We take a lot of pride in our bird-banding program — especially when we get reports on birds sighted hundreds of miles from their release point. A case in point is P63, a female hatch-year Brown Pelican. P63 was found stranded in June 2014 in Santa Cruz and treated at our San Francisco Bay Center … Read more
Dear supporters of International Bird Rescue, Tuesday marked the end of my first week as Executive Director, and what a week it has been! For my first few days, I had the privilege of being among the incredibly capable team at our southern facility, the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care Center. Led by Operations Manager … Read more
Dear Friends, On April 16, 2014, a California Brown Pelican staggered between lanes of traffic in Long Beach, Calif., flapping his wings with what little energy he had left. When an animal control officer approached the bird, it became clear why this animal was too exhausted to escape capture. The pelican’s throat pouch, used to … Read more
Everyone here at International Bird Rescue is thrilled that Pelican Dreams, a documentary by Judy Irving six years in the making, takes flight this week in theaters throughout the San Francisco Bay Area — and across the country soon afterwards! Irving has dedicated the film in memory of International Bird Rescue director Jay Holcomb, who … Read more
Protecting Pelicans by Franzi Muller for International Bird Rescue. Click on image for printable full-size. It’s been a year of disquieting news about one of our beloved and most common patients, the California Brown Pelican. In the words of one prominent wildlife biologist, “the bottom dropped out” this spring at key pelican breeding sites in … Read more
L.A. City Councilman Joe Buscaino releases Pink. Photos and video by Bill Steinkamp and Kira Perov (volume adjustment on lower right of video control panel) Pink, a California Brown Pelican and now arguably one of the most famous patients in International Bird Rescue history, was successfully released on Tuesday afternoon at White Point Park in … Read more
Dear Friends, As many of you know, over the past several years International Bird Rescue’s wildlife centers in Northern and Southern California have seen an influx in sick and starving Brown Pelicans. Though this iconic bird of the Pacific Coast was removed from the Endangered Species List nearly five years ago, pelicans routinely need our … Read more
Deanna Barth, this year’s winner of the Blue-Banded Pelican Sighting Contest The 2013 Blue-Banded Pelican Sighting Contest has come to an end, and it was a success — although very different from the previous contest from October 2012 to January 2013. This year’s contest ran from July 29 through October 14. (Read more info on … Read more
Blue-Banded Pelican T82 surrounded by Heermann’s Gulls, photo by Marlin Harms All field accounts indicate that it’s been a good year for seabirds along the West Coast that feed on schooling fish like sardines and anchovies. Fish seem to be plentiful to the point that they are drawing birds from the south, such as the … Read more
Aviary occupants, photo by Cheryl Reynolds It was a scorcher in Fairfield, but thank you to everyone who stopped by our Saturday community event celebrating completed renovations to the pelican aviary! Special thanks to Assemblyman Jim Frazier, State Senator Lois Wolk/District Director Lisa Chavez, Kyra Parker with the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, the Solano County … Read more