Contaminated Loons Caught by Storm Call for Experienced Crew
Common Loons contaminated with natural seep were admitted into care. Despite their dirty feathers, these birds are at a healthy weight and have minimal injuries.
Oiled Wildlife
Good News: Oiled Snowy Plover Cleaned of Contamination
Our Los Angeles wildlife center team successfully washed this endangered bird patient on January 11, 2022, and the plover is now recovering and eating well post-wash.
Strong Evidence Supports Survival of Oiled Birds
Whenever there is an oil spill the question inevitably comes up ‘Why rehabilitate oiled birds? Throughout our history there have been naysayers who question the value of rehabilitating oiled wildlife and their longevity. However, we now have strong data to support the survival of oiled wildlife.
Meet An Unusual Visitor: Oiled Common Raven
At International Bird Rescue, we are known for our work caring for injured, orphaned, and oiled waterbirds, but on occasion we do care for species that prefer drier habitats when they have been affected by oil.
A Look Back at Exxon Valdez 1989 Oil Spill Response
This week is the anniversary of the Exxon Valdez tragedy. From our archives: we spoke with three of our emergency responders who were on the ground rescuing seabirds and otters in 1989. More than 1,600 live oiled birds were captured and brought to Bird Rescue’s four oiled bird rehabilitation centers in Alaska during the … Read more
Bird Rescue Stands Ready To Assist At Israeli Oil Spill
This past weekend, we heard there’s been a large oil spill along the coastline of Israel. Perhaps not as large as some other oil spills we’ve responded to in the last 50 years, but when your coastline is only 120 miles long and 105 of those miles have been oiled, you might call that large … Read more
Since 1971: Researching and Innovating for the Future
If there is one thing that the 1971 San Francisco Bay oil spill taught us, it was that there was so much we needed to learn. In spite of the valiant efforts of volunteers and animal caretakers, the numbers were grim; out of roughly 7,000 birds collected from the oil-soaked water and beaches, only about … Read more
Goleta/421 Pier Oil Release Spill Event: Anything Can Happen
On May 29, 2019 International Bird Rescue was activated for spill response by the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) after approximately 80-125 gallons of crude were released into the Pacific Ocean on May 28 in Goleta, CA. This type of response is well within Bird Rescue’s wheelhouse, and we know what to expect: Within hours … Read more
Seabirds Oiled By Natural Seep Along California Coast Flood Los Angeles Center
Updated 3/4/2019 Since the beginning of 2019, more than 150 oiled seabirds coated in natural seep have been found stranded on beaches up and down the coast of California, from San Mateo County to Orange County. The rescued birds are being washed and rehabilitated at our Los Angeles wildlife center. They include mainly Western Grebes, … Read more
Bird Rescue Celebrates 40 Years With Dawn, Procter And Gamble
No one wishes for oil spills. Not petroleum companies, and certainly not those of us who care about the environment. But spills do happen, and one particularly bad spill occurred in 1971 right outside San Francisco Bay. When bad things happen, good people respond. A group of concerned local citizens trooped down to beaches and … Read more