Cute Cygnet

A call came in to Australian Seabird Rescue at 16.30 from a member of the public who had also rung WIRES regarding 2 cygnets separated from the parents. Apparently the parents had removed 2 babies and would have come back for the others if this woman had not interfered. Unfortunately she lives near this waterway and has a reputation for interference and not understanding wildlife. In fact National Parks and the police were called last year for the same thing. What she is doing is quite illegal and feeding the birds is also illegal particularly feeding them white sliced bread definitely not good for them. The result of this inference was that a member from WIRES sat cold and freezing until 18.30 hrs to watch over them. Unable to help as it was also pitch black I told her I would go at daybreak next day.

On arrival mum and dad with 2 babies were in an adjacent pond and 1 cygnet alone and frightened apparently the other must have been taken by a fox. With steep slippery sides at the site I rang our co-ordinator Kirsten to come put the kayak in.

It was all over in 10 minutes and baby happily reunited with parents and siblings. At 4 days old this would have been a terrifying experience for this little one. So please people – nature really does know best so unless there is apparent danger interference often causes more stress.

Thank you to Kirsten ASR and Kristy WIRES for helping.

Betty.

Family happily reunited.

Bib and Bub

Look what the wind blew in! Too cute for their own good.

Bib and Bub baby cormorants, weighed only 260 and 350gms when first arrived at ASR.

Actually these baby cormorants have had a rough start in life. Their nest with them in it was blown out of a tree at the Sydney Olympic Park during gale force winds. Unable to return the nest up the tree, ground keepers took the babies to the Homebush Exotic Animal Hospital who in turn transported them to Australian Seabird Rescue in Wollongong.

Weighing a tiny 260 and 350gms they are now being spoilt and have doubled in size and weight. Luckily they avoided injury in the fall other than a scratch on the head of Bub. On maturity they have the most beautiful green eyes. Although mainly a fresh water bird they are also found in Indonesia and New Zealand.

Bib and Bub the baby cormorants are gaining weight quickly.

Our co-ordinator Kirsten what to be present when this 69 year old wrinkled body gets in the water to teach them to fish. Guess what! I love them but that isn’t going to happen.

Betty.

Heinous Act

Well I feel this picture should be seen and maybe just maybe this sort of thing will be reported if witnessed or by someone with a knowledge of the act and the monster taken to court. All birds are protected under the wildlife act.

Pelican with horrific injuries after being run over by a boat.

A call came in to Australian Seabird Rescue at 8am reporting a pelican in the water covered in blood. Unsure how far from shore I asked our co-ordinator Kirsten to meet in case we needed the kayak to reach the bird. On arrival I could see how bad she was so just waded in and carried her to shore to wait for Kirsten.

This poor little female has been deliberately run over by a boat and left floating bleeding and still alive. It had to be deliberate as in broad daylight it’s impossible to say you didn’t see the bird. The way she was torn to pieces by the propeller would have been very noisy also and to just continue and leave this poor bird in horrific pain is totally unforgivable. In my 10 ½ years with ASR I’ve seen some terrible injuries but this will remain with me forever that someone could do this. Kirsten was affected in the same way.

Please if you see or hear of any sort of cruelty or mistreatment report it immediately even if you think it may be a false alarm.

Betty.

Sydney Fish Markets

A call from Australian Seabird Rescue team member Silke, North Sydney came to me regarding a pelican at the Sydney Fish Markets with about 8cm of his top beak missing. On seeing the photo sent to me it was obvious this bird was going to be in a lot of trouble in a short space of time.  Being an hour and a half from

Wollongong it was difficult to co-ordinate.

Co ordinator Kirsten and team member Nikki attended on the Monday but were unsuccessful with the bird not wanting to leave the safety of the harbour.

So Kirsten and I went up on the following Thursday and it broke my heart to see this poor bird about 8 months old trying to retrieve scraps thrown to him from the café public having to put his head on the side under the water to scoop up the scraps. There was no way I was going home without him.

So off we went down on the oyster laden rocks to entice him with our yummy flathead. He was hungry poor thing so he was in my arms within 5 minutes.

