Photo by Bill Steinkamp Do not adjust your screen settings. The bright blue throat patch on this Brandt’s Cormorant is the real deal, and part of the bird’s breeding plumage, which also includes wispy white plumes on its neck as you can see here. This cormorant didn’t attempt to fly away when picked up by … Read more
Photos by Bill Steinkamp Our patient of the week is this stunning Common Loon in breeding plumage, currently in care at our Los Angeles center. On April 7, the bird was found oiled and beached along Refugio Beach in Lompoc, CA and was immediately transferred to our wildlife partners in Santa Barbara. A day later, … Read more
Photo by Isabel Luevano Remarkable healing is commonplace at our wildlife centers. Case in point: this male Canvasback at our San Francisco Bay center. He arrived with severe hock lesions, as well as a broken toe. For weeks, you may have seen this diving duck on our live BirdCam, wearing a waterproof “shoe” to protect … Read more
Photo by Isabel Luevano Our first orphaned baby bird of the year has arrived. (Update: And we now have this bird on our live BirdCam.) Among the patients in care at our San Francisco Bay center is this Canada Gosling, found injured at Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek, CA and transferred to us from … Read more
Amanda Lewis examining heron, photo by Kelly Berry Our patient of the week is this Great Blue Heron, found in Culver City, CA unable to fly. The bird was brought to us by our colleagues at California Wildlife Center. During intake, the heron was found to have extensive bruising around the keel area, and X-rays … Read more
Pied-billed Grebe, photo by Isabel Luevano As our animal care team and volunteers can tell you, Pied-billed Grebes are born feisty, hard to catch from the diving bird pools due to their quickness and quite willing to chomp on a finger if approached. (“They bite like little alligators,” one rehab technician tells us.) But we … Read more
Preparing a Great Horned Owl for a wash to remove contamination, photos by Jennifer Gummerman During 2013, we cared for a small number of owls, some brought to us contaminated by petroleum or other substances. Barn Owls, Western Screech Owls and a Great Horned Owl were all patients last year. Recently, our Los Angeles center … Read more
Photo by Kelly Berry The Marbled Godwit is the largest of four godwit species — shorebirds with long bills used to probe for mollusks and aquatic worms. One of our Los Angeles center’s new patients is this Marbled Godwit, found injured in Isla Vista, CA on February 9. The bird was found unable to stand … Read more
Photos by Isabel Luevano Our San Francisco Bay center’s pelican aviary has been home to a solitary Brown Pelican for several months now. Cormorants, gulls and other birds have come and gone in this enclosure, but this bird’s healing is requiring more time and patience. Upon intake in 2013, we found this male pelican was suffering … Read more
Release photos by Cheryl Patterson; inset photo by Kelly Berry One of our most recent patients of the week is this Common Loon, which we’re pleased to report is the Los Angeles center’s first loon release of 2014. The backstory: This loon was found in late December, having crash-landed on Ventura Blvd in Studio City, … Read more