October was very brisk at Wild Bird Rescues GOLD COAST with a total of 50 rescues.
Things didn’t start out too well when we lost two of the Broadwater pelicans to fish hook injuries. This is unusual because I can nearly always find and catch injured peli’s, but these birds sustained injuries just prior to the long weekend and the number of people and boat traffic on that weekend was ridiculous.
Later that week I had to attend a very sad oyster catcher with broken legs. I have no idea how a double break would occur but the bird had been suffering for sometime and was quickly euthanized. Oyster catchers are my favourite bird and so it was a sad discovery indeed.
I had another sighting of Robbie the juvenile sea eagle (below), released last month but unable to successfully reunite with her parents. She was being pounded by currawongs high in a tree in Robina in the middle of the day (other birds attack a bird of prey in their territory fearing it will eat their young)
It had been 21 days since we’d released Robbie … too long for her to survive without food. This gives us hope that she may be sustaining herself with road kill or carrion, necessary because she missed out on crucial fishing tutorage from her parents
Well, that’s quite enough of the doom and gloom. There were many more good stories than bad during October.
This little feral pigeon had a typical fishing line entanglement that was cutting off her feet. Being foragers these birds are very prone to entanglements. Their soft, fleshy toes are no match for harsh, unforgiving line. Even cotton thread presents a serious risk of entanglement to small birds.
In general wildlife carers only attend to native species and understandably few vet clinics will provide free treatment for feral species. But they are living, breathing, feeling creatures and I won’t pass an opportunity to catch and free any entangled bird. This pigeon was quickly caught and disentangled and no doubt will be feeling much more comfortable now that it’s free of the line. I’ll catch and treat 200 hooked and entangled birds of all species this year.
Pictured below is Felonious, a juvenile osprey.
I caught Felonious after he made an unscheduled landing in a suburban swimming pool. The pool was being guarded by a Staffie. The dog couldn’t believe its luck at having a juvenile osprey to play with all day. Judging by the look of Felonious he didn’t see it that way at all. Fortunately he hadn’t sustained any obvious injuries but was shocked, bruised and very reluctant to fly. Currently Felonious is being rehabilitated at Currumbin Wildlife Hospital where they specialise in treating raptors. (Update … I’ve since released Felonious successful back in the area where he was found)
The lucky duck story of the year goes to the eleventh of eleven ducklings rescued with their mum, first from a roadside drain, and then from a suburban swimming pool.
The caller had managed to fish ten ducklings out of the roadside drain after they’d fallen through the grating (a very common fate for ducklings). The last duckling (lucky eleven, or ‘Lucky’ as he shall now be known) was seen scarpering off into a neighbour’s property. The mother duck was still hanging around and understandably distressed. It’s impossible for an inexperienced person to catch an adult duck. The caller said that he had contained all ten ducklings in a box. I instructed him to drop all ten into his swimming pool knowing that sooner or later the mother would fly in to join them, thereby giving me a chance to catch her. Ducklings are easy to catch … mothers are an entirely different ballgame! However, if the entire family can be caught they can all be relocated to a safe creek or stream. If just the ducklings are caught they will lose their mum and spend 16 weeks in care being raised by a volunteer carer entirely at that person’s expense. In no time at all a duck carer can accumulate 50 or even 100 ducklings. That is simply not manageable, nor is it affordable, therefore I do everything possible to catch mother and ducklings and relocate the family unit.
Back to Lucky … who’d recently been spotted running between two adjacent rear properties.
It’s very difficult to find and catch a duckling that has gone to ground in undergrowth, therefore I’d sadly resigned myself to the idea that Lucky was a goner. But lucky for Lucky his mum was proving to be a very tough catch. Every time I tried and missed she would fly off only to return a few minutes later to re-join her other ten kids in the pool. This bought lucky some badly needed time.
During her absence the ducklings would chirp loudly. I knew this was Lucky’s only chance. If he would break cover and make for the chirping we might find him. That’s exactly what happened. A neighbour spotted a tiny ball of fluff moving at light speed across his yard towards a pile of rubbish against the adjoining fence. Two lads jumped the fence and began dismantling the pile and at the bottom guess who they found? Lucky was passed over the fence to much cheering and clapping. He was dropped straight into the swimming pool to join his brothers and sisters. Five minutes later I was able to snare their mum and reunite the family.
They were all bundled off to a safe and relatively ‘eel free’ stream in Labrador. A very happy outcome and proof that where there is life, there is hope, especially if your name is Lucky!
Thanks go to Gold Coast Councillor Greg Betts who provided funding for a new fence to cordon off the jetty area in Pizzy Park.
This has created a safe nesting area for swans that have been under intense pressure following five dog attacks during the past 18 months. Last week I was pleased to see swans returning with 3 new pairs on the lake.
I want to say a special thanks to my generous donors and friends on the WBRGC Donations Committee. Sometimes I feel saddened that so few people donate to ensure the survival of this rescue service but those of you who do have been wonderful and made it possible for more than fifty injured or orphaned creatures to be saved during the month of October.