Yesterday, I noticed a gray dove outside the enclosed seabird pond area. The dove looked like the doves in the aviaries, and so I suspected that it had escaped and then found its way back. Later, June said that she had given the dove to a neighbor, and that it must have escaped from its new home and come back. I went out of the enclosure and tried to net the bird so I could get it back inside, but it was difficult and the bird eluded the small, soft net. After several more failed attempts, I decided to put some seed on the roof of one of the aviaries. As it turned out, there was a hole in the net there, and I hoped that the bird might find its way back inside. Later, I noticed that this was the case; the bird had made its way in and was flying against the screens of the aviaries.
There was also a cormorant who we needed to net so that we could remove its wing wrap. It too was elusive, but at last,when it was in the water, J was able to scoop it up. Unfortunately, it became stuck in the net. At first we though it was stuck because one of its toenails had become stuck in the mesh, but what we thought was a toenail was actually a fishhook that had embedded itself in the cormorants foot. It took us quite awhile to untangle the net and remove the hook. There was blood.
There were ten cormorants at the pond -- the most I've ever seen -- and 8 pelicans. They had planned to do a release at dos pueblos ranch, but they had to reschedule because they were doing a photoshoot at the ranch that day. It was a shoot for Playboy magazine, and it was a closed set. The birds will be released there next week.
