My second day at the IBRRC was busy. There were three new patients today, including two Mallard Ducks and a Western Gull. There was a female brown pelican in the intensive care unit that required a lot of care. She was severely emaciated with a broken wing. Megan, the rehabilitation assistant manager, alternated fluids with gavage (tube) feedings throughout the day.
The Murres that we cared for yesterday were doing much better today. One of the Murres was brought in two weeks ago with oil spots that caused her feathers to lose their waterproofing. She was then unable to feed because of the risk of freezing in the water. Also, since aquatic birds are not meant to spend so much time on land, she developed sores on her feet and hocks. She was washed with Dawn to remove the oil and the rehab supervisors bandaged her feet. This gave her a chance to work on her waterproofing by 
preening herself without hurting her feet. She was then put in a warm pool so she could work on wet spots on her feathers without getting too cold. Finally, she was transferred to the cold pool where birds normally preen intensively for several minutes (see video). Today, she was swimming in the cold pool and eating fish with the rest of the Murres. It was great to see that all the hard work and care paid off.
This Murre was th e victim of incidental oil. This occurs from oil that gets into the waterways from regular human activities, instead of a major oil spill. One way to help prevent this is to avoid topping off at the gas pump. This can cause gas to spill onto the ground. The residue can then end up in the ocean where these animals live.
Posted by Christy Buckley on Sep 30, 2006
