Herons and egrets are common visitors to our two rehabilitation centers in California. Each year, we receive adult birds that have various injuries or illnesses, but it’s the baby herons and egrets of the summer that make the biggest impact. The species that we typically receive, in order of abundance, are Black-crowned Night Herons, Snowy Egrets, Green Herons, Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Cattle Egrets, American Bitterns and Least Bitterns.

With the exception of bitterns, all of these birds nest in tree and bush colonies called rookeries. Each nest typically contains two to three eggs, and once the babies hatch, they begin to eat and grow quickly. Unlike many other bird species whose babies remain in the nest until they are at least flighted, baby herons become “branchers” as early as one week of age. This means that they begin to climb early on with their gangly legs, hanging out on the branches around the nest site. High winds, fights with their neighbors and sibling domination causes some of them fall.

This is where we come in. In wild areas, the fallen babies either die, climb back up to the rookery or become food for predators. But in urban areas, they are often found by the public, and the live ones are brought to us for care and raising. In 2012 alone, our Northern California facility received 286 herons and egrets, while our Southern California center received 94.

Raising baby herons is not difficult, as they are great eaters and social birds. But many of them sustain injuries during their fall. These birds require more intensive care, medications, and sometimes surgery and cage time. We have also seen vitamin deficiencies in the Snowy Egret chicks, but we have yet discover the reason for this problem.

Baby Snowy Egrets, May 2013. Photo by Bill Steinkamp.

All of our herons and egrets are federally banded upon release. About five years ago, we began putting an additional small, non-numbered red plastic band on the opposite leg of all hand-raised Snowy Egrets so that we could identify them in the wild. In 2012, we added white numbers to these red bands for the egrets, much like we do with our Blue-Banded Pelican program. This way we can actually trace any identified bird back to its origin.

A few of the original red plastic-banded birds without numbers, as well as federally banded birds, are being reported every year nesting and raising young at the egret colony in Alameda, CA, located in the East Bay. We have also received reports of three red-banded Snowy Egrets with numbered bands since their release last summer:

—1076-68351 red band (A51): Released 7/14/12 in Oakland, CA and sighted on 9/10/12 at the Don Edwards SF Bay NWL refuge, Lariviere Marsh in Freemont, CA

—1076-68308 red band (A08): Released 6/23/12 in Oakland and sighted on 12/16/12 in San Jose, CA

—1076-68331 red band (A31): Released 7/5/12 in Cordelia, CA and sighted on 1/6/13 in Davis, CA

—Unidentified red band with white numbers at top of egret colony on 5/13/2013 in Alameda (shown in photo above)

This is encouraging news, and we will continue to band these birds. Future plans are to color mark the Black-crowned Night Herons.

The story is so rare, so unusual that Jay Holcomb, International Bird Rescue’s director, can’t remember it ever happening in his 40-year career. It’s a bittersweet story with a heartwarming outcome.

On April 22, 2013, a female Mallard Duck who had been hit by a car in Napa, CA, was brought to our San Francisco Bay wildlife hospital in nearby Fairfield. Staff veterinarian Dr. Rebecca Duerr took an X-ray to determine the extent of the duck’s injuries. Sadly, the X-ray showed a broken spine, an injury too severe for her to be saved.

Also revealed: an egg she was ready to lay.

“When I saw the egg, I thought, Why not remove it and put it in our incubator?” Duerr said. “It would be wonderful if something good came from tragedy. It’s certainly worth a try.”

“We have a 100-egg incubator that has been in full use hatching abandoned or rescued eggs this spring,” Holcomb said. “So in went the special egg, specially marked so we knew who it was, and the wait began. For mallard eggs, the incubation is 23-30 days. There are many reasons eggs don’t hatch, so there was no guarantee, just hope that this egg would.”

Twenty-six days later, staff noticed the egg was pipping! Would the duckling be strong and healthy? It was! A perfect mallard duckling had hatched.

A special leg band was put on, Pink 7, to identify this little girl or guy among the large numbers of other ducklings IBR cares for each spring and summer.

