A female fledgling American Kestrel was admitted from Astoria after she was found on the ground beneath a nest – and completely covered in mud! Once the patient was stable, staff began to clean the grime off her feet and feathers. It took a few cleaning sessions to get most of the crud off the bird, but she helped speed up the process by preening actively after each round. Soon her feathers were in much better shape and she was moved to an outdoor enclosure for flight testing – which she passed readily! She was released right back to the area near her nest after two weeks in care.