The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific region says the 74-year-old Laysan albatross returned to the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in late November to lay an egg. (USFWS/Dan Rapp)
MARINA DEL REY, Calif. – A delicate rescue operation has saved more than 60 double-crested cormorant eggs and chicks from a tree on the verge of collapse in Northern California.
The vulnerable water birds are now being intensively cared for at the International Bird Rescue’s Los Angeles Wildlife Center in San Pedro.
The rescue was initiated after strong winds earlier this month caused significant damage to a eucalyptus tree in Burton Chace Park in Marina del Ray, a known nesting site for cormorants.
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The care and feeding of baby cormorants is a delicate and time-consuming process. Photos by Ariana Gastelum–International Bird Rescue
(International Bird Rescue)
According to a statement from the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors (DBH), the tree suffered a large trunk collapse, leaving the remaining structure unstable and posing a risk to both park visitors and the nesting birds.
“Unfortunately, the tree was a popular nesting spot for cormorants, but the growing cracks along its remaining trunk, instability at its base due to the recent trunk collapse, and location next to a public walkway and parking lot meant it needed quick removal to protect visitors and wildlife,” the DBH said.
Crews worked long hours to handle influx of Double-crested Cormorants.
(International Bird Rescue)
Faced with the tree’s imminent failure, the DBH coordinated with International Bird Rescue to proactively remove 20 nests containing eggs and chicks. On March 10, a trained wildlife biologist collected the nests and transported them to the rescue center.
Double-crested cormorants are colonial nesters, meaning they often build their nests in groups. The International Bird Rescue said many of the rescued nests have three to four eggs in them and are likely at various stages of development since they were taken from several different nests.
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Double-crested cormorants sit in a tree Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, Florida.
(RHONA WISE/AFP via Getty Images)
“The feeding of hatchlings is a delicate and time-consuming process,” the rescue said. “The clinic staff is working into the night each day helping raise these birds. Many of the rescued chicks may be in care for up to three months.”
Drawing on their experience in past wildlife emergencies, the organization is currently seeking public support to provide the necessary feeding and care for these rescued birds.