Pacific Wildlife Care

Pacific Wildlife Care Pacific Wildlife Care is a non-profit organization on the Central Coast of California.
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We rescue, rehabilitate, and release injured or orphaned wildlife throughout San Luis Obispo County.

02/13/2026

Happy Freedom Friday!

Found beached in Oceano, this Clark’s Grebe arrived with thick tar coating his underside and burns developing on his legs from contact with the oil. After two specialized oil washes and 31 days of care, including wound treatment, nutritional support, and regular waterproofing checks, this grebe was ready for release!

⚠️ See a grebe on the beach? It’s in trouble! Contact your local wildlife rehabilitation center if you spot one. In SLO County, call our hotline: 805-543-WILD.

‼️ Please never attempt to wash wildlife yourself. Our trained team and specialized tools give oiled animals the best chance to return home.

💌 Only a few days left to send a grebe a Valentine! Every dollar helps make recoveries like this possible 💕 pacificwildlifecare.networkforgood.com/projects/295181-show-grebes-some-love

📷 Thank you, Jack de Lafontaine, for the footage!

Western and Clark’s Grebes are famous for their spectacular courtship displays, and you can see them right here in SLO C...
02/13/2026

Western and Clark’s Grebes are famous for their spectacular courtship displays, and you can see them right here in SLO County!

In late winter and early spring, pairs perform a synchronized “rushing” ceremony, a precisely timed sequence of calls, head movements, and postures that builds to both birds rising up and running side-by-side across the water’s surface in perfect unison. Later in the season, mated pairs rise upright with aquatic vegetation in their bills, spiraling around one another in an elegant “weed ceremony.”

You can witness these spectacular displays at inland lakes now through spring. In SLO County, visit Santa Margarita or Lopez Lake!

Together, the grebe pair builds a floating nest woven from aquatic plants and anchored near the shoreline. When chicks hatch, they leave the nest and ride on their parents’ backs for safety.

Every grebe we rehabilitate and release has the chance to display, to find a mate, and to raise the next generation. In 2021, Western and Clark’s Grebes were designated Species of Conservation Concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to significant population declines. Every release matters.

💌 Only a few days left to send a grebe a Valentine 💕 with a chance to win a $100 gift card: pacificwildlifecare.networkforgood.com/projects/295181-show-grebes-some-love

That piercing red stare belongs to a Western Grebe! A bird’s eye color can serve many purposes, from enhancing vision an...
02/12/2026

That piercing red stare belongs to a Western Grebe! A bird’s eye color can serve many purposes, from enhancing vision and providing UV protection to signaling age, s*x, or mate quality. In grebes, that red eye color likely comes from a combination of pigment, structure, and enlarged blood vessels. Other underwater divers, like loons, have red eyes too, hinting at a possible link to better underwater vision, but scientists are still learning why bird eyes look the way they do!

💕 This Valentine’s season, we’re celebrating grebes and the care it takes to help them return to the wild.

💌 Show your love, pacificwildlifecare.networkforgood.com/projects/295181-show-grebes-some-love

This Western Grebe is showing off some of the tools we use to care for seabird patients that spend most of their lives o...
02/11/2026

This Western Grebe is showing off some of the tools we use to care for seabird patients that spend most of their lives on the water. Did you know that when grebes and other aquatic birds spend time on land, they can develop sores on their underside and their feet, similar to bedsores in humans?

When a seabird like this can’t be in water due to injury, oiling, or other waterproofing issues, we take extra steps to protect them. Their delicate feet are wrapped in soft socks, and they’re supported on netted surfaces that relieve pressure on their bony keel. Once a patient is stable enough, they no longer spend any time on land and instead spend all their time in our seabird pools until they are ready for release. 🌊

⚠️ If you see a grebe on the beach, it’s in trouble. Do not put it back in the water — beached grebes usually need medical care. With storms and strong swells forecasted this week, we may see an influx of grebes arriving in need of help. In SLO County, call our Hotline: 805-543-WILD

💌 Only a few days left to send a grebe a Valentine 💕 with a chance to win a $100 gift card:
https://pacificwildlifecare.networkforgood.com/projects/295181-show-grebes-some-love

👀 Whose toes are these?…Got a guess?If you guessed a Western or Clark’s Grebe, you’re right! (This foot belongs to a Wes...
02/10/2026

👀 Whose toes are these?

