Cormorant chicks, eggs rescued from falling tree in Marina del Rey

SAN PEDRO, Calif. (KABC) -- The International Bird Rescue is caring for dozens of double-crested cormorant chicks and eggs at its San Pedro facility.

"We received over 60 eggs and nine live chicks on March 10, mid-morning they came into care," said International Bird Rescue wildlife center manager Kylie Clatterbuck.

In collaboration with the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors, biologists discovered over 20 nests in a wind-damaged eucalyptus tree in Marina del Rey. Some nests contained as many as three to four eggs.

"We realized that this was in danger of falling over and hurting humans. Also, with the potential for it to fall over and not only crack the eggs, but hurt the chicks in the tree," Clatterbuck said. "Our job at International Bird Rescue is to try to mimic what these birds might receive in the wild, which is very hard to do."

The chicks are fed every hour and are being cared for inside incubators. Since their parents remain in the wild, the technicians use puppets and cover-ups to minimize human interactions.

"We disguise ourselves as much as we possibly can from head to toe," Clatterbuck said. "We also have decoy animals inside the pens with the birds so they have an image of what mom and dad might look like. And then we also use puppets to help feed them, so they are associating the look of the puppet instead of our hand."

"The more head movements there are, the hungrier they are, the more vocal they are. And once I'm done with that I also give them hydrations, 5% of their body weight overall," said senior wildlife rehabilitation technician Jennifer Martines.

The birds will remain in care for the next two to three months until they are strong enough to be released back into the wild.

"We will have them for at least a couple or three months while we make sure they grow appropriately, that they can capture live food and care," Clatterbuck said.

The nonprofit said their rescue efforts wouldn't be possible without donations from the community. To donate, visit birdrescue.org.