Western Grebe Burned By OIl

western grebe paddling in pool with other birdsThe following story about a western grebe was shared with us by International Bird Rescue in California.

An oiled western grebe was brought to the International Bird Rescue’s San Francisco Wildlife Center from our partners at Native Animal Rescue in Santa Cruz, California. This adult female had oil on her waterline ranging from her neck to her hocks. She was extremely weak and skinny, and suffered from burns on both of her flanks, legs, and underwings due to the oil.

This patient desperately needed some warm fluids and nutritional support. With the help of EmerAid IC Piscivore, we were able to tube feed and provide her with extra warm oral and IV fluids for a few days, allowing us to stabilize the bird prior to washing. Fortunately, the additional supplementation of nutrients we provided allowed this grebe enough strength and support to get washed and thereafter become fully waterproof.

oil covered wing of a western grebe western grebe covered in oil standing in carrierShe was so happy to be in her natural environment again that she started eating fish all on her own right way. She had an excellent weight recovery in her 34 days at our facility. This female western grebe weighed 750 grams (about 1.6 pounds) upon arrival, and reached over 1 kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) before being released!

After making a full recovery with the help of EmerAid IC Piscivore, this marvelous western grebe was released back into the wild at the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline in Oakland, California.