Hard To Swallow

Accidents happen. We choose reusable materials and diligently pick up after ourselves, but as hard as we each try to shrink our own ecological footprint, most of us have let a plastic bag get away from us in the wind or lost a sandwich wrapper off the side of our beach towel. Or what about the disposable coffee cup you forgot on the roof of your car? Each of us has played a part in the pollution we see around us, and each of us has the power to do something to reduce the damage.

International Bird Rescue helps hundreds of birds impacted by plastics and other debris each year, like the Brown Pelican whose x-ray (shown below) revealed that it had swallowed a pair of glasses, or the California Gull gingerly freed from the “Open 24 Hours” bag wrapped tightly around its neck.

To bolster progress in decreasing pollution and preventing such accidents, International Bird Rescue is proud to throw our support behind the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Stop Plastic Pollution coalition. We also know that our greatest strength is in mitigation of the dangers pollution poses for seabirds and other aquatic birds, and International Bird Rescue is hard at work rescuing and rehabilitating these animals 365 days a year.

All of us at International Bird Rescue thank you for everything you do to protect our waters and the birds that call them home.

With deepest gratitude,

Paul Kelway
Executive Director
International Bird Rescue

Click Here to go to International Bird Rescue Blog Hard To Swallow.

Last of the Passenger Pigeons Died Sept. 1, 1914. Nature Does Have It's Limits.

Though they once numbered in the billions, the last of the passenger pigeons, named “Martha,” died in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo on September 1, 1914. The species was done in by market hunting—and a tragically false belief in nature’s endless bounty.

Passenger pigeons are gone but not forgotten. WildEarth Guardians annually commemorates Martha by inspiring action to protect other imperiled birds from extinction. This year we are pleased to update you on our continuing efforts to protect birds under the Endangered Species Act.

Click here to read more from Wild Earth Guardians.