Recuperated Egrets and Herons Rescued from Oakland Tree Head Back to Nature

After more than two weeks recuperating at a wildlife hospital, a group of birds that were rescued from a tree in Oakland — black-crowned night herons and snowy egrets — were released Friday morning to an East Bay marsh.

At Arrowhead Marsh in Oakland, staff from International Bird Rescue opened crates containing eight birds. A juvenile egret hopped out of one crate and looked around, dazed. The bird soon flapped away and found a nearby tree to perch on.

“He’s a little goofy, figuring out his surroundings,” said Michelle Bellizzi, response services manager for International Bird Rescue, a non-profit group.

The rest of the birds flew off into the morning sun.

This was the first group of dozens of birds expected to be released back to nature in the next few weeks.

Two weeks ago, the birds made headlines when the tree they were nesting in, a ficus in front of a post office on Jackson and 13th Streets in Oakland, split in half, sending herons and egrets plummeting to the ground.

International Bird Rescue, Golden Gate Audubon Society, Oakland city officials, and the Postal Service teamed up to rescue over 70 baby birds and nearly 20 eggs. The birds and eggs were taken to International Bird Rescue’s bird center in Fairfield.

“Those were a lot of baby birds,” Bellizzi says. “It was a catastrophe for the animals. They were dazed.”

54 of the birds are still at the center, while over a dozen eggs are still waiting to hatch.

20 birds were killed when the tree split apart, and the rest of the tree had to be chopped down.

The eight birds that were released on Friday were still in the process of learning how to fly when their home disintegrated, said Bellizzi.

“They just needed a couple of weeks to feed up, and figure out what those wings are for,” Bellizzi says. “We brought them out to a beautiful spot, where we know that herons and egrets hang out, and there’s great food source for them.”

The night heron was declared Oakland's official bird earlier this year by the Oakland City Council.

Bellizzi said that it’s common for egrets and herons to nest in downtown Oakland’s large and leafy ficus trees, but ficus are not native to California and are not always a safe nesting site.

“Ficus trees are not designed for longevity. They are an ornamental tree that’s not meant for this environment,” Bellizzi said. “They are not used to long periods of drought, and then tons of rain.”

Snowy egrets and night herons started nesting in ficus trees in downtown Oakland about 10 years ago when some of the trees they were nesting in near Lake Merritt were removed.

In 2014, black-crowned night herons and nests were inadvertently fed through a wood chipper after the downtown Oakland post office ordered nearby trees to be trimmed.

JD Bergeron, executive director of International Bird Rescue, said tree trimming is necessary to discourage more birds from nesting in ficus trees. But after the feathery disaster in 2014, Bergeron said people grew hesitant to trim trees that needed maintenance.

In 2017 another ficus tree by the U.S Post Office in downtown Oakland toppled over, killing several black-crowned night herons and snowy egrets nesting in the tree.

“Ultimately, [the birds] are gonna have to find a better place,” Bergerson said.

The Golden Gate Audubon Society has been working to get snowy egrets and black-crowned night herons to nest by the lake.

The rest of the rescued birds are expected to be released mid-August.

“Hopefully they will spend the rest of the summer and fall getting fat,” Bellizzi said.