As you can see on the latest bird count numbers provided by our two wildlife care centers in California, International Bird Rescue has nearly two dozen Western Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis) in care for multiple reasons, including this large, oiled male at our center in San Pedro (photographs by center manager Julie Skoglund).
Though the cause of oiling in this case is currently unknown, we believe it to be the result of natural seepage — a common problem affecting seabirds, such as this event in spring 2012 affecting Common Murres.
This grebe has since been washed — we’ll keep you posted on its recovery. (Read more about the wash process here on our website.)
