Adult Contest Winner: Bernardo Alps Our first Blue-Banded Pelican Sighting Contest has come to a close. Thanks to everyone who participated and helped us gather more information by reporting a Blue-Banded Pelican. International Bird Rescue is one of the few wildlife rehabilitation organizations that incorporates post-release evaluation as part of our rehabilitation program. To better … Read more
Photo from International Bird Rescue archives In 2001, we responded to an oil spill in the Dominguez Channel at the Port of Los Angeles. The spill was relatively small, and we captured only 13 oiled birds: one gull, two domestic ducks and 10 Brown Pelicans. Most of the pelicans we had to bait in with … Read more
Photo by Bill Steinkamp In last week’s clue for our current Blue-Banded Pelican Sighting Contest, we talked about pelicans commonly found on sandbars in bays or at the mouths of rivers. (What’s this contest all about? Click on the link above to find out.) So here’s clue #4, and it’s an easier place to spot … Read more
Blue-Banded Pelicans R41 (top, photo by Rosemary Bishop) and R36 (bottom, photo by Mike Robinson). Since the launch of our Blue-Banded Pelican Sighting Contest, we’ve been receiving reports of banded pelicans every week. All of these sightings are important and interesting, but a few recent ones have stood out. R41 and R36 (shown above) are … Read more
In last week’s clue for our current Blue-Banded Pelican Sighting Contest, we talked about pelicans commonly found on the breakwaters. This week’s sighting tip? Pelicans love to hang out on sandbars with fellow pelicans, gulls and other birds. They like to bathe in fresh water around these areas, so often you can see them preening … Read more
Photo by Jay Holcomb In last week’s clue for our current Blue-Banded Pelican Sighting Contest, we talked about pelicans that hang out at fish-processing stations, fishing docks and other local spots. Other good places to see banded pelicans are breakwaters. These are actually roosting areas — safe from predators and people, a place where pelicans … Read more
Last week, International Bird Rescue launched our official Blue-Banded Pelican Sighting Contest, sponsored by Eagle Optics, which has generously donated two pairs of beautiful binoculars for our winning adult and youth contestants (click here for official rules). If you’ve been out scouting for these birds, you may have noticed that many Blue-Banded Pelicans are young … Read more
Dear Friends, What bird looks a bit like a flying dinosaur, yet has the precision and power to soar majestically and dive for its food? The iconic California Brown Pelican has long been an indicator species for changes in our environment. Once decimated by DDT use, their populations have bounced back, and we want to … Read more
On a recent afternoon at the Golden Gate Recreation Area’s Ft. Baker, International Bird Rescue released its 1,000th Blue-Banded Pelican, with wonderful help from bird lover Ken Blum and his family! #ROO, a juvenile, was released alongside a fellow juvenile pelican. Surrounded by porpoises, gulls, cormorants, grebes and sea lions at Ft. Baker, the two … Read more
The brown pelican named “Gigi” that landed and halted traffic in August on the Golden Gate Bridge was released released back to the wild on Friday, September 12. The young bird was rescued and transferred to International Bird Rescue where it has been recuperating for the past several weeks. Watch: Brown Pelican captured on Golden … Read more