Common Loon Grounded By Oil

The following story about a common loon was shared with us by International Bird Rescue in California.

This beautiful common loon was found heavily contaminated in oil from the natural seep off of California’s coast. Initially, a concerned member of the public brought it to our friends at California Wildlife Center, who then transferred it to International Bird Rescue’s Los Angeles team so that they could wash it and provide it with further care.

Besides being oiled, the bird also had minor toe lesions caused by the bird’s very sensitive feet being out of the water for days.

After stabilizing the loon for many days with the help of tube feedings of EmerAid IC Piscivore and IV fluids, it was strong enough to be washed by the staff. After the wash, the bird and the team had to start the process of getting it waterproof so that it could live in water full-time again before being released.

Common loons usually take a long time to go through this process, as their feathers are very long and the birds get stressed easily, but this bird was able to quickly become waterproof again and feel well enough to eat on its own.

After spending about three weeks in care, the bird was successfully released back into the wild.