Written by: Samantha Martinez, Environmental Educator
Stilt 22-948 admiring a photo of an adult Black Necked Stilt
Envision, taking an early morning walk, softly stepping over the same side walk steps and dewy blades of grass. All the same as yesterday and the days before that. Except one thing, a small bird scurrying across your path with its tiny black speckled body, atop its disproportionately long, thin legs. This is what happened to councilman Roger Coriat of Cutler Bay when he stumbled upon a baby Black Necked Stilt. At first, he let the baby be, assuming its parents were nearby. However, later on that day he saw the stilt was still alone, wandering across a parking lot right before it began to rain. He decided to take it in and contact a fellow city employee for advice. Luckily, his contact knew just what to do. They kept the baby safe and warm overnight and contacted Pelican Harbor Seabird Station first thing in the morning where our rehabilitation team had been preparing for its arrival. An imitation environment was created using a soft carrier, shallow water dishes, and foliage as well as images of adult Stilts. Once the baby was settled in, he was offered very small pieces of fish and worms in a shallow dish of water and began eating right away.
Stilt 22-948 in his outdoor imitation habitat
Other than the stress of losing his parents and some mild dehydration, he luckily seemed to be in perfect health. Now began the mission of finding him other conspecifics to bond with. Our Rehabilitation Manager Yaritza Acosta reached out to a group of Florida wildlife rehabilitation centers with over 200 members from different organizations across the state. Our team hoped to find a suitable foster sibling for our new patient but as of now, no other Black Necked Stilts his age have come into care. The staff continues to use images and calls of adult Stilts as well as hands-off techniques to prevent habituation and assure this patient has the best chance of surviving in the wild. He continues to do incredibly well in care and has gained almost 100 grams since his arrival. Keep up to date on our social media to get updates on this adorable patient's progress and release back to his native habitat!
