Last night, one of our lead responders, Deanna Barth, responded to a call about an aquatic bird on Southside Road in Hollister, CA - in the middle of nowhere, no body of water nearby.
Thankfully, the reporting party had remembered Deanna's post about a cormorant found in the same area, so she knew to call for help.
Deanna scooped up the small, softball-sized eared grebe from the wet pavement and placed it into a heavily padded carrier to protect its keel, or sternum, from developing pressure wounds.
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Grebes are diving birds, built for life on the water, not on land. Once grounded, they are essentially helpless - unable to walk or take flight.
If they are out of the water too long, they can develop keel lesions - bruising and pressure sores on the breastbone.
When these types of birds are transported, it's important they be placed into a padded container. Something as simple as a thick layer of balled-up newspaper covered with a bath towel can help distribute the bird's weight off its keel.
In a wildlife hospital setting, aquatic birds are fitted with a "donut" - a ring of padding that protects the keel.
Although the grebe appeared uninjured, as wildlife paramedics it is not our place to make medical decisions - we needed to have the bird looked at by a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, so, Deanna transported the grebe to the SPCA for Monterey County where it was given a thorough examination.
As we suspected, the grebe was in good condition and could be returned to the wild.
Here's what we think happened - why this bird was found on a country road, far from water. It had been raining - the roads were wet and reflective and the moon was full and bright. We believe the grebe was migrating south and saw what appeared to be a body of water, but was actually wet pavement.
Here's a quick video of the grebe after it was released:
2 comments:
That's a happy little Grebe, great story...
Nice job. Eared grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)
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