The first two oiled birds found in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill have been cleaned and are now recovered and ready for release> The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will release the birds at 4 p.m. Monday, May 10, at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge on the Atlantic coast northeast of Vero Beach, Florida. … Read more
On the ninth day of the Gulf Oil Spill wildlife response, International Bird Rescue continues to work with Tri-State Bird Rescue, the lead oiled wildlife organization, to staff rehabilitation centers in Louisiana, Alabama Mississippi and Florida. IBRRC’s Jay Holcomb checks in with his daily update on the wildlife response: On May 8 we sent out … Read more
The first oiled bird brought in for treatment at the Gulf Oil Spill, is now recuperating in stable condition. The Gannet spends its time in the pool improving its water-proofing at the Fort Jackson, Louisiana wildlife rescue center. The juvenile northern gannet was found early in the spill by one of the clean-up boats. “It … Read more
As oil drifts toward land, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday that it will set fire to an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The “controlled burn” would involve setting fire to an area of oil trapped by special containment booms on the ocean’s surface. About 1,000 barrels (42,000 US gallons) of crude are … Read more
Dear Readers, Many people have been contacting IBRRC asking if we are going to be called in to respond to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. We have been put on alert and are prepared to respond if needed but we have not been activated yet. (See NASA image from space, above) As of today … Read more
A new federal bird report on the damage caused by a 2007 San Francisco Bay oil spill says the endangered Snowy Plover survived the spill in good numbers, but other species weren’t so lucky. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report says at least 6,700 ducks, loons, cormorants, gulls, pelicans and other birds were probably … Read more
An IBRRC spill response team is working on a small oil spill in Huntington Beach, CA. The two member team is joining another team from the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center as part of the California’s Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN). So far, three birds have been rescued: A Lesser Scaup, Pied-Billed Grebe and American … Read more
An IBRRC Response Team was released from alert on Christmas day after a diesel fuel spill dispersed in heavy Alaska seas. The response crew was on standby after a tugboat struck the infamous Bligh Reef last Wednesday and dumped diesel into Prince William Sound. Initial news reports claimed it spilled up to 33,000 gallons of … Read more
View Larger Map Bligh Reef, the site of the nation’s worst oil spill 20 years ago, is again the scene of a shipping mishap. Last night a 136-foot tugboat ran aground on the infamous reef in Prince William Sound and ripped a 4-5 foot hole in its keel. More than 33,000 gallons of diesel oil … Read more
Ten birds were released by OWCN personnel and volunteers back into the wild this afternoon after successful treatment following oiling in Dubai Star oil spill in San Francisco Bay. The birds included five American Coots, two Western/Clark’s Grebes, a Eared Grebe, a Horned Grebe and a Greater Scaup). The healthy birds were set free in … Read more