It is a natural inclination, when we see birds on the beach, to
want to "help" them and many of the birds coming in with this recent
wreck do need help. But many of them don't.

It is not unusual to see Red-throated Loons on the beach resting,
preening, trying to dry out a bit. If you look a Tyler's very
excellent pictures, you'll notice that many of these birds are alert,
bright-eyed and (considering the circumstances) fairly dry.

I have been helping out with the processing at the North Coast Rehab
Center in Astoria where most of these birds are being taken. They are
at capacity and had to send about 250 birds to other facilities. Loons
are especially problematic for rehabbers. They don't take food well.
Chasing them down so they can be put in a box and taken somewhere else
may not be in their best interest.

Wanting to help is a good thing, but the place to start is at the rehab
centers with the birds that are already there. Let the folks at these
centers have control of the volume and if they send you out to do a
beach sweep: think triage.

--
Mike Patterson
Astoria, OR
Things juvenal
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/northcoastdiaries/11935/