Photo by Cheryl Reynolds Recently, we wrote about pelican conservation on the Pacific Coast in this Los Angeles Times op-ed. The star of the piece was Brown Pelican Red #308, who came to us several months ago with a severe injury to his left patagium (a fold of skin on the leading edge of the … Read more
Pied-billed Grebe, photo by Isabel Luevano As our animal care team and volunteers can tell you, Pied-billed Grebes are born feisty, hard to catch from the diving bird pools due to their quickness and quite willing to chomp on a finger if approached. (“They bite like little alligators,” one rehab technician tells us.) But we … Read more
Rhinoceros Auklet in breeding plumage, photo by Cheryl Reynolds Residents of the North Pacific, Rhinoceros Auklets are also known as “Unicorn Puffins” for the small horn extension on their beaks, present in both males and females during breeding season. We’ve had two of these birds in care at our San Francisco Bay center for several … Read more
Photo by Isabel Luevano Sora Rails — marsh-dwelling birds of the family Rallidae — are fairly common patients at both our wildlife centers in California. This Sora was found unable to walk or stand, and was transferred to our San Francisco Bay center from nearby Lindsay Wildlife Museum last week. Upon arrival, the bird had regained … Read more
Photo by Isabel Luevano If you come across across a Canvasback sitting in a busy parking lot, chances are there’s something wrong. That’s what happened with this male Canvasback, found in a San Francisco parking lot and brought to us last week. As you can see here, the bird has a waterproof “shoe” which helps … Read more
Photo by Kelly Berry The Marbled Godwit is the largest of four godwit species — shorebirds with long bills used to probe for mollusks and aquatic worms. One of our Los Angeles center’s new patients is this Marbled Godwit, found injured in Isla Vista, CA on February 9. The bird was found unable to stand … Read more
This beautiful Pelagic Cormorant was found with multiple fishing hook injuries. Our friends at California Wildlife Center removed the hooks and transferred the bird to our L.A. center, where it’s recovering from the wounds in an outdoor aviary. Wildlife rehab is all about teamwork! Photo by Kelly Berry.
Close-up of the Northern Fulmar’s distinctive tubenose, photo by Cheryl Reynolds. This month, the most abundant species in our care is the Northern Fulmar. Our San Francisco Bay center is currently caring for 17 of these birds. Though this species is normally far out at sea, these birds were found unable to fly along the … Read more
Western Grebe photos by Bill Steinkamp Volunteer photographer Bill Steinkamp recently took these release photos of birds rehabilitated at our Los Angeles center in San Pedro: a Western Grebe and a Canada Goose. A great way to start 2014! Here, an IBR volunteer releases the Western Grebe at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro. This Canada … Read more
We’re overwhelmed with gratitude for the hundreds of bird lovers who made a year-end gift to support International Bird Rescue’s “Every Bird Matters” mission. Thank you! Happy New Year from all of us at International Bird Rescue. May your 2014 be boundless and free.