It’s a scene all too common: A mother Duck is struck by a vehicle on a busy highway while moving her brood of ducklings. Last week this drama played out again in Santa Rosa, CA. Luckily for the surviving mallard ducklings, a quick thinking California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer sprung into action. The CHP contacted … Read more
We get a lot of birds with broken wing bones into our wildlife centers each year. This latest patient is a Great Blue Heron that was found in Milpitas, CA with a fracture of radius and ulna (see x-ray). Great Blue Herons are among our most challenging patients because of their size and intense skittishness. … Read more
It may be gull month but we, of course, have had a ton of other animals needing help come our way! Brown Pelican “Red-111” (temporary band #) came to our Los Angeles wildlife center with an unusual and severe pouch laceration – not as large as Pink the Pelican’s tear but much more difficult to … Read more
Our first baby bird of the season — a Canada gosling — is also our patient of the week! Found earlier this month on the grounds of the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, CA, the gosling was then delivered to our friends at Lindsay Wildlife and, 10 days later, transferred to our San Francisco Bay … Read more
An oiled Red-necked Grebe is our patient of the week. This grebe whose temporary tag was “Red-33” came into the center with oil contamination on December 18, 2015. He was stabilized, washed, then treated for foot injuries likely caused by beaching when the oil removed his waterproofing. After nearly 2 months in care, he was … Read more
This is the story of a Great Egret, an octopus, and a Good Samaritan. Earlier this week, we received a new patient—a Great Egret who had suffered significant trauma to his left leg. We have, of course, seen a lot of birds with injured legs before; but what was different about this patient was how … Read more
This week our patients of the week are oiled Common Murres. A handful of these seabirds from the Monterey/Santa Cruz area have been rescued and transported to the San Francisco Bay Center in Fairfield. The birds are coming with light to heavy oiling on their undersides. The petroleum source has yet to be identified. To … Read more
A female Lesser Scaup is our patient of the week. This scaup was brought to our Los Angeles Center by a concerned member of the public. The downed bird was found on the streets of Long Beach and the rescuer thought she looked like she was going to be attacked by crows. Upon intake the … Read more
Our patient of the week is a beautiful Red-breasted Merganser in care at our Los Angeles center! Winter migrants, like this merganser, are flying south for warmer weather and that means we are seeing more of these migrants in care. Mergansers are large diving ducks with long, thin bills that are lined with serrated edges … Read more
A Heermann’s Gull is resting comfortably this week after our team removed a huge fishing hook that was lodged in the seabird’s stomach. It also had serious wounds at the corners of the mouth from the fishing line causing tissue damage. Bird Rescue’s skillful veterinarian, Dr. Rebecca Duerr, removed the hook at the San Francisco … Read more