21 July, 2007

Seagull Chick Update: 20 July, 2007 

This was taken Thursday morning. I was extremely concerned that the juvenile couldn't fly and it was in a location that I could have reached. My instinct was SCREAMING at me to go get the bird but I didn't. Instead I boarded the ferry and went to work.

The seagull was killed some time Thursday night or early Friday morning.

I found its broken, lifeless body on the rocks on the beach where it usually would hang out. I'm not sure if a raccoon or a dog got it, or if it was surprised by high tide and was slammed into the rocks. It doesn't much matter. I feel as though I failed the little guy.

I'm so very sorry, little bird. You deserved better.

A friend on Flickr suggested I see if Alameda has a harbormaster, which I will look into early next week. I'll also see if there's one for Oakland and, if so, whether they can provide any guidance for how to deal with this the next time.

I have a tremendous respect for the adult seagulls I see now: They made it against some pretty tough odds.

Labels: ferry commuting, grace, seagull chick

   ~~ victoria on 8:54 AM ~~    2 comments

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18 July, 2007

Injured Seagull Chick Update: 18 July, 2007 

As of this morning, this poor guy still had that fucking wire and line wrapped around its foot (feet?). It looks like the Animal Control officer was unable to reach it safely to tend to it. I phoned the shelter this morning and someone there told me the officer tried yesterday to reach the chick (okay, juvenile, but it's still a baby to ME) and was unsuccessful and that she was going to return today. But it looks like she still couldn't reach it, and if she could, it really is a two-person job to recover the bird (while keeping the very-protective adults from pecking her to bits).

I went back this evening and met my friend K there. We agree that this is a job for someone with more skill and experience in this sort of thing than either of us have. He found the name of a bird rescue organization and he's going to contact them. Perhaps if they cannot come to Alameda, they can give us direction on how to recover and help the bird ourselves. Either way, this little guy most likely will need some care and rehab.

I was relieved to see that the adults are being so protective of it. They hovered and squawked and got REALLY testy if they thought either one of us was getting too close to the chick. K also said he saw the bird swimming around, so at the very least it should be able to get over to the pier pilings to eat the shellfish that cling to them. And it seems it found a shelter for the night underneath a concrete piling, so it should be reasonably safe until high tide sometime in the early morning hours.

I'm still so fucking angry about this that it took every last ounce of self-restraint to stop myself from going over to where a bunch of guys were fishing and screaming blue murder at them. I am tempted to post photos of this chick near the fishing areas, though.

**sigh**

Labels: ferry commuting, gah, seagull chick

   ~~ victoria on 9:10 PM ~~    0 comments

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17 July, 2007

Some Days I Don't Like My Commute So Much 

Seagull Chick #1: 17 July, 2007 (Fasten your seatbelts, there's a rant coming...)
Originally uploaded by Planet Vicster.

Here's one of the chicks near the Alameda ferry dock. I almost didn't recognize them, they're looking so much like seagulls and less like big fuzzballs now!

I grabbed my camera and switched to my 70-300mm lens and started shooting and then noticed this guy was hopping rather oddly. I trained my lens on the chick and noticed it's foot is caught in some sort of fishing line (or something man-made) and that its other foot seems to also be injured. I tried to think of anything I could do to help the bird, but even if I COULD get down there, I had nothing to try to cut the wire off with and, as big as this guy is, it looked like a two-person job (or one person with a towel or a net). So I phoned the Alameda Police dispatch to get an animal control officer out and waited...unfortunately, I had to get on the ferry before Animal Control showed up, so I phoned the dispatch again to pinpoint exactly where I was standing, so hopefully the officer found the bird and was able to help (the tide was high this afternoon so I couldn't see where the chicks were).

It broke my heart to see this bird tangled in this fishing line! One of the parents brought food for the chicks, but this poor guy couldn't hop over to where the food was and went hungry! That this bird suffered for EVEN ONE MINUTE due to the carelessness of humans makes me so angry I can barely see!

And no, the irony is not lost on me that the adult and the other chick appear to have been eating a discarded sandwich...

Labels: ferry commuting, ranting, seagull chick

   ~~ victoria on 7:21 PM ~~    0 comments

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28 June, 2007

Seagull Chick Update 

I got to the dock this morning and...no Chickie.

I'm way more upset about this than I thought I'd be (or should be). It could be that I was already generally upset and agitated this week and this is just the turd on top.

I hold out hope that Chickie and its siblings are sheltered at a different location, but...

:-(((

Labels: ferry commuting, seagull chick

   ~~ victoria on 9:08 AM ~~    0 comments

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27 June, 2007

Seagull Chick Update: A Pictorial 

Sadly, the nest of three chicks is down to just one chick. But this chick is soooo effin' cute that I have become completely besotted with it! So, now I bring you, "Chickie":

Mommy, watch! I lernz the Chicken Dance!!!


Iz gud, huh Mommy?


A sweet moment between Mom and Chickie:


Dad's Back!


...and he brought take-away food!


I can has regurgitated fish?


Dad! Watch me Dad! I lernz the Chicken Dance! R-U WATCHIN', DAD???


That is all.

Labels: ferry commuting, seagull chick

   ~~ victoria on 8:21 PM ~~    0 comments

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