“Every wild duckling we get in — and last year that total number was 1,447 — has a unique story as to why they ended up without their mother and were rescued, usually by good Samaritans,” Holcomb said. “Some come in alone, most others with their siblings, and very rarely we’ll get a mother and her babies who have been removed from harm’s way. But this time, quite by accident, we found the only remaining offspring of the fatally wounded mother, still inside of her in the form of an egg. We did not want her death to be in vain, so we decided to give that egg a chance for life, and as her only living offspring to carry on her genetics. We don’t get to do this very often, but we seized the opportunity and it paid off!” — Karen Benzel

Photo by Cheryl Reynolds

Among the many baby birds now in care at our San Francisco Bay center is this Common Merganser chick. Earlier this month, we featured an adult merganser — a Red-breasted Merganser, to be exact — on this blog, one brought to us via an Arizona rehabilitation center (read this recent story and check out a great release photo here).

As for the chick, center manager Michelle Bellizzi reports that this bird was brought to us via The Bird Rescue Center of Santa Rosa and weighed just 30 grams upon intake — about as much as a pencil.

In the video below, it’s feeding time. This chick has since been transferred to a small pool with some duckling pals.

Photo by Bill Steinkamp

Last week, we brought you the story of a rookery tree at the Port of Los Angeles that had blown over in high winds. The L.A. Harbor Department’s tree division appeared on the scene quickly and helped us to save 15 baby birds that had fallen from their nests: 12 Black-crowned Night Herons and three Snowy Egrets.

Volunteer photographer Bill Steinkamp and staff rehabilitation technician Kylie Clatterbuck took photos and video of these birds now in our care (see below).

We’re also pleased to report that the Port of Los Angeles has given a $1,000 gift to care for these baby birds! We sincerely appreciate their multi-level support, from rescue to donation. Thank you!

How can you help? Each year, both our wildlife care centers in California receive hundreds (even thousands) of orphaned baby birds, from ducklings to goslings and baby egrets like the ones in this video. A gift of just $10 a month helps us to provide the warmth, food and expert medical care these animals need before they are released into the wild. Find out how you can become an International Bird Rescue supporter here.

What’s new?

—We’ve noticed an uptick in media interest regarding seabirds and their critical role in tracking ocean pollution — a subject of particular interest on this blog. In the May 3 edition of the journal Science, John Elliott of Environment Canada and University of Manitoba researcher Kyle Elliott write compellingly about seabird monitoring studies and their advantages vis-à-vis other ocean species.

For one, seabirds forage widely across open seas but return to central breeding locations: “In one afternoon at a seabird colony, a biologist can sample an area of ocean that would cost millions of dollars to investigate using a scientific vessel,” the researchers note. [Science via NBC News]

One such species that feeds on the open water is the endangered Hawaiian Petrel (pictured below via Wikimedia Commons), the focus of a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers studied isotope records from modern and ancient petrel bones to examine dietary changes over time. Results indicated a radical shift in availability of fish, most likely explained by the marked rise of the commercial fishing industry over the past century. [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences]

—Also: Greenpeace unveils a new ad targeting plastic pollution and the soda industry in Australia. [HuffPost Green]

—In Northern California, advocates for the Marbled Murrelet are calling on California State Parks to act further in protecting nesting habitat for the endangered bird in Big Basin State Park. Earlier today, the State Parks Commission was scheduled to meet regarding the murrelet habitat (if you attended, let us know what happened!). Audublog wrote recently of the species:

Unlike other seabirds which nest primarily on islands, marbled murrelets nest in large, flat branches of old-growth coastal trees such as redwoods and sitka spruce. They are so secretive that scientists did not know where they nested until the 1970s. […]

The Santa Cruz mountains are the last stronghold for central California’s murrelets, with the population of about 450 individuals nesting mostly in Big Basin State Park. According to experts, the population has declined by about 35% in the last 10 years, due mostly to nest predation by jays, crows and ravens, the group of our native birds known as corvids. Major campgrounds are located in the heart of old growth redwood habitat in Big Basin State Park, providing ample food and supporting population growth of these nest predators.

