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, the loon was transported to our Los Angeles center, which currently has a wide array of diving birds in care, from Eared Grebes to Common Murres.
Volunteer and outreach coordinator Neil Uelman says it’s a very large loon as well, weighing in at 3,296 grams, or about 7.5 pounds. The loon was about 50% oiled upon intake; we’ll keep you posted on its condition.
Like other diving birds, Common Loons are susceptible to becoming oiled, whether by natural seepage or human-caused events.Check out wash photos here of another oiled Common Loon cared for in the last year by our L.A. center team.
Also, this loon is still looking to be adopted! Click here if you’d like to make a symbolic adoption of this beautiful bird.
Further reading:
• Common Loon profile on AllAboutBirds.org
• International Bird Rescue blog: The loon and the lighthouse
• KQED: East Bay Regional Parks rescue injured loon, cared for at International Bird Rescue