Yesterday afternoon I had a phone call from a neighbour to say he had seen what he thought was a little auk in one of the gardens at Ynyslas. In the pouring rain and gathering gloom Bob and I went to see the bird which was indeed a little auk swimming in the pools at the back of a house. We decided not to leave it to the attentions of the local cats since it couldn't fly and it spent the night in the dry in a box. I rang Gower Bird Hospital this morning who were very helpful and had the expertise to deal with the bird if necessary. They suggested weighing the bird before going any further, since if it was significantly underweight although they may be able to get it fat again, they could not get it fit enough to release. It weighed 97g rather than the 170g which it should have weighed, so sadly the only decision that could be made was to take it to the vet. Holding one of these tiny birds it is amazing to think how one so small survives life on the open ocean and in the high Arctic. Thanks to John for the bird in the hand photo.
