More than 400 elegant tern chicks have been rescued in the waters of Long Beach Harbor, thanks to a combined effort of local organizations and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
According to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach - one of the participants in the rescue efforts – a colony of elegant terns has formed on two barges in the harbor and chicks have been falling into the water.
Because the chicks have not grown their adult watertight feathers, they would drown unless rescued.
Staff from the aquarium retrieve chicks from the water and transporting them to the International Bird Rescue (IBR) clinic in San Pedro, where they are stabilized and hand-fed. With the aquarium providing labor, IBR and the Oiled Wildlife Care Network can focus on other mitigation efforts and rehabilitation.
In a release, the aquarium said the partner groups are asking boaters to keep their distance from barges and reduce speeds when boating in the harbor.
Anyone wishing to contribute donations to help feed and house the chicks should visit birdrescue.org.