Audubon, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other groups have praised California State Parks for scrapping plans to build cabins in a sensitive breeding site, but have called on the agency to “dramatically reduce recreation and camping in three other core murrelet breeding areas, especially during the nesting season.” [Audublog]

—In the U.K., wildlife activists are concerned about the presence of a new, whitish slick seen from the air and believed to be the substance polyisobutene, or PIB, which has already killed thousands of seabirds that have washed up on the beaches of Devon and Cornwall. Polyisobutene is used in ship engines; earlier this month, the BBC reported that the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) was still working to determine the source of the pollution. [BBC News]

This latest slick has affected Common Guillemots, known as Common Murres in North America (pictured below). Earlier this year, International Bird Rescue cared for dozens of Common Murres oiled by natural seepage off the Southern California coast.

Common Murres, photo by Bill Steinkamp

On Tuesday, high winds toppled this tree near the Ports O’Call Village in San Pedro, located not far from our Los Angeles wildlife care center. Sadly, this tree was a rookery for many Black-crowned Night Herons and Snowy Egrets, and the scene was littered with broken eggs.

But the L.A. Harbor Department’s tree crew from its construction and maintenance team responded quickly to the fallen tree and rescued a total of 15 baby birds — 12 Black-crowned Night Herons and three Snowy Egrets.

Whenever possible, we will attempt to reunite baby birds that have fallen out of nests with their parents. Clearly we couldn’t do that in this case, and placing them in an adjacent tree wasn’t a feasible alternative. So we’re happy to report that all these baby birds are now in our care. They range from a Snowy Egret that likely hatched just a day or two ago to Black-crowned Nigh Herons that were close to fledging their nests.

Baby Black-crowned Night Herons

“All the babies were in great shape when they arrived, full bellies from being fed by mom earlier that day, and are eating well on their own,” staff rehabilitation technician Kylie Clatterbuck reports. “Aside from a few minor abrasions, they all look great.”

Snowy Egrets

We’ll keep you posted on their progress at our L.A. center. In the meantime, please consider supporting the care for these animals by visiting birdrescue.org/donate.

Adult Black-crowned Night Heron (left) by Jackie Wollner; adult Snowy Egret by Frank Schulenberg via Wikimedia Commons.

This Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) was rescued by Long Beach Animal Control unable to fly. We found him to have not only a broken right wing, but also a broken left leg. Our veterinarian, Dr. Rebecca Duerr, performed orthopedic surgery Sunday to repair the leg while the wing heals in a wrap. The photo below shows the left leg post-operation.

The largest tern species, Caspian Terns feed mainly on fish via plunge diving and primarily nest on offshore islands. They are commonly seen in Southern California, and our organization has deep experience in caring for them. In 2006, International Bird Rescue assisted in the recovery effort of hundreds of dead baby Caspian and Elegant Terns washed off a barge docked in Long Beach.

In the wake of that disaster, we raised a few young Caspian Tern survivors — a challenge, given they were resistant to learning how to catch live fish and often begged. To give them the best chance of survival, we released these birds at a Caspian Tern colony in the Salton Sea, where they would be surrounded by other young birds learning to fish.

We’ll keep you posted on this tern’s condition as its wing and leg heals.

Additional reading on Caspian Terns:

—Species profile via All About Birds

—Audubon efforts to restore tern habitat in the San Francisco Bay

—Los Angeles Times coverage on the baby tern barge incident from 2006

Why do we need this project?

Several years ago, we built a large aviary for rehabilitating injured aquatic species such as pelicans. The enclosure was constructed to the highest standards possible with the funding we had at the time. But with the ever-increasing number of pelicans coming to us, we need to do some major renovations. Price tag: an estimated $45,000.

We’ve received generous support from the Solano County Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund, the Oiled Wildlife Care Network … and you!

And we’re excited to report that we’ve broken ground for the new and improved aviary. Pelicans being treated at this facility were recently transported to our Los Angeles center to complete their rehabilitation while renovations are underway.

Here’s an update from San Francisco Bay center manager Michelle Bellizzi:

With the help of truly amazing people — including every staff member, our interns, every volunteer, as well as our neighbors at Solano County Roofing, Hudson Excavation and D&T Fiberglass — our pelican aviary prep work is complete, and we are now just waiting for the concrete work to begin. A few days early, no less!

