As International Bird Rescue celebrates 55 years of protecting birds in a changing world, Saving a Generation: The Long Beach Harbor Seabird Nesting Crisis looks back on one of the organization’s defining conservation efforts.
Four weeks after helping save a Brown Pelican entangled in fishing gear, 13-year-old Leo Batres Montoya reunited with and released the healthy bird back to the ocean.
There was no established system for oiled bird rehabilitation. No shared protocols. No coordinated response. People were simply moved to take action. That instinct to act became the foundation of International Bird Rescue.
Houston, we have lift-off: four recovered juvenile Pigeon Guillemots took flight off a high cliff into the ocean at Wall Beach in the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County on August 6, 2025.
June 23rd marks the 25th anniversary of the Merchant Vessel (MV) Treasure Spill – the largest and most successful wildlife emergency response in history.
Eight Double-crested Cormorants, who arrived in our care as a mix of eggs and newly hatched chicks, have officially been raised to be wild birds and released back to nature.
Rescuing a bird is not an easy task. The challenges were many, but Justin Cannon’s perseverance paid off as he navigated the steps needed to get the bird to safety.
You might remember Blue, the Brown Pelican who came to International Bird Rescue after a horrific pouch slashing that required two surgeries and over 500 stitches to repair.
After a short time in care, another Guadalupe Murrelet that came into care was returned to the ocean on October 18, 2025. This bird was rescued after landing on a ship near San Clemente Island–about 41 miles offshore the California coast.
The Laysan Albatross stowaway found on a container ship last month, made a triumphant return to the open ocean on July 2.