Takes a Village .. To save a Colony!

Text by Alison Garvin
Photos by Lyla Arum

SC: Did u c Cindy’s post about losing half the post office ficus tree last night?

AG: What!? no?…tree N fell!!???

11-Jul-2019

Su Cox sent me that alarming text on Thursday morning. Not fifteen hours earlier, on Wednesday afternoon, the beautiful lush ficus tree on the corner of 13th and Jackson St, split in half, sending chicks, eggs and incubating parents barreling down to the ground from a distance of up to 40 feet! That any survived is thanks to the quick thinking, bird-loving USPS employees who immediately reached out for help to Golden Gate Bird Alliance (GGBA) and International Bird Rescue (Bird-Rescue).  Dozens of injured and orphaned birds were rescued and that very evening, taken to IBR for treatment and rehabilitation.

Why I got involved:

Su and I volunteer with the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO) as well as Golden Gate Bird Alliance (GGBA).  For several years we have been monitoring the Downtown Oakland (DTOAK) heron and egret colony; collecting data and rescuing injured birds. That the most productive nesting tree in this colony, known as “Tree N”, had partially collapsed was devastating news. You see, Tree N had hosted generations of birds, supporting over 50-100 nests a season!

That’s why that Thursday morning text changed everything. Our priorities were clear: Su and I, along with former Oakland Zoo zookeeper, Cathy Keyes, rushed over to the DTOAK colony to help rescue the remaining birds.

Thursday: Nest Check and Rescue

The danger of falling limbs onto the sidewalk and roadway left the USPS no option but to dismantle the remaining Tree N colony. Tree N was coming down. The nests, and their inhabitants, had to be removed. Ideally, active nests should never ever be disturbed. But this was an extraordinary event.

The team that formed on Thursday morning was small nimble, creative and committed to the objective at hand: Save the birds!

Bird-Rescue, GGBA, and SFBBO volunteers brought the skills to rescue and secure birds, but access to the birds and nests, high up in the tree, was left to the Davey Tree experts whom had been contracted by USPS employees to remove Tree N.

Davey Tree staff enthusiastically joined in the effort. Using a truck mounted with a hydraulic boom and bucket, a tree specialist outfitted with an animal box, net and handsaw carefully approached each nest looking for chicks and eggs. One by one, birds and eggs were secured. Once a nest was confirmed inactive and/or empty, the supporting branch was cut and removed — with a hand saw! It was a painstakingly long process, requiring both patience and surgical precision. At the end of a fatiguing 12-hour day and with darkness fast approaching, tree trimming was suspended.

But the most delicate and unpredictable point of the entire rescue was still to come.

Friday: The Final Approach

The “branchers”, youngsters able to walk the branches but not capable of flying, slowly congregated into the steadily decreasing canopy some 30 to 40 feet above.  J.D. Bergeron and Michelle Bellizzi, of International Bird Rescue, were familiar with similar rescue situations and devised a plan.

Team members stood with outspread sheets and towels, positioned as “safety nets” below Tree N, while the Davey Tree team, approached the crowd of birds that were climbing and mingling in the canopy. Some were captured safely using a net. Many others scattered and with nowhere else to go, fell softly into our “safety nets”. We formed an assembly line handing the flightless birds to an animal care team member who then secured the orphans safely, joining other displaced colony residents.

Then Tree N went quiet.

The number of egret and heron adults and their fledglings perched high on adjacent buildings and in nearby trees had increased.  Displaced snowy fledglings were begging to feed from any nearby adult. Two heron adults, the last to abandon their eggs and leave Tree N, stood unmoving in what seemed to be a vigil on the edge of the Post Office roof.

Nearby, chicks were quietly chattering in their transport boxes ready for their trip to International Bird Rescue for treatment, rehabilitation, incubation, stabilization; whatever would be needed to prepare them for release back to the wild. As the rescue team began dispersing, a construction worker from across the street walked up to us gently holding a young, flightless snowy he found walking around in the nearby development site.  Rescue bird #88 was thus added to the manifest as the last passenger en-route to Bird-Rescue.

What happens now:

The story doesn’t end here.
Help is urgently needed!

