loonjanenaliboff2

Shearon paddled to the loon, picked it up (the bird remained calm) and took it to Avian Haven, where Jane says the owners and a vet determined that the wing was all right but that the bird had a lead sinker stuck in its gizzard and had an elevated lead level. Through a procedure called lavage—pouring water into the gizzard—they were able to flush out the sinker. The bird was put on chelation therapy to try to remove some of the lead from its system.