Neighbor Saves Pretty Birdie From Big Bad Bay

The above wild bird was found struggling in the muck of Sheepshead Bay by an unnamed neighbor, and he went through some extraordinary means to rescue it. Here’s the account from our tipster, Emily B.:

I’m a veterinary technician at the Manhattan Beach Animal Clinic, and a man came in with this bird in a crate, saying that he found the bird floating in the bay and struggling to stay afloat. He tied some rope to a milk crate and fished the bird out. We are the closest vet to the bay, so he brought in the bird. We are a dog and cat clinic only but a few of us have experience with wildlife (One of the techs is a bird rehabber and I am a former animal control officer) The bird was covered in oil and dirt from the bay so we washed the bird with dishwashing liquid. We called several wildlife rehabs and bird rescues and with the help of some friends at Animal Control, the bird was transported to a vet in Manhattan that works closely with injured wild birds.

The bird does not have the body or large webbed feet of a typical water bird (duck, swan, gull), and has a very long beak. Judging by his body, beak, and feet, he seems to be a shallow shore/marsh bird and would be unable to survive in deep water. I’m not even sure how he got into the bay.

Any birders out there know what species this gnarly-lookin’ fella is?