Grebe flies the skies of Pacific Coastal
By Nelson Daily Staff
Pacific Coastal Airlines (PCA) lent a helping hand (or is it wing?) to an bird in need of special care.
Western Grebes are often spotted on the water around Nelson in the fall as they migrate from the prairies to the Coast. However, this starving young bird was found on the highway near Trail by Ernie Millin.
“A young fellow had stopped his car, because (the Grebe) was sitting in the middle of the highway,” said Millin. “He had nudged it to the curb when I saw it. We didn’t know what was wrong with it.”
It was taken to Beaks (Bird Emergency And Kare Society) in Castlegar where Carol Pettigrew, volunteer bird rehabilitator, gave the Grebe emergency care.
“But it needed water to swim in, because it’s a waterfowl, and we don’t have a pool. The best place for it is at a special centre on the Coast,” said Pettigrew.
So Pacific Coastal stepped up to give the weakened bird a ride to Vancouver.
“(The airline) is just super beyond super,” said Pettigrew.
“Ernie did the right thing, getting the bird to Beaks in Castlegar. That bird could have been hit by a car, or killed by a cat or dog. The world would be missing one beautiful bird right now.”
Beaks, the only wild bird rehabilitation centre in the Kootenays, has been operating since 1971. It became a charitable, non-profit organisation in 1998 and is recognized for its outstanding work saving the lives of birds and returning them to the wild.
