Grounded gannets rescued by P.E.I. Parks Canada staff
'To be involved in any type of wildlife rescue is an extraordinary privilege'
Parks Canada staff on P.E.I. came to rescue of some stranded sea birds after the remnants of Hurricane Matthew blew northern gannets on to shore.
Northern gannets are large birds that spend their entire lives out at sea. But some young gannets ran into trouble when the remnants of Hurricane Matthew passed through the Maritimes.
Kerry-Lynn Atkinson, resource conservation officer with Parks Canada, went out checking the shoreline when she arrived at work the day after the storm.
She said she found a number of young gannets who had been blown onto the beach.
There were other birds that had been washed up and smashed into the cliffs and had perished.
"It was nice when we would approach them and they would start screaming and squawking at us because we knew that they had the energy then," said Atkinson.
Sharp beaks and big wingspan
Wearing safety glasses and gloves, the Parks Canada crew worked in teams of two.
One would distract the bird while the other would approach from behind and throw the blanket over the bird.
Then, they'd tuck in the wings, scoop up the bird and put it in a large plastic garbage can that they keep on hand specifically for these kinds of situations.
"Picking up these sea birds and feeling the strength of their wings, it's not something you would normally experience," said Atkinson, adding that the Gannets have a wing span sometimes even greater than a eagle, as well as extremely sharp beaks.
The Parks Canada crews carried the gannets to the closest beach and released them at the water's edge.
"Some of the birds were so sand-logged they could barely hold their wings out," said Atkinson. "You'd watch the birds tripping over their feet, trying to get into the water and once they got into the water, you could see their energy perk up."
No way to take off
Once on shore, the northern gannets need help because they are not able to take off from land, only on water.
"They can't really take off from land, their feet are at the back of their body, so they actually need to pedal on the water in order to take flight," explained Fiep de Bie, wildlife technician at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown.
"There are some ducks like mallards or black ducks that can go straight up in the air but not those birds, they really need water."
Happy ending
The rescuers continued watching to see how the gannets responded to being back in the water.
"Once they got out through those breakers, they'd push their heads in and start shaking themselves off, and preening and it was a really great feeling to see them doing that."
The Parks Canada team rescued ten of the gannets, though they're not sure all will survive the ordeal.
"To be involved in any type of wildlife rescue is an extraordinary privilege," said Atkinson.
"It was a huge sense of pride in my job and what we're able to do here," she added.
De Bie applauds the efforts of the Parks Canada crew.
"I think it was fantastic. If you're there at the right place and the right time, it can have a happy ending."
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