International Bird Rescue, located in Fairfield, has a full-house. In addition to the unexpected arrival of 16 eggs and 89 DTOAK feathered patients, Bird-Rescue was already actively treating and rehabilitating over 200 other water birds. Bird-Rescue staff and volunteers continue to provide 24×7 care until rescued birds are healthy and able to be released back into the wild. Because of the DTOAK crisis, an emergency volunteer recruitment session was immediately scheduled to onboard more volunteers as quickly as possible.

What you can do:

Support for International Bird Rescue will go a long way to provide food and resources for all rescued water birds brought to them. Many birds come to Bird-Rescue from human-wildlife conflict. Birds caught in nets, birds entangled in fishing line, ingesting fishing hooks or falling victim to human actions and oil spills.

Last words:

I would sometimes grouse about standing under Tree N’s canopy, attempting to avoid the heron/egret “rain” while getting “warbler neck” counting all the residents and nests. A recent visit to where Tree N once stood revealed just a hint of it’s existence; a sliver of trunk was all that remained.  The DTOAK colony will not be the same without Tree N.  However, knowing we successfully rescued 89 birds and that even some of the 16 eggs have begun hatching make the loss more bearable. Crisis often brings out the best in people, and the people of Oakland did not disappoint! I made new friends who are passionate about birds, wildlife and taking action for the environment. It truly takes a village to save a colony!

Background on Tree N:

The decades old USPS Ficus tree stood some 40′ tall with a spreading canopy covering over a quarter of a block. Tree N, is one of many trees in the Downtown Oakland heron and egret rookery (DTOAK). Black-crowned Night-Herons and Snowy Egrets have called Tree N their home for about 10 years. The DTOAK trees are not ideal for a rookery, but habitat loss and urban development have made them a choice nesting location. Golden Gate Bird Alliance, Oakland Zoo, Lindsay Wildlife Experience and International Bird Rescue have been partnering for several years monitoring, rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing herons and egrets falling from trees in the DTOAK colony. Cindy Margulis, Executive Director of GGBA, has collaborated with the downtown developers and the City of Oakland to help relocate the herons back to Lake Merritt. We hope that the snowys and black-crowneds will consider the lake front properties at Lake Merritt for nesting… just as they had many years ago.

Early Sunday morning, before the collapse, Tree N was brimming with Snowys. Parents feeding chicks, newly fledged birds exercising their wings and bouncing to the roof of the post office, “branchers” lingering and exploring the tree’s canopy, biding their time until their flight feathers fully develop thus enabling them to fly. The recently ordained Official Bird of Oakland, the Black-crowned Night Heron, are at the tail-end of their season, with only a handful of active nests left in Tree N.

“The Village”:

USPS Angels: Shirley, Kim, Ken, Duane, Darnell, Marti. Contacts for support, providing PO building access.

International Bird Rescue Team: Ken Baker, Michelle Bellizzi, J.D. Bergeron, Cheryl Reynolds. Provided the expertise and field experience to ensure the best possible outcome for the birds as well as communication, media and transport support.

Davey Tree Team: Jose, Ephram, Andy, Joe. Dedicated, conscientious, thorough, and “all-in” to safely rescue birds.

San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory/Golden Gate Bird Alliance Team: Su Cox, Alison Garvin, Cathy Keyes. Bringing bird handling experience, much needed extra sets of eyes for International Bird Rescue and Davey Tree members and an infectious enthusiasm until the last bird and egg was brought to safety.

Oakland Zoo: Bringing nets onsite for capturing birds.

Oakland Animal Services: Supplied animal carriers, blankets and onsite support.

Oakland Residents/Volunteers:
> Lyla Arum: Who happened to be mailing a letter that day, and immediately joined our rescue team,  provided dozens of photos and contributions to this blog post.

> “Sergio”: Who, upon walking by the site, stopped and immediately began helping out.

> The “woman in the red dress” who brought refreshments for the team.

And the many concerned Oakland residents who stopped to show their support for the rescue effort.

Alison Garvin is a volunteer for GGBA, IBR, SFBBO, Oakland Zoo, East Bay Regional Park District.. and enjoys spending time with birds and chimpanzees.