There was no established system for oiled bird rehabilitation. No shared protocols. No coordinated response. People were simply moved to take action. That instinct to act became the foundation of International Bird Rescue.
Although N51 was eating great and continuing to normalize the skin at his former wounds, it quickly became obvious that he had zero interest in flying.
A large, all-black heron spotted in Slidell, LA, sparked major debate in the birding community on social media this past week, with many assuming the bird had a rare genetic condition called melanism. In reality, it was a Great Blue Heron coated in oil.
Not many birds get a third chance at life, but N51, a twice-rehabilitated California Brown Pelican, is living proof of resilience in the face of repeated challenges.
She wasn’t rare, flashy, or widely adored, but in 2025, a Western Gull made history as International Bird Rescue’s first-ever gull to be named Patient of the Year.
Each year, International Bird Rescue highlights some of the most incredible stories of survival and resilience from the birds brought into care, and now YOU get to help decide which one will be crowned the 2025 Patient of the Year.
While Dawn’s iconic duckling makes an appearance, this year’s ad goes deeper into the real work of oiled wildlife care — featuring species our teams see every year,
Grebes are not built for land, and sitting too long on hard surfaces can cause secondary injuries beyond the typical burns we’d expect from exposure to oil.
Since November 3, 2025, 109 oiled Western Grebes – long-necked diving birds that spend most of their lives on the water – have been admitted for critical care.
14 years after a life-changing experience during the Rena Oil Spill in New Zealand, Tina Hansen finally made her way from Canada to California to volunteer at Bird Rescue’s Los Angeles Wildlife Center – reconnecting with the organization that first inspired her.
Just days before her 10th anniversary volunteering with International Bird Rescue, Katrina Plummer celebrated this special milestone in the most meaningful way: watching a Canada Goose she rescued return to the wild.
Four years after nearly drowning as a chick in a mass stranding during the 2021 Long Beach Harbor Seabird Incident, a banded Elegant Tern has been spotted thriving – this time in San Mateo County.
The first few Western Gulls have successfully recovered from this mysterious illness and were released back to the wild on September 2.
This year, 66 participants from nine states and two countries have already joined in, raising an incredible $13,400 to help injured, orphaned, and oiled birds get the second chance they deserve in the wild.
Barn Owls are nature’s rodent control, but when one recently came into International Bird Rescue covered in sticky adhesive, it showed how human “solutions” can backfire.
Houston, we have lift-off: four recovered juvenile Pigeon Guillemots took flight off a high cliff into the ocean at Wall Beach in the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County on August 6, 2025.
International Bird Rescue is treating an unusual surge of sick and dying Western Gulls found along the Southern California coast, from Venice and Malibu to Redondo Beach and the South Bay.
Our guest writer, Carleton Eyster, an Avian Ecologist with Point Blue Conservation Science, explains creative solutions to protect Western Snowy Plovers.