While walking along the river behind the ridge at Mud Lake I was surprised to come across this gull on the ground. He had a clam in his mouth, and I thought at first he was eating it. When I saw him walk to the river and dunk it in I realized that his lower mandible was actually stuck inside the clam. He seemed very lethargic, and I was able to catch him and take him to the Wild Bird Care Center where they were able to remove the clam. However, his mandible and mouth were both swollen, and he also has an infection. He is currently on antibiotics; hopefully when I call in a week (once the treatment has been completed) he will be much better and ready for release.

Update (Sept. 22, 2010): the swelling has gone down, but the infection in his mouth and cheek still persists. Although he's eating on his own and walking around, he hasn't responded to the antibiotics given to him over the course of the past two weeks. He will be given a new antibiotic over the next week which will hopefully clear up the infection.

Update (Oct. 20, 2010): The infection finally cleared up, and on October 2 the gull was released into the wild. Without intervention he would have died, and I am happy I was able to give him a second chance. Hopefully he will stay out of trouble and go on to lead a good gull life!