[Posted by Chuck Almdale]

Pacific Loon 368

On Friday 26 April 2024 around 9am, local birder Ursula “H” of Venice reported on LACoBirds ListServe (which sends out emails to all its members) that she’d found a loon at Ballona Creek with a hook in its throat. With bird now in car, she wanted to know where to take it.

SMBAS maintains a bird and marine mammal rescue page on our blogsite. Many birders responded to Ursula with the following in one form or another:

1. International Bird Rescue (IBR) in San Pedro 310-514-2573, 3601 South Gaffey St., San Pedro, Ca. 90731. Website: http://www.bird-rescue.org/
2. California Wildlife Center, 310-458-9453. 26026 Piuma Rd, about one mile east of Malibu Canyon Road. Website:  http://www.cawildlife.org/. The number 818-591-9453 is outdated but may still work.
3. Licensed wildlife rehabilitation facilities: There are dozens in California including several around Los Angeles:
https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Laboratories/Wildlife-Health/Rehab/Facilities
4. Los Angeles Audubon also has an On-line list with 50 rescue sites for all types of animals: https://www.laaudubon.org/wildlife-rehabilitation

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Later that day (26 Apr) the intrepid Ursula wrote in with an update on the Loon:

I’m now back home and wanted to extend a warm thank you to all of you who jumped in and helped out with very useful info this morning. Here’s the story so far:

I spotted the loon just east of the Ballona Creek bike/ped bridge in Marina del Rey a little after 9 this morning, not far from a small group of surf scoters. Unlike the scoters, the loon seemed to be moving oddly, just paddling in place, sort of like a buoy. So I jogged across the bridge and climbed down to take a closer look, and saw that there was a fishing line running from the loon to the shore.

A very friendly and helpful passerby located a piece of broken glass that we could use to cut the line (the ubiquitous trash came in handy, for a change). But then I discovered to my dismay that the rest of the line ran into the loon’s bill. I picked it up, wrapped it in my vest and looked in its bill, but the line ran down its throat. So I rushed it to my car, put it in a box, and sent the emergency email, then left a voicemail with IBR. Thanks so much for the quick reference to IBR from people on this list – that was a lifesaver!!

I started heading east on Culver, saw several guys doing work at the Ballona Freshwater Marsh, and pulled over to see if they might have advice. They checked the bird, confirmed that the hook was deep down its gull, and a guy with the nametag Patrick said IBR would take it in (anyone know who that Patrick might be – I want to thank him?). Real luck that I’m not teaching today, so I drove down to San Pedro, and they took the loon in. Vet seemed hopeful that the hook could be removed with surgery, and also noted that one of the loon’s eyes looked a bit funny, which I hadn’t noticed. It’s now Pacific Loon 368 down there. I’ll call on Monday to see how he/she is doing.

The loon did seem pretty strong – it struggled to get out of my vest and arms in Playa del Rey and to get out of the box down in San Pedro, which I thought was a good sign: I hope that it wasn’t caught on that line the whole night.

I’m sending a generous donation to IBR this weekend – so glad they were there in this situation! And I can’t thank everyone on this list enough for the referral: I was about to take the loon to the Access Animal Hospital on Jefferson, where I take my pet birds, but was doubtful that they’d accept a wild bird. So your lightning-fast responses to my emergency email came in the nick of time!

I’ve posted a picture of the loon with this morning’s ebird list:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S170404169

Thank you, everyone, and let’s hope this beautiful bird survives! I’ll send an update next week.
–Ursula–

This news elicited a response from Neysa at Friends of Ballona Wetlands:

Hi Ursula,
So glad to hear you were able to help the loon! Patrick is our Habitat Restoration Manager at Friends of Ballona Wetlands, we were out doing trail rehabilitation work at the Ballona Freshwater Marsh today. I will let him know that the loon arrived at IBR!

We also have a drop down menu “Found an Injured Animal?” with a list of helpful animal rescue/injury numbers on our Contact Page: https://www.ballonafriends.org/contact-us
Thank you for going above and beyond for that bird!
Best wishes,
Neysa 

Ursula posted an update on Loon 368 on 8 May:

Hello Birders:
I received sad news regarding Pacific Loon 368 today, the bird that I took to IBR in San Pedro on April 26. The fish hook was lodged so deeply in its throat that they were not able to extract it with surgery, and they euthanized the bird. Needless to say, I’m terribly sad – you get attached to these critters you find in distress, and this seemed a particularly unnecessary death, just from someone’s negligence in leaving fishing gear around.

I was also told that the IBR is currently receiving a very large number of 2-3 year old pelicans on the brink of starvation. It wasn’t entirely clear to me what the cause is – not sure that they know, either. Not bird flu, they told me. Overfishing? If anyone has any information, I’d be curious to know.

Anyway, I’ll keep donating to them and – time allowing – will volunteer with IBR. Maybe we can an at least save some of these pelicans.

In sadness,
Ursula

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Ursula is to be commended for unstinting concern and determination, as are also Habitat Restoration Manager Patrick and his workmates at Friends of Ballona Wetlands. Unfortunately, the bird was too damaged to be saved. Ages ago I used to catch fish, and I know how devilishly difficult it can be to extract a hook the fish (in my case) has swallowed.

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Starving Brown Pelicans

Which brings us back to the starving Brown Pelicans mentioned by IBR. The following comment was posted yesterday (8 May) by Justyn Stahl of San Diego:

I got the following from California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Wildlife Health Laboratory in response to a mortality report I had submitted a few days ago. This is presumably what’s behind the increase in inland records of Brown Pelicans recently.

“Thank you for submitting a mortality report. We have had an uptick in reports of brown pelicans along the central and southern coasts recently. Additionally, a number of wildlife rehabilitation centers have been admitting increased numbers of debilitated pelicans. Most of these pelicans appear to be younger birds that are emaciated, sometimes with secondary injuries. Unfortunately, we sometimes see increased mortality of seabirds due to food resource issues. Younger birds may have more difficulty adjusting to changes. Thankfully, we have not detected disease in these pelicans so far this season. We appreciate you reporting your observations. These reports help us monitor the numbers and locations of animals involved in the event.”

Justin adds:

I would encourage submission to CDFW any sick/weak/dead pelicans you may encounter:
https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Laboratories/Wildlife-Health/Monitoring/Mortality-Report

This issue is mentioned in LA Times and the Santa Barbara Independent:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-05-04/scores-of-starving-brown-pelicans-found-on-socal-beaches

A similar event occurred in 2022:
https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/cdfw-provides-update-on-california-brown-pelican-stranding-event

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LAist also has a recent article on the Starving Brown Pelicans:
https://laist.com/news/climate-environment/mystery-surrounds-brown-pelican-starvation-socal

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Malibu Pier and Used Fishing Line

All the above brought SMBAS Board Member and longtime Western Snowy Plover roosting site monitor for Santa Monica Beach, Lu Plauzoles, to contact our local California State Parks personnel about the “fishhook recycling” containers on Malibu Pier. A few years back Lu and other SMBAS members installed these containers on Malibu Pier to give the fishermen at this very popular pier fishing location a place to put the hooks and fishing line that must be discarded, rather than put it into the trash bins (where they may snag foraging people, birds or animals) or tossing them into the sea. The containers do fill up and need to be cleaned out from time to time. Both Lu and some local merchants have been cleaning them out, but one container seems to have jammed and can’t be opened. Lu thinks that more containers are needed, and that dropping the “recycling” aspect and promoting the “SAVE THE BIRDS” aspect with stickers and labels will be an improvement. I think he’s right.