Dear Bird Rescue Supporter,
Nearly 20 years ago I stumbled into this organization as a volunteer that only had one request from me: Can you fix this printer? Back then the non-working printer was at Bird Rescue’s Berkeley ram-shackled headquarters in Aquatic Park. When I said Yes, it opened me up to the important and awe-inspiring work of wildlife rescue.
Along the way I’ve learned how to clean bird pools, build net-bottom caging and to mostly tell the difference between the species of grebes. I got really hooked when I was asked to help in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2000 to assist in saving 20,000 oiled African Penguins. Yes, I have the scars to prove it and a list of life-long friends from the international community of wildlife lovers.
Last year in the San Francisco Bay Area, I learned that the public loves its wild birds as much as I do. When hundreds of scoters, grebes and other aquatic birds came to our Northern California fouled by a mystery goo, everyday people responded. They opened their generous hearts and checkbooks and made the difference for these suffering animals. They saw the birds as vital to our natural world as the air we breathe.
I now help manage the technology at Bird Rescue which includes making sure more than just the printers work. We have website and blog, live bird cams and thriving social media to educate the public. During big events, I help share the bird’s story by sharing it with the media.
Working at Bird Rescue is a family affair and my 13-year-old daughter has grown up around all this activity. Ask her to help me fix a problematic printer and you will get the teenage eye roll. Ask her if she wants to go on a bird release, and she’s the first one out the door. During more than one release she has opened the cage doors and I have seen the delight in her eyes as healthy birds return to the wild. (See video)
If you believe in the birds as much as I do, won’t you please contribute with a donation for our efforts here on the West Coast and around the world?
Thank you,
