It’s Raining Grebes!

The following story about eared grebes was submitted by the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah.

On April 14, 2021, Northern Utah experienced a damaging storm. Some areas reached gusts of 70 to 80 mph. This storm affected many migrating flocks of birds, but was especially bad for grebes. Grebes need a considerable sized body of water from which to take-off. We see many strandings due to the birds mistaking wet parking lots as safe places to land.

The next couple of days after the storm we received 10 eared grebes. All were healthy, ranging from 230 to 320 grams (about 8.1 to 11.3 ounces), but had sustained minor injuries including abrasions to the feet, legs, and keel area.

Many of these grebes refused to eat in captivity. To maintain body condition, we tube-fed with EmerAid IC Carnivore and Piscivore. The majority of these patients were ready for release after only a few days in care. The patients who sustained the worst abrasions received treatment for two weeks before being released. At release, all patients had maintained their weights. We attribute this to their diet of EmerAid.