A eucalyptus tree stood in a California park. But it was about to tumble. Baby birds nested in its branches. Soon, helpers arrived.
People rescued dozens of eggs and chicks from nests in the wind-damaged tree.
Now staff members with the International Bird Rescue work around the clock. They care for 47 eggs and 12 chicks. All the birds are double-crested cormorants. Workers hope to release them back into the wild in a few months.
People noticed earlier this month that the tree in Marina del Rey was in trouble. One of its trunks fell and crushed a trash bin enclosure. Its other trunk looked like it would soon fall too. This put the baby birds and eggs in danger—as well as anyone walking nearby or in the parking lot next door.
Nicole Mooradian works for the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches & Harbors. “It wasn’t a question of if this tree is going to fail; it was more of a when,” she says. “The cracks were growing wider by the day.”
So tree experts got to work. For at least five hours on March 10, they removed each of the 20 nests. They removed branches one at a time. Biologists on the ground put the eggs and hatchlings in egg cartons and boxes with heated blankets. These acted as temporary incubators.
Double-crested cormorants are common in Southern California. They tend to nest in large colonies that may crowd a single tree.
Taking care of the chicks can be tough for humans. When the babies hatch, they totally rely on their parents.
The staff at the rescue in San Pedro must feed the chicks every hour from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Workers put on black suits and disguise their faces. They use puppets to keep the birds from forming an attachment with them (called imprinting). If the birds bond with rescuers, they could become too trusting of humans in the wild.
All the chicks are healthy. Some are about two weeks old and already eating whole fish.
Consider the ravens: They neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! — Luke 12:24
