Birds we care about: The Brown Pelican

Here at IBRRC we love the Brown Pelican. It's part of our logo and we pride ourselves in treating this bird with the respect and care it deserves.

Since its beginning in 1971, IBRRC has worked hard to become the premier brown pelican rehabilitation organization on the west coast of the United States.

At both our centers in California, with the help of our individual and foundation supporters, we constructed 100-foot flight aviaries to help pelicans recuperate from sickness and injury. We've had remarkable success in treating and then releasing them back to the wild.

Earlier this year, both of our centers were inundated with these majestic birds. In three months we treated almost 600 of the pelicans after severe storms walloped California. The wet, sick and dying pelicans flooded into IBRRC centers following the heavy rains, flooding and pollution from run-off that hit the California coast in early January 2010. More info

And we always liked this famous poem about one our favorite birds:

A rare old bird is the pelican;
His bill holds more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week;
I’m darned if I know how the helican.
- Dixon Merritt

As we respond to the Gulf oil spill we hope the pelicans stay out of harms way. If they don't, we will be there in force to help them in a speedy recovery.

Also see:

Adopt-a-Pelican

Change for the good: Pennies for Pelicans

The Pelican Project

Photo of Brown Pelican courtesy Tom Grey

IBRRC takes stock of pelican storm casualties

As of today, IBRRC's Los Angeles Center has now received a total of 130 non-oiled birds since the beginning of last week's storms. 107 of these birds were pelicans. In addition, 9 oiled birds from natural seep and 6 oiled birds from the spill in Huntington Beach have been received.

The center is shutting its doors to pelicans and other birds being transferred from other wildlife centers for the next 48 hours to help cope with the influx of wildlife casualties.

IBRRC's San Francisco Bay Center has now received 50 pelicans and expect another 20 in the coming days. A number of ducks (including buffleheads and canvasbacks) have also arrived, some that have been shot and others downed by the storms.

We will be trying our best to keep updating these numbers.

Media report:

 

KTLA-TV: Hundreds of Pelicans Rescued After Latest Storms