…Got a guess?

If you guessed a Western or Clark’s Grebe, you’re right! (This foot belongs to a Western Grebe, but Clark’s Grebe feet look identical.)

Grebes are true masters of life on the water, rarely coming to land. Their flat leg bones, lobed toes, and legs set far back on their bodies make them powerful underwater swimmers, perfectly adapted to chase fish and aquatic invertebrates. But those same adaptations make them awkward and vulnerable on land.

Since December, we’ve admitted 68 Western and Clark’s Grebes, many thin, exhausted, or oiled. With storms and strong swells expected this week, more grebes may soon need our help.

⚠️ See a grebe on the beach? It’s in trouble! Contact your local wildlife rehabilitation center if you spot one. In SLO County, call our hotline: 805-543-WILD

💌 This Valentine’s season, you can help support grebe care and give these specialized seabirds a second chance!
pacificwildlifecare.networkforgood.com/projects/295181-show-grebes-some-love

🌹 Roses are red, violets are blue, 🌊 In calm blue water, hope is renewed.💌 Send a grebe a Valentine to support their jou...
02/07/2026

🌹 Roses are red, violets are blue,
🌊 In calm blue water, hope is renewed.

💌 Send a grebe a Valentine to support their journey home: pacificwildlifecare.networkforgood.com/projects/295181-show-grebes-some-love

What’s your favorite ode to wildlife? 💙

02/06/2026

Happy Freedom Friday!

These three grebes arrived at our clinic in January after being found beached along the coast, cold, exhausted, and unable to survive on their own. The two Western Grebes were admitted with heavy tar covering much of their undersides, one also suffering mild burns to the legs, and the Clark’s Grebe arrived thin and had been attacked by a dog on the beach.

Each grebe needed several days of careful stabilization, supportive care, and the two oiled birds required specialized washing to clean their feathers. With daily treatment and regular monitoring to reduce stress, all three gradually rebuilt their strength and waterproofing. After almost 2 weeks in care, all three were strong enough to return to the ocean, swimming once again where they belong!

🔊 Sound on to hear a sweet moment of conversation with a community member during their release!

Both Western and Clark’s Grebes are listed as Species of Conservation Concern, making every successful release especially meaningful.

💕 This Valentine’s season, we’re celebrating love that turns into action and the care it takes to give wildlife a second chance. More than 90% of our support comes from people like you. Thank you for helping make moments like this possible!

💌 Send a Grebe a Valentine to show your support: pacificwildlifecare.networkforgood.com/projects/295181-show-grebes-some-love

Dive into the world of grebes! Swipe through to learn a few fascinating grebe facts.Since December, we've admitted 64 We...
02/06/2026

Dive into the world of grebes! Swipe through to learn a few fascinating grebe facts.

Since December, we've admitted 64 Western and Clark’s Grebes, many arriving thin, exhausted, oiled, or otherwise unable to survive without help. Grebes are built for life on the water. When they lose waterproofing or strength, they can’t float, forage, or stay warm. Rehabilitation takes time, specialized care, and constant monitoring.

💌 Through Valentine’s Day, you can help a grebe on their journey from rescue to release!
👉pacificwildlifecare.networkforgood.com/projects/295181-show-grebes-some-love

❤️ Bonus: donations of $50+ are entered to win a Luna Red gift card!

💕 Thank you for showing grebes some love 💕

Every winter, Pacific Wildlife Care admits an influx of oiled seabirds, including grebes. Strong swells can churn up nat...
02/04/2026

Every winter, Pacific Wildlife Care admits an influx of oiled seabirds, including grebes. Strong swells can churn up natural oil seeps off the California coast, coating birds that depend on pristine feathers to survive.

Grebe feathers work like a wetsuit, trapping air to keep their bodies warm, dry, and buoyant. Oil destroys that waterproofing quickly, leaving birds cold, stressed, unable to forage, and dehydrated. Oil can also burn skin and be ingested during preening, causing serious internal injuries.

