« Autumn waterbird migration ends without spread of H5N1 bird flu | Main | Three New Zealand storm-petrels captured in the Hauraki Gulf »
January 10, 2006
Winter storms bring Red Phalaropes to Northern California Coast
IBRRC has great success rehabilitating birds rescued from beaches
Red phalaropes wearing their winter plumage swim in pools at IBRRC Cordelia IBRRC photo
January 5 – 2006 -- Thousands of red phalaropes, rarely seen on land except when breeding in the Arctic, landed on the coast of Northern California in late December. Most were weak and starving, looking for food in marshes, creeks, and even backyards. The small birds were probably forced in by strong westerly winds that came with a series of powerful storms that hit Northern California the last part of December, 2005. Groups of up to 1,200 birds were reported seeking refuge along the coast.
International Bird Rescue Research Center in Cordelia, CA (Solano County) cared for 90 red phalaropes and achieved great success rehabilitating them. Only eight of the birds died. Most of the birds were rescued from beaches by IBRRC staff.
Weak and starving, the birds were immediately hydrated and warmed in warm water therapy pools, then fed meal worms and krill. They ate voraciously and quickly gained weight and strength. After intensive care, the birds continue rehabilitation in specially designed cold water pools with overflow to keep their feathers perfectly clean and oil free.
Thirty birds were deemed ready for release on January 5, 2006. The others will be released when they achieve normal weight and are waterproof. The birds are banded with numbered USFWS metal bands before release.
The red phalarope is a small bird rarely seen on land other than during spring when they migrate to Alaska to raise their young. Experts surmise the birds were suffering from a lack of food in the mid-ocean locales they frequent, either due to warmer ocean temperatures or the simple fact that the storms have churned the seas, making food scarce.
The birds feed by spinning the surface of the water with their lobed feet. For most of the year, phalaropes live at sea, principally off the coasts of southern South America and Africa. Red phalaropes are occasionally seen in the Bay Area during particularly harsh winters, but never before in numbers like these.
Posted by Surfbirds at January 10, 2006 04:04 AM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)