International Bird Rescue was formed in 1971 when Alice Berkner, a volunteer at a San Francisco oil spill site, recognized a need for centralized organization of bird rehabilitation efforts. IBR was established, creating protocols for oiled sea bird recovery after oil spills, and pioneering best practices for washing oiled birds.

Kelly Ball recently discussed with International Bird Rescue’s executive director, JD Bergeron, how the organization has played a key role in relief efforts following highly publicized disasters such as Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon, as well as the October 2021 Huntington Beach spill. Kelly and JD also discuss where oil spills occur, and how rescue efforts vary based on their location. Then JD shares common misconceptions about oiled bird recovery efforts and suggests that we all “dig in” to understand where local facilities and organizations dedicated to animal rehabilitation operate so we all can help wildlife in distress. Kelly even busts out a tiny bit of her seldom-used Russian language skills!

To help International Bird Rescue prepare for the next wildlife emergency, visit their donation page. 

 This episode is sponsored by International Bird Rescue. 

Conservation work occurs in part by acquisition of highly biodiverse habitat. Nature Trust of British Columbia (NTBC), a nonprofit land conservation organization, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2021, as well as its remarkable contributions to preserving British Columbia’s most critical habitat for vulnerable wildlife. As Canada’s westernmost province, and contiguous with Alaska, Idaho, and Washington, British Columbia’s landmass serves as a stopover and breeding grounds along the migratory Pacific Flyway. To date, NTBC has bought more than 500 properties of private, ecologically important land, totaling 178,000 acres.

NTBC also supports affiliate programs such as Pacific Birds, a habitat joint venture between government agencies, First Nations, private landowners, and businesses in both the US and Canada to benefit birds, other wildlife, and people. Chief executive officer Dr. Jasper Lament discusses with host Kelly Ball the connection between the United States and Canada in preserving shared migratory habitat for birds, and how programs like the North American Wetlands Conservation Act enable conservation on an international scale. As Dr. Lament puts it, “Do what you can, where you can.”

You can join and learn more about NTBC at the FREE 50th Anniversary Virtual Gala on Friday, October 6, starting at 4 p.m. eastern time.

Click here to learn more about the annual Brant Wildlife Festival celebrated every March.

Do you have a question for Dr. Lament? He’s happy to answer! Contact him via Instagram @drjasperlament today.

This episode is sponsored by Nature Trust of British Columbia.

It is estimated that one billion (yes, that’s one billion) birds—primarily neotropical migratory songbirds—collide with windows across North America annually. In the late 1980s, Canadian Michael Mesure began collecting and documenting birds that had collided with the windows of downtown office buildings in his native Toronto. This effort inspired him to devote himself to raising awareness of window collisions, and in 1993, he co-founded FLAP, or Fatal Light Awareness Program. Editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest, Dawn Hewitt, interviews Michael, who serves as FLAP’s executive director, to learn why birds collide with windows; how North America’s topography is essentially a giant migratory corridor; and what every person who cares about birds can do during a community science event called Global Bird Rescue (September 27–October 3, 2021) to document window strikes around the world.  

Are you interested in taking action to help migratory birds from colliding with windows?  

• Register at globalbirdrescue.org to participate in the 2021 Global Bird Rescue Week.  
• Visit birdsafe.ca to assess the threat rating of your home’s windows to birds.  
• For products to retrofit existing windows with the goal of reducing window collisions, consult Flap.org and Birdsafe.ca. 

This episode is sponsored by FLAP.