RESCUE &
REHABILITATION
Our primary work is to rescue, rehabilitate and release native wild birds that are injured, orphaned or sick. These tasks require the coordinated efforts of dozens of dedicated volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. Most of our birds come from Sonoma County, but because we serve the entire North San Francisco Bay Area (Sonoma, Marin, Napa, Mendocino, and Lake Counties), we depend upon the financial and logistical support of this larger regional community to fulfill our mission.
Each year, BRC received 2,500 to 3,000 birds, ranging from tiny featherless hatchlings to enormous eagles—approximately 120 species in all. Around 75% of these birds are admitted during the busy Baby Bird Season (April – September) when we are assisted by a number of enthusiastic Junior Volunteers.
REHABILITATION
Once birds are admitted to our care, they go directly to the Rehabilitation Hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Northern California is a unique and biodiverse region with an abundance of open space to support a healthy wild bird population. In addition, it is in the migratory path for other birds who stop to rest and feed before continuing their journeys. As our human populations expand into these open and forested areas, our wild birds have become unintended casualties. With wildfires in Sonoma County adding even more destruction to their natural habitats, our avian wildlife is being forced to coexist with humans, many times to their detriment. Our mission in caring for injured and orphaned birds is to keep Sonoma County and surrounding Northern California areas populated with native species in support of a balanced and thriving environment.
Birds are nature’s pollinators and seed spreaders, our best form of non-chemical insect and rodent control and nature’s best clean-up crews. With recent studies discovering that bird populations have declined by almost three billion in North America alone over the past 50 years, and that 70% of all bird species are under threat of extinction, our work is essential.
BRC is licensed under both the State of California and the federal government’s Department of Fish & Wildlife.