Among the tasks our intrepid team has completed:

-Dug trenches for relocating the electrical outlets
-Mowed and cleaned the yard to make way for equipment
-Moved filters and pumps
-Moved two 35 foot-by-10 foot fiberglass pools

All of this work and more is in addition to taking care of birds, building duckling boxes, repairing our other aviaries, cleaning the center and preparing it for “busy season.”

Here are some photos of the project and the team at work:

These amazing local businesses were on hand for their expertise:

-Hudson Excavation donated both time and materials toward helping us remove the west fence to provide access for the contractors. Our California Department of Fish and Wildlife volunteers finished the job.

-D&T Fiberglass disassembled the pools in addition to staying for several hours to help us move the pools.

-Solano County Roofing not only donated a forklift to help us, but also donated their time and brought in “The Big Gun” — a giant, all-terrain behemoth with 12-foot forks. This came in handy when the forklift was not quite as effective as we’d hoped. The Big Gun, expert driver and our makeshift crew were able to move all four pool halves in one-tenth the time it would have taken our crew alone, with about one-tenth the blood, sweat and tears.

In the coming weeks we’ll keep you posted on our progress. Thanks!

Brown Pelican photo (above) and American White Pelican photo (top) by Bill Steinkamp.

Photo by Michelle Bellizzi

This male Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) was recently sent to us from a rehabilitation group in Arizona that was unfamiliar with the species and lacked appropriate water caging. “The bird was found to have a fractured clavicle, a wound on its wing and foot lesions,” says Michelle Bellizzi, center manager of International Bird Rescue’s San Francisco Bay center. “The foot lesions were likely the result of captivity. It was the fractured clavicle and wing injury that brought it into care.” After several weeks of rehabilitation at our center, this bird was released nearby.

The Red-breasted Merganser is one of three species of mergansers in North America. Known for their thin, serrated bills to catch fish prey, Red-breasted Mergansers are “bold world traveler[s], plying icy waters where usually only scoters and eiders dare to tread,” 10,000 Birds notes. “While all mergansers are swift fliers, the Red-breast holds the avian record for fastest level-flight at 100 mph.”

A close-up of the Red-breasted Merganser’s serrated, “toothy” bill. Photo by Dr. Rebecca Duerr.

Below, the merganser is released back into the wild.

Photo by Nicole Maclennan

What’s new?

—In what may be a first for the Pacific Ocean, a Northern Gannet has been spotted in the Farallon Islands, an important breeding ground for many seabirds located off the coast of San Francisco. “The fact that a Northern Gannet found its way to the Farallon Islands is truly extraordinary,” PRBO Farrallon program leader Russell Bradley told the San Francisco Chronicle. A species native to the Atlantic, Northern Gannets were among the birds cared for by International Bird Rescue during the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010. The Chronicle also notes other wayward birds that have been found in Northern California, including a Magnificent Frigatebird that showed up in Sonoma County and was cared for at our San Francisco Bay center in 2008. [San Francisco Chronicle]

—British schoolchildren rally for hundreds of seabirds, dead and dying, that have been found coated with a substance known as polyisobutene, or PIB, on the beaches of Devon and Cornwall. Polyisobutene is used in ship engines; the BBC reports that the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is still working to determine the source of the pollution. [BBC; Plymouth Herald]

—HuffPost Green reports on birds of prey falling victim to landfill gas flaring from California to New York. [Huffington Post]

—Birders pen a petition on Change.org urging CalTrans to remove exclusion netting on the Petaluma River Bridge in Northern California that has led to the deaths of many Cliff Swallows. [Change.org]

—Photographer Lars Tunbjork takes a look at the world’s largest falcon hospital, located in Abu Dhabi, for The New York Times Magazine:

 When Dr. Margit Muller, the hospital’s director, describes a typical day there, it sounds much like a place devoted to the treatment of human patients: conducting rounds, checking up on the administration of medication, surgery. “Falcons are regarded like children in a family,” Muller says. “The way the Emirati falconers treat their falcons like their family members makes this work so much more precious.” [NYT]

Lars Tunbjork for the New York Times