Unfortunately with nothing that could be done for him he was taken to the vets and euthanized.

He was in a poor condition being unable to preen, no feathers under his wing making him not waterproof. He would have died a slow horrible death from hypothermia and possible starvation from incorrect diet.

Easily avoided of course if people would only stop feeding these birds and making them people friendly perhaps they may return to the wild and this sort of cruel injury would not occur. It was confirmed by the veterinarian that the injury was caused by a KNIFE.

A very sad outcome for this very handsome very young bird

Betty

Unbelievable!

Merimbula – A very pretty spot on the far south coast of NSW – but there is a monster in residence!

This monster was seen tossing juvenile silver gulls out of his boat in front of shocked children.

Two men and a young boy tossed the baby birds, their nests and some eggs into the lake. Some local kids and adults jumped in to save as many as they could – 14 birds were taken into care.

National Parks and the RSPCA were notified and now have the monsters details. One truly hopes he is taken to court and charged under the Government Wildlife Act.

Many thanks to Kristine of Wildlife Rescue and the Local WIRES volunteer for raising these birds and Australian Seabird Rescue team member Penny for telephone support. All birds have now been released – thank you to all involved.

A simple phone call would have solved this problem in an hour instead of 2 months care and expense. One wonders about the future of the boy involved in this act of cruelty.

Betty

PETITE PETREL

Petite petrel found on the NSW South Coast

This fledgling white face storm petrel is the only storm petrel with a white forehead, face and under parts. At only 15cm in length and weighing 40gm this little bird was amazing. They are mostly pelagic.

He was found on a south coast beach two and a half hours south of Wollongong and thanks to the rescuers and Australian Seabird Rescue team member Lisa I only had to travel one hour south to collect him.

They breed also on Kermadec, New Zealand and New Zealand sub Antarctic islands. North and south Atlantic also. Part of the Australian population winters in the north Indian Ocean and Arabian seas.

With a tiny 38cm wing span one wonders how they survive out there over that vast ocean.

A day and a half rest and “unusual” diet (they feed on krill) with advice from Lindsay at Southern Ocean Seabird Study Ass. We took him to Port Kembla at 8 p.m. to see if he was strong enough to continue his journey.

Without too much hesitation he was off and half hour observation he was last sighted heading in the right direction to the north.

Another good result!

Thank you Lindsay (SOSSA), Lisa (ASR) and Wildlife Rescue.

Betty

Friday 11pm - Pied Oystercatcher

This very handsome, very young Pied Oystercatcher found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Considered vulnerable it was important to do whatever for him.

Young Pied Oystercatcher found in a shipping container at Port Botany

He was taken to the Exotic Animal Hospital in Sydney by a worker at the Port Botany (Botany Bay) shipping container terminal after being found in one of the containers. The Animal Hospital rang me and asked if I could take the bird but they had to come after duties hence the 11pm arrival time in Wollongong.

Tucked in safe for the night I took him early next morning to my mates Lindsay and Janice of SOSSA (Southern Ocean Seabird Study Ass) for advice on the best care for him.

Lindsay, with his over 40 years experience explained the poor thing had been “kidnapped”. Apparently the parents would have warned him of on incoming danger and to hide and they would come back for him, so he’s run into the container. Not yet fledged it was decided to take him back to Port Botany and let the parents find him.

BUT a dilemma!!!! The terminal doesn’t work weekends and despite a lot of phone calls we couldn’t get access to where he came from.  It was decided he had to go to Taronga Zoo Hospital to be cared for until fledged as after two and a half days the parents would have stopped looking for him. These birds are very territorial and the local birds would probably kill him so release in Wollongong was out of the question.

After a weekend in care dining on mussels, fish, octopus and my toes he was off to the Zoo in Sydney on Monday with a big thank you to Lindsay for transporting him as I was unable to go and no A.S.R. Volunteer was available.

With all the best facilities at the zoo he will be taught to forage for food himself and released where he came from in about 3 weeks when he can fly.

Thank you S.O.S.S.A., Taronga Zoo Hospital and Homebush Exotic Animal Hospital.

Betty