Dr. Ford sees patients at the following locations:

All Creatures Animal Hospital (Bremerton, WA) - Sundays 2-6 pm, call 360-377-3801 for an appointment.
Greywolf Veterinary Hospital (Sequim, WA) - Second Tuesday of every month, call 360-683-2106 for an appointment.
Greys Harbor Veterinary Services (Montesano, WA) - 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, call 360-249-4840 for an appointment.
Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic (Eagle River, AK) - Click to check upcoming dates.
Pet Emergency & Trauma Center (Anchorage, AK) - Click to check upcoming dates.
Chena Ridge Veterinary Clinic (Fairbanks, AK) - Click to check upcoming dates.
Southeast Alaska Animal Medical Center (Juneau, AK) - Click to check upcoming dates

SPECIAL ALERT: Dr. Ford is unavailable while he assists in an oil spill response in Marshall, Michigan. He is working with Focus Wildlife at the spill site, overseeing the treatment of oiled birds. The spill has involved the release of crude oil from a pipeline into the Kalamazoo River. Click HERE to explore the most recent google search results for articles on the oil spill.

If you are in Washington or Alaska and would like to have Dr. Ford come to your local veterinary clinic, drop him a line at vet@alaskabirddoc.com.

Sea Duck Joint Venture funds Dr. Ford's Research! A grant was awarded for conducting perioperative care research with long-tailed ducks and black scoters. The research is being carried out in cooperation with (and in-kind support of) the US Geological Survey's Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Massachussets Audubon, and Canadian Wildlife Service. The goal is to learn more about the physiology of sea ducks undergoing satellite telemetry implantation and to refine surgery and care protocols. Phase 1 began at Nantucket Island in November where 10 long-tailed ducks received satellite telemetry implants. Dr. Ford gathered blood samples, weights, and feather condition data and assisted the Mass Audubon and USGS in implanting radios. Phase 2 is taking place at Cape Cod in late February/early March, 2010. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Sea Duck Research Update! We completed Phase 2 of the captive care study at Cape Cod in March, 2010 with long-tailed ducks. For Phase 3, we were to study black scoter in New Brunswick. However, needs changed for the project and a greater emphasis was placed upon satellite transmitter implants. Because we had only a week to implant over 50 transmitters, we opted not to attempt complete blood and fecal sampling as was performed in Cape Cod. It was a very productive trip and we were able to release 48 black scoter with satellite transmitters! This is an unprecedented number of radios deployed in black scoter and we hope to learn a lot about their movements, site fidelity, and overall range in the coming months. You can see more about this particular study at the Sea Duck Joint Venture website.

Satellite Transmitter Implantation in Taverner's geese in Eastern Washington. The Taverner's goose is a subspecies of lesser Canada goose. While probably not endangered, there is some concern about the health and management of their population. I have been contracted by waterfowl biologist Mikal Moore of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to implant satellite transmitters in 10 geese in Eastern Washington. The goal is to follow the birds to their arctic breeding grounds in Alaska. It is hoped that knowing where these birds breed will allow more accurate assessments of population stability. As it turns out, Taverner's geese are not so easy to catch! While we have caught a few since mid-February, we specifically need adult females for telemetry and they continue to evade us. The efforts continue-- hopefully I will soon have photos here of our success! CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE about Taverner's geese. Click on the map thumbnail to see how far the geese have flown!

Tracking Bald Eagles: Working with a panel of research biologists through the Bald Eagle Foundation, I have submitted a grant proposal to fund a project that would attach external satellite transmitters to two fledgling bald eagles in the Yukon. The work would be in cooperation with Yukon College, the American Bald Eagle Foundation, Haines public schools, US Fish and Wildlife, and the Canadian Wildlife Service. Our hope is that this would be the first of many tracking efforts to allow us to better understand the relationships between eagle populations in the arctic and Southeast Alaska, and, potentially, relationships with populations in the continental US and Canada.

Enbridge Marshall Oil Leak: A pipeline in Marshall, Michigan released a large quantity of oil into Talmadge Creek and, from there, into the Kalamazoo River. The spill has been contained and clean up is underway. Many oiled birds and other animals have been captured and treated and most are now in conditioning pens regaining the waterproofing they will need prior to release. Click HERE to explore the most recent google search results for articles on the oil spill. Click HERE to see an article with photos of Dr. Ford from early in the spill.

West Sound Wildlife Shelter: An eagle was recently released that I had the privelage to help with. She was admitted last October with severe head injuries from fighting with another eagle. After a flap advancement surgery and excellent care by the shelter's staff, she was ready for release in January. She's not as pretty as she used to be (literally bald over her forhead),but we expect her to do well. Find out more about West Sound at www.westsoundwildlife.org.