The week began with a call about an injured pelican in Point Arena, CA - a few hours north of San Francisco. After a good bit of time and many, many, many phone calls we ended up on the line with someone from the area's Pelican Rescue Team (Who knew?). We also made an excellent contact with a local marine mammal rescuer.
The Pelican was safely captured and transported 130-some miles to aquatic bird specialists at International Bird Rescue where it is being treated for a fishing hook injury.
Also this week:
Yet another pair of barn owls re-nested - this time in Palo Alto. Read all about it HERE.
A little bird was saved from a two-story drain pipe. Read about its rescue HERE.
We reunited 4 baby raccoons with their mom. See the photos and read all about it on our Facebook page, HERE.
And, Patrick once again engineered a fantastic raptor re-nesting in Foster City with the help of the local Fire Department. Read the story HERE.
One last thing: please consider supporting this online petition asking the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to end the use of seal bombs. These are hand-sized explosive devices intended to scare off seals but are often stuffed inside baitfish, by fishermen, and directly fed to seals. We may not be able to stop barbaric human behavior, but we CAN make these devices illegal. Please help.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
19th
This week we were kept busy with calls about raccoons. Check out our blog for more on our methods of dealing with pesky wild neighbors, HERE.
Also on our blog, HERE, we address fatally flawed barn owl nest-boxes, and the reasoning behind certain design requirements.
And, exclusively for our Wild Byte subscribers: photos from colleagues in Brazil washing oil from a brown-throated sloth that was found hanging from a truck after the vehicle ran off the road and collided with a tree. The animal had either been disturbed by the incident or was on the ground defecating when the accident occurred. Sloths only descend to the ground from their tree-top homes to defecate every 8-10 days or so. The animal was cleaned and released back where he was originally found. Here's a link to their website.
Also on our blog, HERE, we address fatally flawed barn owl nest-boxes, and the reasoning behind certain design requirements.
And, exclusively for our Wild Byte subscribers: photos from colleagues in Brazil washing oil from a brown-throated sloth that was found hanging from a truck after the vehicle ran off the road and collided with a tree. The animal had either been disturbed by the incident or was on the ground defecating when the accident occurred. Sloths only descend to the ground from their tree-top homes to defecate every 8-10 days or so. The animal was cleaned and released back where he was originally found. Here's a link to their website.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
12th
Here is a story about a very lucky opossum that beat the odds. Check it out HERE.
In researching opossums we came across this great piece, The Opossum, Its Amazing Story. Truly amazing and worth a look.
Also, a reminder about free-roaming cats. We're in the peak of baby season for wildlife. This is the time when young animals are just starting to explore their world. For songbirds, this means a few days on the ground as they learn to fly. During this time they are most vulnerable to predation - especially by domestic cats - an introduced animal that songbirds have no defenses against. We will be doing an entire piece on this in the coming weeks, but for now we want to suggest keeping cats indoors during the day or under a watchful eye. Here's a link to some creative ways to give cats the taste of the outdoors, without placing the outdoors on the dinner menu.
Lastly, a reminder that your weekly Wild Byte is our gift to you for your Annual Gift of $12. (or more). Some of you are receiving this on a trial basis. Please, if you have not already done so, make that very important contribution today, by clicking HERE.
This concludes your Wild Byte for 6-12-11.
In researching opossums we came across this great piece, The Opossum, Its Amazing Story. Truly amazing and worth a look.
Also, a reminder about free-roaming cats. We're in the peak of baby season for wildlife. This is the time when young animals are just starting to explore their world. For songbirds, this means a few days on the ground as they learn to fly. During this time they are most vulnerable to predation - especially by domestic cats - an introduced animal that songbirds have no defenses against. We will be doing an entire piece on this in the coming weeks, but for now we want to suggest keeping cats indoors during the day or under a watchful eye. Here's a link to some creative ways to give cats the taste of the outdoors, without placing the outdoors on the dinner menu.
