In Episode 5, Host Gail Buhl caught up with Rebecca Duerr, MPVM/DVM, one of the world's leading experts on water birds. Dr. Duerr serves as Director of Research and Veterinary Science as well as the primary veterinarian at International Bird Rescue's two wildlife centers in California. Jennifer Martines, one of IBR's talented veterinary and rehabilitation technicians, also joined the interview, which we recorded onsite at the 2023 NWRA Symposium in Wilmington, Delaware.

Dr. Duerr and Jennifer first give us a brief overview of their origin stories. After we learn a bit about the winding career paths that led each of them to where they are today, we have an in-depth conversation  at Brown Pelicans, which are a majestic migratory water bird that divide its time between the Southeastern U.S. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Central California, and the Pacific Northwest coast, depending on the season. Find out more about Brown Pelicans through All About Birds produced by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Make sure to check your memberships with your state/national organizations to see if you have member benefit access to Birds of the World too! 

The conversation covers the basics of brown pelican rehabilitation, including some of the ways they land in rehab, intake, husbandry, treatment, diet, and preparation for release. We also hear how IBR handled a sudden huge influx in sick pelicans in 2022.

UPDATE:8/9/2023 Dr. Duerr (along with many other authors) published a paper on a long term post release study on California Brown Pelicans. Read it here:  MEDICAL HISTORY AND POST-RELEASE SURVIVAL OF REHABILITATED CALIFORNIA BROWN PELICANS PELECANUS OCCIDENTALIS CALIFORNICUS, 2009–2019 

American Bird Conservancy has a good reference on Brown Pelican Natural History:

Show Notes:

• International Bird Rescue started amid an oil spill in the San Francisco Bay area in 1971, and has since expanded its capacity as a responder for large stranding events. In addition to oil spill recovery support, IBR assists with sudden starvation events in seabirds, severe weather, and mass health events such as toxic algal blooms. Learn more here!
• VIDEO: IBR Staff and Volunteers Releasing Pelicans (See also, IBR’s news release about 100th Healthy Brown Pelican Released During California Pelican Crisis)

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.

To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).