Stick and the Black Swan

This is "Stick", and let me tell you, gulls are tough. Stick was brought to IBRRC about 10 days ago from Napa with a stick sticking out of his rear end. After a few days, Becky, our vet, pulled the stick out of his mouth. The stick was a BBQ skewer that Stick had swallowed, which must have had food on it. Stick was himself skewered from his esophagus, through his body, and out near his vent. His body surrounded the stick with fibrous tissue, so there was no surgery and no bleeding. He seems to be doing just fine, and should be released soon.

Our last day with our lovable black swan. Jeanine discovered a retreat near Healdsburg that has a large pond with a black swan. We had been perplexed trying to find a proper home for the swan, and Marie was even thinking about contacting Disneyland, which takes good care of its birds. Here, he's looking at his friend in the mirror.

Goodbye, beautiful swan! Here, Jeanine is taking the swan to a carrier for the long drive, accompanied by Donna. Late in the afternoon, we got a call that both swans hit it off, and the location was perfect.