Lastly, a reminder that your weekly Wild Byte is our gift to you for your Annual Gift of $12. (or more). Some of you are receiving this on a trial basis. Please, if you have not already done so, make that very important contribution today, by clicking HERE.
This concludes your Wild Byte for 6-12-11.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
5th
Sadly, the adult female pelican rescued in open water off Santa Cruz did not recover. If you recall, this poor bird was snared by a fishing hook, tangled in line, and snagged to the sea floor. The fishermen responsible were seen fleeing after hooking her.
With no boat of our own and no agency to help perform a water rescue, the pelican struggled for hours, fighting to get free, driving the hook deeper and deeper into bone. Finally, we found two heroic surfers who agreed to help. See video of the dramatic rescue HERE.
When she was brought to shore she was limp. She couldn't even hold her head up. I remember her eyes, too. They were reddened and fixed open - unresponsive.
Amazingly, she survived the night. This taught us something really important. She showed us that animals in this bad of condition - so weak and near death, still have a fighting chance and should be given an opportunity to recover.
A couple of days later the pelican was driven 100 miles to aquatic bird specialists, International Bird Rescue. Unfortunately, after weeks of expert medical treatment and rehabilitative care, the infection from the fishing hook took over.
Such a loss - an otherwise healthy pelican that had proven her ability to survive, living at least three years into adulthood, gone.
In the wake of this loss, however, a number of recently fledged young pelicans are being given a second chance.
A die-off of the weakest is normal this time of year - it's nature's way of culling the least fit so that only the strongest survive. As essential as this process is, witnessing nature at work is not always pleasant. Young pelicans are being found up and down the coast, weak and starving. The lucky ones wind up at International Bird Rescue where they are quickly fattened up and released.
Professional wildlife rehabilitators are careful to respect the laws of nature, but sometimes it makes sense to try and offset the imbalances Man is responsible for causing. Having lost the female pelican, for example, a bird that would have probably contributed to succeeding generations, it seems right that a handful of juvenile pelicans are given an opportunity to try and replace her.
International Bird Rescue, which manages two aquatic bird facilities in California, isn't going out of their way to look for ailing juvenile pelicans, but they are willing to treat the ones that are found and brought in. If you'd like to help our colleagues offset the cost of giving these youngsters a second chance, click here to adopt a pelican.
With no boat of our own and no agency to help perform a water rescue, the pelican struggled for hours, fighting to get free, driving the hook deeper and deeper into bone. Finally, we found two heroic surfers who agreed to help. See video of the dramatic rescue HERE.
When she was brought to shore she was limp. She couldn't even hold her head up. I remember her eyes, too. They were reddened and fixed open - unresponsive.
Amazingly, she survived the night. This taught us something really important. She showed us that animals in this bad of condition - so weak and near death, still have a fighting chance and should be given an opportunity to recover.
A couple of days later the pelican was driven 100 miles to aquatic bird specialists, International Bird Rescue. Unfortunately, after weeks of expert medical treatment and rehabilitative care, the infection from the fishing hook took over.
Such a loss - an otherwise healthy pelican that had proven her ability to survive, living at least three years into adulthood, gone.
In the wake of this loss, however, a number of recently fledged young pelicans are being given a second chance.
A die-off of the weakest is normal this time of year - it's nature's way of culling the least fit so that only the strongest survive. As essential as this process is, witnessing nature at work is not always pleasant. Young pelicans are being found up and down the coast, weak and starving. The lucky ones wind up at International Bird Rescue where they are quickly fattened up and released.
Professional wildlife rehabilitators are careful to respect the laws of nature, but sometimes it makes sense to try and offset the imbalances Man is responsible for causing. Having lost the female pelican, for example, a bird that would have probably contributed to succeeding generations, it seems right that a handful of juvenile pelicans are given an opportunity to try and replace her.
International Bird Rescue, which manages two aquatic bird facilities in California, isn't going out of their way to look for ailing juvenile pelicans, but they are willing to treat the ones that are found and brought in. If you'd like to help our colleagues offset the cost of giving these youngsters a second chance, click here to adopt a pelican.
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