Bird Heroes: Nine-year-old Daughter and Father Rescue Migratory Duck
A Green-winged Teal is alive and in care because of the heroic efforts of two family members in Mendocino County.
Patient in Focus
Patient of the Week: Brandt’s Cormorant
A Brandt’s Cormorant came to us last week after ingesting a fish hook and having two others lodged in its mouth. The two in its mouth were removed by our colleagues at Native Animal Rescue in Santa Cruz, but the hook that had been swallowed was a potential serious problem that may have needed surgery; … Read more
Pelican with Repaired Pouch Tear Returns to the Wild
Watch then video of treatment and release After a month in care that included a 4-hour procedure to repair its torn pouch, a healed Brown Pelican was released this week and is back at home in the wild. The adult female pelican was banded with Y54, a special blue-band that helps International Bird Rescue track … Read more
Brown Pelican’s Enormous Pouch Laceration Repaired
VIDEO UPDATE: After a month in care this Brown Pelican was released back to the wild! Remember Pink the Pelican back several years ago and its horrible pouch laceration? Another Brown Pelican patient has suffered an even worse sliced pouch. On August 30, 2020, a mature adult female Brown Pelican was found near the Ventura … Read more
Seabirds in Distress: Penguin Look-alikes Showing Up On Northern California Beaches
A surge of seabirds beaching themselves along Northern California is overwhelming International Bird Rescue’s wildlife center. This summer over 200 sick Common Murres have been rescued and come into care. The birds – which resemble penguins but are more closely related to puffins – need a tremendous amount of care and Bird Rescue is asking … Read more
Patient of the Month: Western Gull
A severely injured Western Gull, that was originally entangled and trapped by discarded fishing line and tackle, is back in the wild after heroic surgery and treatment by International Bird Rescue. The Western Gull was spotted May 18, 2020 on the breakwater in Half Moon Bay, ensnared by fishing gear. Luckily, a local kayaker, Bart … Read more
Patient of the Week: Western Snowy Plover
June 2, 2020 update: The pin was removed in another surgical procedure on May 20th and our veterinarian reports that his bones have healed very nicely and his elbow joint is also in good shape. The plover does have some wing extension problems stemming from the injury to his patagium (the skin that stretches across … Read more
Patient in Focus: Brown Pelican 0A2
The Long Road to Recovery Late last month we released a young Brown Pelican who came to us in 2019! This bird was found in Half Moon Bay, CA, in December standing around looking dazed on a beach, ignoring dogs running up to him. After his rescue, he was brought to our San Francisco Bay-Delta … Read more
Meet Ralph: A Bird with Peculiarities
We’re seeing a lot of fulmars in care lately (more about this below). These pelagic birds (often confused with gulls) have some, well, peculiarities—chief among them being their “special” reaction to anything they perceive as a threat, which, unfortunately, includes humans who attempt to help them. How exactly do they protect themselves? By projectile-vomiting a … Read more
Patients of the Week: Northern Fulmars
Every few years we receive quite a few of one of our favorite species all at once, namely Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis). These oceanic birds are small relatives of albatrosses, and are adored by many wildlife rehabilitators for their beautiful faces and intense musky smell that no two of us will describe the same. Since … Read more