qualified person at that location to rescue wildlife was tragic and incomprehensible and negligent, given that the location is a refuge for birds such as the Snowy Plover. Eventually, after being prodded by the marshall, the park ranger officer succumbed to pressure and picked up the poor bird. She of treated me as if I were the enemy, making her life hard. But I ask anyone who reads this, why was this bird’s life not important enough to attend to sooner than an hour? It isn’t as though there were hundreds of birds here.

    This is why citizens go ahead and ignore official rules to keeps hands off hurt wildlife, because there is such negligence by the responsible agency.

    It so happened that an AP photographer was there and shot footage of the Grebe attempting to swim away and be beaten back to shore by the waves. He interviewed me, and stuck around a while. Even he saw after ten minutes that though the bird could stay in the water somewhat, it wasn’t long.

    What bothered me was that the bird was being ignored. I had seen the video of your group telling us that slightly oiled birds die more often becasue they don’t get rescued as quickly as the fully tarred birds. I can see the truth in this. Superficially this bird may have looked okay if you saw it swimming and left it at that.

    I felt angry that the NPS ranger treated me as though I were a problem, rather than her taking responsibility for the welfare of the animal. If she, a representative of the agency overseeing the clean up at this beach couldn’t doi something immediately about this bird, then there is a huge problem. It makes me want to give up my day job and be an advocate for wildlife.

    Shame on the National Park Service. Shame on them.

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