PELICAN	THREE HERONS	TWO GREBES	GREAT HORNED OWL
September 2007	June 2007	April 2007	February 2007

Two Grebes
Released April 2007
(see animation below)

The two Grebes, a Clark's Grebe and a Western Grebe, were found in at Oceano Dunes by the rangers there.  They, like too many other Grebes, were starving to death.

The Clark's Grebe was the first animal to arrive at the Wildlife Center, before it was officially opened.  It was our poster boy featured on the cover of Tribune April 11.

He was a feisty bird, with a distinct personality.  He began in a tank of warm water and was given electrolytes and Ensure until he could eat freshwater smelt. At first he would try, but couldn't seem to manage to get a fish lengthwise in his bill and swallow it.

Once he was stabilized he was moved to a cold water pool and given only fish. Volunteers who saw him, said what a beautiful bird he was.

The Western Grebe received similar treatment and both were with us about 3 weeks. We had to wait until their blood count was back where it should be. The Grebes gained weight pretty fast, though toward the end they were getting less interested in our dead fish. We couldn't fool them anymore. They also started getting interested in getting out. These signs also let us know they were about ready for release.

On April 26, Virginia Flaherty, one of our expert seabird rehabilitators, took them to Morro Bay, since we hadn't been getting starving Grebes from this area.

There she saw a group of about twenty Western and Clark's Grebes in a group out from the shore, and let out the two that Pacific Wildlife Care had rescued and rehabilitated. Off they went, delighted to be back in the wild world! Within minutes she couldn't tell them from all the others.

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