2026 Is Off To A Great Start!
- Jan 29
- 3 min read
Though temperatures outside still feel like winter, we're already starting to gear up for Baby Bird Season 2026. Which means there's a lot going on—including some great opportunities to join our team!
Come Fly With Us — We're Hiring!
Love nature? Why not combine your passion with your position! BRC has full time, part time and seasonal positions are available.
Wildlife Tech II
This full-time position puts you right at the center of our life-saving work. You will be working in the hospital, caring for sick, injured and orphaned birds in need of a second chance. Some previous experience required. Learn more.
Wildlife Tech I
This part-time position will train you to help care for the thousands of birds who come to us each year while also supporting and mentoring our volunteers and interns. Previous experience is a plus, but not required. Learn more.
Wildlife Tech I - Seasonal
Many hands make light work - and that is never truer than during our busy Baby Bird Season. These 4 seasonal positions are perfect for college students interested in getting work experience to support environmental, conservation, biology and animal science majors. Learn more.
Wildlife Ambassador Tech II
This full-time position offers the opportunity to work directly with our resident Ambassador birds, providing day-to-day care, developing plans to maintain their health, and also participating in our Education program. Some relatable experience required. Learn more.
Volunteer & Outreach Supervisor
If you are a proactive communicator who enjoys working with both people and animals, this might be perfect for you! This full time position supports both our volunteer program and our community outreach efforts. Previous experience managing volunteers and volunteer programs, and nonprofit outreach required. Learn more.
Tis The Season...For Laying Eggs!
Ambassadors Jazz & Vihar are brooding...
Jazz and Vihar are Great Horned Owl siblings who have been with us for over 20 years. Both imprinted on humans as babies and were unable to hunt or survive on their own.
Since becoming permanent residents, they have played major roles in our education programs...except when it comes to mating season. Yes, even in captivity, mating rituals and behaviors apply.
This time of year, male Great Horned Owls come courting, filling the night with their deep hooting calls. Jazz and Vihar are not immune to their male suitors, and have recently begun responding with sultry calls of their own. And even in captivity they get to experience this mating ritual in their own way, by laying eggs.
When their brooding cycles kick in, Jazz and Vihar's behaviors differ. Vihar sits fairly contentedly and only clacks her beak when approached. Jazz, on the other hand, is full-on hormonal. She gets extremely protective of her environment, clacking loud warnings to anyone within hearing distance, showing aggression, and shredding everything into tiny pieces. Interacting with Jazz during this time requires additional protective gear for her care takers—a clear reminder she is first and foremost a wild predator!
Once their brooding cycle begins, we provide nesting materials and a choice of nesting locations, and both Jazz and Vihar are put on 'maternity leave' until it's over. Great Horned Owls typically begin laying eggs in early February, and sit on them for about four weeks until the babies hatch.
Jazz and Vihar's eggs are unfertilized and won't hatch, so after allowing them to sit on their eggs, we carefully remove them, which enables both our Ambassadors to return to their normal temperaments, behaviors and activities.
Can you guess which one of our ladies will lay her egg first?
Use the button below to participate in our "Whooo's First" poll.
As we begin gearing up for a busy Baby Bird Season, we hope you'll consider participating in the work that is literally saving lives. Staff and volunteers alike find the experience truly rewarding!
We also hope you'll consider a gift to help feed and care for the hundreds of baby birds who will soon be filling our hospital.
Together we can help them heal.
Together we can make second chances possible.:
Donate online using the button above, or mail your check to: The Bird Rescue Center
PO Box 475
Santa Rosa, CA 95402
Comments