By Emmie Campbell
On a rainy day, Earth Matter was given a damp cardboard box by Governors Island Security. When I first glanced in the box, the contents appeared to be a pile of damp rags. As it began to move about, it became apparent that it was a baby bird! When the little creature stuck out its downy, grey, speckled head, I was able to identify it as a herring gull chick. I decided to call her Nina.
As we cleaned the chick, I began to notice that it wasn’t in excellent shape. Seagull chicks are precocial; they hatch with their eyes open and a full coat of down and are able to wander around within hours. Nina was hardly able to move. Her left leg was completely limp.
The next day, I brought the chick to the Wild Bird Fund Center (WBF). This nonprofit organization rehabilitates NYC wildlife. They were able to clean Nina’s wounds and gave her antibiotics. They suspect that Nina’s inability to move her leg were caused by damage to her hip. After x-rays are taken, they will know which course of action to take.
Earth Matter has started to work with Island partners around found and injured birds such as Nina. Governors Island staff and others alert us about these birds. Working with WBF, we are beginning to identify what is needed in these situations. WBF is the only NYS certified rehab station in NYC. No one else is legally allowed to assist these birds. We see that GI needs to establish a transport system to the WBF, located on the Upper West Side, for care of these birds. Earth Matter is working on setting up a “triage” station for the immediate needs of bird brought to our attention, until they can be transported to WBF. As of the printing of this article, we await word on Nina’s status.