A common murre is cleaned of oil around its beak during a health assessment upon arrival at the Center. After a health assessment and medication, oiled birds stay in the feeding room until they are healthy enough to undergo washing. At left, common murres settle down after a feeding. At right, Dave Jessup, senior wildlife veterinarian for the Department of Fish and Game, and Shawn Johnson, veterinarian with the International Bird Rescue Research Center, take blood samples to check for stability. Birds may stay here several days.
Oil is removed from the body in temperature controlled wash bins.
As the oil begins to come off, the bird is moved to a new bin in a continual process. A water pick is used to get under feathers. Water hoses hang from the ceiling to avoid a tangled clutter. These common murres have arrived in the outdoor pools after completing their washing, rinsing, drying and further health check-ups. A constant flow of water moves through the pools to remove further oil which may come from birds' excrement.