Before any washing can begin, oiled birds must be stabilized with warmth, fluids, and nutrition, often for one to two days. Once ready, our trained team performs a careful, multi-step wash, followed by close monitoring as birds move between warm drying pens and water pools. This process encourages preening and helps feathers return to the proper position so birds can regain full waterproofing.

⚠️ Do not wash wildlife yourself—trained care saves lives! See wildlife in need? Call your local licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In SLO County, that’s us: 805-543-WILD

🤝 Pacific Wildlife Care is proud to be a member of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN), a statewide collaboration of trained responders, agencies, scientists, and wildlife organizations. These partnerships ensure our team is always prepared to respond quickly during oil emergencies and protect coastal wildlife.

💕 This Valentine’s season, we’re celebrating grebes and the care it takes to help them return to the wild.

💌 Show your love,
pacificwildlifecare.networkforgood.com/projects/295181-show-grebes-some-love

It’s a duck… it’s a loon… no, it’s a grebe!On the Central Coast, we commonly see five grebe species: Western, Clark’s, E...
02/04/2026

It’s a duck… it’s a loon… no, it’s a grebe!

On the Central Coast, we commonly see five grebe species: Western, Clark’s, Eared, Horned, and Pied-billed Grebes.

Grebes are aquatic birds built for life on the water. In winter, grebes spend time along our coastal marine environments, and in warmer months they migrate (at night!) to freshwater lakes and marshes. They are expert divers, using their feet to swim underwater in pursuit of fish and aquatic invertebrates. Grebes are remarkably well adapted to this lifestyle, with lobed toes, flat leg bones, and legs set far back on their bodies for efficient swimming. Their dense feathers must be carefully preened to stay dry and warm in cold water.

When grebes lose waterproofing or become too weak, they can no longer float, forage, or stay warm and quickly lose the ability to survive on their own.

At PWC, we treat all grebe species, but Western and Clark’s Grebes are the most common. They look so similar that they were actually considered a single species until 1985. In 2021, both were listed as Species of Conservation Concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, making every release matter.

💕 This Valentine’s season, we’re celebrating grebes and the care it takes to help them return to the wild.💌 You can show your love:

pacificwildlifecare.networkforgood.com/projects/295181-show-grebes-some-love

💕 This Valentine’s season, fall for a grebe! 💕Through February 14, we’re celebrating these amazing aquatic birds and inv...
02/03/2026

💕 This Valentine’s season, fall for a grebe! 💕

Through February 14, we’re celebrating these amazing aquatic birds and inviting you to share a little love to support their care!

Since December, we’ve admitted 61 Western and Clark’s Grebes, many arriving thin, exhausted, oiled, or otherwise unable to survive without help. Grebes are built for life on the water. When they lose waterproofing or strength, they cannot float, forage, or stay warm. Rehabilitation takes time, specialized care, and constant monitoring.

💌 Show your love by helping grebes on their journey from rescue to release:
pacificwildlifecare.networkforgood.com/projects/295181-show-grebes-some-love

❤️ Bonus: donations of $50+ are entered to win a Luna Red gift card

We’ll be sharing more grebe stories, care updates, and Valentine’s love over the next two weeks, stay tuned!

Check it out! An exciting construction update from our new facility, the Kim and Derrel Ridenour Wildlife Rehabilitation...
01/30/2026

Check it out! An exciting construction update from our new facility, the Kim and Derrel Ridenour Wildlife Rehabilitation Center — our aquatic flight pools were craned into place last Friday! Huge thanks to Tenji Aquarium Design + Build for designing the pool pump and water filtration system, and to Hydro Composite LLC for building these pools.

💧 Pools like these are essential for rehabilitating pelicans, cormorants, gulls, and other wildlife that spend much of their lives around water, allowing them to regain strength, practice natural behaviors, and fully recover before returning to the wild. 🌊

Thanks to generous donations, this project has become a reality. Construction is on track for completion by the end of 2026, but we still need your support to help us finish this incredible new facility for wildlife. 💚

You can support our mission here: pacificwildlifecare.org/give

Address

1387 Main Street
Morro Bay, CA
93442

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

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