Houston, now we have lift-off: 4 recovered juvenile Pigeon Guillemots took flight off a excessive cliff into the ocean at Wall Seaside within the Vandenberg Area Drive Base in Santa Barbara County on August 6, 2025.
These birds had been discovered contaminated with oil from pure seep off the coast of Santa Barbara on July 6. After a number of days of stabilization on the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Community, they had been transferred to Worldwide Chook Rescue for ongoing veterinary care.
Every affected person underwent a wash to take away the oil from their feathers and continued their restoration in an outside pool, the place they restored their waterproofing, healed from burns attributable to the oil, and regained their power. After 28 days in care, they had been prepared for a second probability within the wild.
Set Up for Success within the Wild
For younger birds like these, the precise launch location is vital to survival. Being returned to an space the place different Pigeon Guillemots are current provides them the possibility to affix their friends on the subsequent nice journey: migration.
With this in thoughts, Kylie Clatterbuck, Middle Supervisor for Chook Rescue’s Los Angeles Wildlife Middle, reached out to associates at Level Blue Conservation Science, who’ve been monitoring quite a few waterbird species at Vandenberg, a website acknowledged for its dedication to environmental stewardship and wildlife safety.
“We’re grateful for our group of wildlife professionals who’re in a position to work collectively for a typical aim: to serve and shield wild birds,” Kylie stated. “These collaborations not solely profit the person, however the species as a complete.”
Nesting in colonies on coastal cliffs, guillemot chicks put together for all times at sea by instinctually leaping from the nest earlier than they’ll even fly. So when these rehabilitated birds had been launched at Vandenberg, they dove in confidently, becoming a member of their flock, and starting life within the wild.
