Posted by Ken Kurtis on July 07, 2004 at 14:21:38:
The news is good.
After talking with a DF&G Warden on Monday when we got back in, we jointly decided that we did NOT want me to take the Petrel to the County Animal Shelter in San Pedro (since they had euthanized another bird - a Laysan Albatross - that I'd brought there previously). He gave me the name and number for International Bird Rescue & Research at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro (310/514-2573 - link below).
I called thenm to leave a message (it was around 7:30PM) and while I was doing so, someone picked upo the phone. "Is this Ken Kurtis from the Long Beach Aqaurium?" they asked. Stunned, I said, "Yes." Turns out that a gal who used to volunteer at AOP is now one of the bird rehabillitators at IBRRC. She aksed me to keep the bird overnight and then bring him down Tuesday morning.
When I got home later Monday night, the Petrel was much more feisty and lively than when we'd had him on the boat. He kept pecking away in the box so I decided to let him out in my apartment. He seemed to enjoy walking around and finding nooks and crannies to burrow into, and even occassionally flew short distances.
I tried to research the little guy on line. Turns out he's an Ashy Storm Petrel. There are about 10-20,000 in the wild and they live off the California coast, mainly in the Channel Islands but also some along the shore, and they like rocky, craggy places. They're primarily nocturnal.
In the morning, we loaded up into my car and drove down to SP. When we got inside the IBRRC facility, the little guy seemed REALLY feisty and like he was feeling pretty good. They looked him over, thought he was an adult not a juvy, and that he seemed in good shape. They put him in an incubator to stabilize his temp and felt that they'd be able to return him to the wild within a few days.
So that's the news. All is well in Petreland.
Ken Kurtis
NAUI Instr. #5936
Co-owner, Reef Seekers Dive Co.
beverly Hills, CA