Contractors and construction workers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District have been making steady progress on the Sacramento River East Levee project when contract worker Roberto Navarez spotted two gray baby birds right in the path of a bulldozer.
According to Good News Network, Navarez reached out to wildlife biologist Pete Morris to help take the pair to the Army Corps of Engineering (USACE) trailer. Once inside the airconditioned building, the larger of the two chicks started hopping around and chirping its lungs out loud. However, the smaller sibling seemed to be struggling, remained quiet and listless.
They contacted USACE Quality Assurance Representative Lee Roork, who takes injured owls to various wildlife sanctuaries to care for the smaller bird.
Baby Birds Returned to the Wild After Being Saved From Bulldozer; Habitat Loss Remains Primary Threat to Wildlife
Taking Care of Blu, the Abandoned Baby Jay
The news outlet reported that Roork attached the cardboard nest with the two birds in it to a branch, hoping their parents would come and pick them up. However, only the larger bird leaped from the box and interacted with an adult scrub jay before they both scampered to the nearby bush, leaving the smaller bird.
Seeing that the smaller, weaker bird would likely not survive if left alone, Roork decided to return and take care of the baby. His wife, who is also an employee of USACE, was enthusiastic and immediately agreed to his plan to take care of the baby bird, which they named Blu.
Husband and wife have experience in taking care of birds. From the very beginning, their end goal is to send Blu back to the wild. Susan, the wife, said that Blu has been making progress since it arrived two months ago.
They decided that on Labor Day, they would release Blu back to the wild. They would bring the bird outside to acclimate it to the surroundings and sometimes open the door to see whether Blu was ready to fly. Then one day, Blu finally decided to go back to the wild as he darted out through the slightly open front door and landed on nearby trees, where she joined other scrub jays and began flying around.
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Habitat Loss Remain the Primary Threat to Wildlife
Blu and her sibling's story is just one of many animals who lost their habitat because of humans. According to the National Wildlife Federation, habitat remains the primary threat to wildlife.
This includes human activities like agriculture, oil and gas exploration, commercial development, and water diversion. These activities could dramatically change the ecosystem and leave them no longer to provide food, water, shelter, and places for animals to raise their young. Sadly, fewer places are left for the wildlife to call home.
A 2016 study cited by the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) revealed that the biggest issues of endangered species are not mining or volcanoes, or climate change. The main drivers of endangered species are "guns, nets, and bulldozers." That means hunting, fishing, and habitat destruction in the name of farming or industrialization push animals to become endangered.
The United Nations estimates that the world population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050, which means people will bring more farming, destroy more trees, hunt more, fish more, and most likely worsen climate change.
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