Sailing Students Help Young Birds

Photo by Emily Zugnoni. Alameda youngsters with a local sailing club helped young avians get back to their natural environment recently.

Originally written by Dawn Lemoine & Marjorie Powell in the Alameda Sun 8/23/2018.

Read the full article here.

Earlier this month 10 gull chicks just learning how to be Western Gulls in San Francisco Bay were helped by a group of youngsters learning how to be sailors.

The gull chicks had been raised at the International Bird Rescue (IBR) in Fairfield. Brought there as injured or orphaned chicks and after weeks of care, even surgery in at least one case, the birds were old and well enough to be released. The youngsters were sailing students at the Alameda Community Sailing Center’s (ACSC) summer sailing camp, which meets at the Encinal Boat Ramp on the West End.

Dawn Lemoine, an Alameda resident and relatively new volunteer for IBR, was looking for an open patch of beach near the USS Hornet  to release the birds. She had two large animal 

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"When Emily asked for volunteers, all of the sailing students volunteered."

storage crates in the back of her car that were too large for her to lift by herself so she sought assistance from the camp.

The crates needed to be handled carefully as each contained five young Western Gull chicks for release.

​When ACSC director Emily Zugnoni asked for volunteers, all of the sailing students volunteered. A number of campers carefully carried the crates to the beach where Lemoine opened them. The students had several insightful questions and observations, all of which were discussed after the chicks were released. ​​

Lemoine had been warned that young chicks might be too nervous to... Enjoy the full article here.