Shy Baby Merganser Has a New Home

August 9, 2008: This little duck (Common Merganser) was admitted to IBRRC mid-July. He weighed about 200 grams. What was his injury? Someone had hit him with a rock.

He has gained weight during his stay at IBRRC, and his primary feathers are emerging. He's a great swimmer and diver. He's "bold, alert, and responsive."

I drove him up to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, a wonderful facility run by Cheryl and Tom. Cheryl had a special place for him with a nice pool. Best of all, there was another merganser, just about our duck's age. And fresh, live minnows for lunch. Our merganser was afraid to come out of his carrier, but I was able to place him in the water. From there, he leaped to the small enclosure, where he hid. We left him in peace to get used to his new home.

This video shows the other merganser standing by the water, while the newcomer keeps out of sight. Don't worry, he will soon be swimming, diving, and catching minnows.

He will be released into the wild when he's ready. :)

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care: http://www.ltwc.org/
IBRRC: http://www.ibrrc.org/

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Merganser
• baby
• duck
• wildlife
• nature
• rescue
• research
• aquatic
• bird

[MyWildlifeVideos]

More good news! The two little Mergansers have been released together. They were very happy to begin their new lives in the wild.

[MyWildlifeVideos]

good news! As of today (August 14, 2008), the two little Mergansers are new best friends! They swim together, dive together, go fishing together. All is going very well, and the newcomer seems to be very happy.

[KrazyRawb]

Someone hit him with a rock? That the heck, people these days suck.

[anmoose]

Haha! He's NOT sure about this. He'll be SO happy, though, once he gets used to it. It's uncanny to think that someone hit him with a rock, but unfortunately it's not all that surprising these days.

[tramjam863]

Ducks are amazing creatures!

[DestinationOfSoldier]

duckie!

[Aurospio]

Excellent video about little feathered friends. It is nice to hear about a happy outcome for an injured bird, esp. one hurt needlessly by stupid humans. Thanks for your work with birds, and for educating us via videos.

[elliotbradley]

YAWN... next time find something less boring to put on you tube :P