While the most significant part of our mission is the direct care of injured and orphaned wild animals, Bird Ally X also puts effort into training wildlife rehabilitators and future wildlife rehabilitators. During the winter months, as our caseload decreases, we often hold workshops on different aspects of the care we provide our wild neighbors in need. Last weekend we presented a new workshop for our volunteers titled, “How Do Pools Even Work? Providing Critical Housing for Aquatic Patients”.
Discussing our Duckling Pond, used for orphaned Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), and how it can be re-configured for aquatic turtles, such as the Pacific Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata)
Learning how to keep water flowing through our aviary suitable for ducks, geese, Belted Kingfishers (Megaceryle alcyon), Herons, Egrets (family Ardeidae)and rails (family Rallidae).
For the untrained eye, rocks and water, for the trained volunteer, each component here is critical to providing good housing for certain species of aquatic birds.
Complex patients require complex solutions. Safely operating an aquatic environment requires skill and knowledge.
Duckweed is food! Duckweed is a filter! And how that helps us in many ways!
Part of operating pools correctly means controlling waste water responsibly! The frog pond that neighbors our facility doesn’t want pool chemistry dumped in it. You can’t be an ally of wild animals without being an ally of habitat.
Pools for Pelicans, Cormorants and Gulls have their own requirements. Here we take a look at how water is recycled for this pool.
A well functioning “bio-filter”…
Keeping the pools clean does require some skills! But we all get the hang of it eventually. Practice makes perfect!
Each pool has its quirks. Here we discuss a small pool and how its principles can be scaled to accommodate different volumes and species.
Wrapping up and answering questions… all in all, a very successful workshop!
Our wildlife hospital in Bayside, California, Humboldt Wildlife Care Center, provides a perfect setting for developing our workshops, trainings and labs – improving available care for wild patients is a critical part of Bird Ally X mission. If you are a permitted wildlife rehabilitator we can bring this workshop to your facility. Contact us though this website for more information. And if you’ve supported our work, thank you! You make it possible! And if you want to help, donate today! Thank you!
(all photos: Laura Corsiglia/BAX)
Into the wild, a place she had never really left…
Apparently other raccoons like this river too… a few footprints of her colleagues were seen at the scene.
The Western Screech-owl is returned to a site very close to where he was found.
A last fleeting glimpse before he’s gone back into the wild night.
Each year Leslie helps us put this show on, and we are very grateful for her generosity and general just being a fantastic person!
We had a terrific show, opened by past BAX intern and current biologist working on watershed restoration, Lauryl McFarland, who performed a delightful and poignant song accompanying herself on ukele.
EPIC forest advocate, Rob DiPerna performed a few songs! Rob has a fantastic voice and a real love for music’s capacity to engage the issues of our times! Rob has performed at our show 3 years in a row now! Thank you Rob! 
Aerial Dancer Jessica Rubin takes to the skies!
Leslie Castellano in flight!
The Neighbors – King Crimson and Jonathan Richman blast into a furious exploration of Thelonious Monk’s approach to composition. (not kidding! wow!)
Flying above us all – our mission.
Humboldt Bay is a refuge in a changing world. Preserving wild habitat will only become more urgent.
A last long look… for more information on opportunities to see Brant locally, visit the 
