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
Photos by Cheryl Reynolds The White-faced Ibis who graced our online birdcam has been released! As you may remember, this juvenile bird was found near Natomas, CA with a broken wing and brought to an animal shelter on July 27 before transfer to our San Francisco Bay center. Diagnosis: a fractured radius and ulna. Our … Read more
Our colleagues at Friends of Ballona Creek recently profiled some of our patients at International Bird Rescue’s Los Angeles center and their triumphant release at Ballona Freshwater Marsh, a critical ecosystem of the Los Angeles basin. Via Mychel Bradley: July has definitely been a month of independence for the beautiful birds of Ballona Wetlands. Over … Read more
All photos © International Bird Rescue-Cheryl Reynolds With the help of some eager young bird watchers, a group of herons and egrets has a new lease on life! On July 23, we teamed up with the Richmond Police Activities League (or “RPAL”) youth group to set free five Snowy Egrets and three Black-crowned Night Herons … Read more
Four of five juvenile Black-crowned Night Herons released at MLK Jr. Shoreline Regional Park in Oakland. Photos by Cheryl Reynolds We think it’s safe to say that most citizens of the Bay Area now know what a Black-crowned Night Heron is…. The subject of extensive media attention in the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, … Read more
Photo by Isabel Luevano An elusive bird that hides in thick marsh vegetation, the Black Rail is listed as a near-threatened species (and formally listed as a threatened species by the State of California). The rail’s wetland habitat, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) notes, “is threatened by pollution, drought, wildfires, groundwater removal, … 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
Photos by Bill Steinkamp Good news! “Pink,” a California Brown Pelican who made national headlines after being found with a near-severed throat pouch caused by an unknown assailant, has made a truly remarkable recovery at International Bird Rescue’s Los Angeles center and is scheduled for a June 3 release. Here’s the scheduled release information for … Read more
Photos by Cindy Margulis Golden Gate Audubon Society executive director Cindy Margulis recently sent us these photos of a Snowy Egret with a red leg band (and several hungry babies) at the Alameda Bay Farm Colony in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band indicates that this bird was a former patient of our San … Read more
Rhinoceros Auklet in breeding plumage, photo by Cheryl Reynolds Residents of the North Pacific, Rhinoceros Auklets are also known as “Unicorn Puffins” for the small horn extension on their beaks, present in both males and females during breeding season. We’ve had two of these birds in care at our San Francisco Bay center for several … Read more