pacific wildlife care 2014

There are about 40 species of tern and most spend their lives around water. Here, on the central coast of California, there are eight species that are seen regularly including Caspian, Royal, Elegant, and Forster's and less frequently, Common, Black, Arctic and Least. The Arctic Tern which is sometimes here in early fall, is known for its prodigious 25,000 mile migration from its wintering grounds in the Antarctic to its breeding grounds in the Arctic. The smallest among them, the Least Tern, an endangered species, is carefully monitored and protected while nesting on our beaches.

October, 2014 Ancient Technique Allows 21st-Century Hawk to Soar

A hawk's survival requires an exquisite ability to soar and maneuver in order to hunt. This is especially true of Red-shouldered Hawks, explains Claudia Duckworth, of Pacific Wildlife Care. They are "masters of maneuverability," often chasing prey (usually small birds) through dense forest. A hawk with seriously damaged tail feathers is not able to do this.

September, 2014 Doing It Right: How (Not to) Wash an Oiled Bird

For many people, the sight causes a surge of compassion and a desire to do something. But washing an oiled bird is nothing like washing a dog in the bathtub. Would-be rescuers learned this back in 1971, after two Standard Oil tankers collided in San Francisco Bay. Fifty miles of coastline were covered with oil, and with it, approximately 7,000 birds. Volunteers worked feverishly to save as many birds as they could, but in the end, only about 300 were rehabilitated and released because at that time, very little was known about good rehabilitation practices. Birds died not only from the coating of oil but also from humans' lack of knowledge.

August, 2014 Measuring Success: PWC Receives A One-Of-A-Kind Banding Permit

PWC rehabilitators work hard to care for injured animals. We try to ensure that they will have every chance of surviving in the natural world. But there is no way of knowing what happens after release. The National Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) (Department of the Interior) strictly regulates tagging or marking wild birds. Obtaining a permit requires an approved application and time served as an apprentice to a master bander. Most permits are for gathering data about breeding habits, migration, dispersal, social structure, life-span, survival rates and population growth.

July, 2014 So What Happens with All the Fawns?

TerryAnn Willingham has precious little time for a phone interview. It is baby season, and she has eleven fawns to care for this year—six more than last year. At the height of the season, until these baby deer are four weeks old, she feeds them four times a day, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

June, 2014 Birds of Prey, Part 2: A Drama of Surrogacy

The two nestlings arrive in Cayucos. In the middle of the night, while Fiona is sleeping, Kelly Vandenheuvel quietly removes the infertile eggs from the nest box and disposes of them. In their place, she puts the two nestlings from ORC, together with two broken eggshells. When Fiona awakens, she will accept the nestlings as her own newly hatched babies. Then, by instinct, she will eat the eggshells (which Vandenheuvel has baked, to kill any salmonella), providing her with extra calcium.

May, 2014 Getting the Lead Out of Our Golden Purifiers

They are probably not most peoples’ choice for a favorite bird. As a wildlife rehabilitator, I have been hissed and growled at, thrown up on, (a reaction to the stress of being handled), bitten and clawed by these animals, but like many of my fellow rehabbers, I have developed a fondness and admiration for these large, intelligent, curious and dignified birds. I’m referring to Turkey Vultures.

April, 2014 Baby Season: Birds of Prey

Raising a baby raptor is tricky. No human can do the job that avian parents do. For this reason, it's almost always preferable to re-nest a baby bird that has fallen from the nest, and for it to grow up with its own kind in the wild, than for humans to attempt to raise it.

March, 2014 Don’t Try This Yourself

After a short seasonal lull, staff and volunteers at the Pacific Wildlife Care Rehabilitation Center are gearing up for Baby Season, a frenetic period that begins in early spring and extends well into summer, kicked off by an influx of baby mammals, usually the second week of March. This year, however, both the timing and numbers of animals are anyone’s guess, says Kathy Duncan, Senior Rehabilitator and Education Director. Nobody knows how the drought will affect food sources and, consequently, the natural breeding season.

February, 2014 A Tale of Two Eagles

An eagle does not often crash through a windshield, nor is it often that Game Warden Teri Hickey happens to be driving by a scene at the perfect moment, exactly when needed. But both occurred the Monday before Thanksgiving, 2013.

July, 2009 A Bit About Us and What We Do

Pacific Wildlife Care was organized in 1983 and has been serving San Luis Obispo county ever since. The wildlife care center in Morro Bay was opened in May of 2007. We are a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization that provides high quality care to local injured, sick and orphaned wildlife. When the animals are recovered, they are released back into the wild. We are licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and must adhere to strict guidelines regarding wildlife rehabilitation.