Bird lovers are flocking to downtown Oakland this spring as part of an effort by the Oakland Zoo to save baby herons during nesting season.
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The black-crowned night heron has been the official bird of the city of Oakland since 2019.
Although they are not endangered, they are particularly vulnerable during this time period, as they have a tendency to fall out of trees when they're babies.
When they reach about a month old, they're still too young to fly, but they do start moving around. This means they can sometimes fall out of their nests or even get pushed by siblings.
That's where the volunteers, the heron patrols, come in. Patrolling the areas where they tend to nest in the city, like Lake Merritt, people monitor the ground while making bird calls.
The group goes out and does this about twice a day.
They haven't patrolled since the start of the pandemic, so it feels particularly good to help out this year.
"It feels pretty great to learn about them," said one such volunteer, Roman JohnDoza.
"It's just one of those examples of wildlife that lives with people," said Colleen Kinzley, Vice President of Animal Care at the Oakland Zoo. "And so we just feel like it’s important for us to help."
Once rescued, they are taken to the Oakland Zoo to recover.
Then, after some time, they will be released somewhere on the Oakland waterfront.
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