International Bird Rescue (IBR) is looking for a few good interns! This is a great opportunity for students interested in biology, wildlife preservation, environmental conservation and of course…birds.

Being a bird isn’t so easy these days. Despite possessing the gift of flight, birds still have to spend many hours on land resting, foraging, nesting, preening and other essential life activities. In the process, they end up crossing paths with humans (directly or indirectly) and often times have trouble waddling, swimming or flying away.

IBR  specializes in caring for sick, injured, abused and orphaned aquatic birds by helping them get back on their feet and wings again to lead productive lives in the wild. Common human-caused problems that keep IBR’s rescue centers busy include habitat destruction, plastic pollution, fishing hooks and fishing line.

Thanks to a grant from the Harbor Community Benefit Foundation, the new Academic Internship Program is designed specifically for young people ages 18 and over from the harbor communities of San Pedro and Wilmington, where the impact of human activity on wildlife is especially apparent. The internship includes a stipend, plus the feel-good opportunity to help our feathered friends.

Interns will have the chance to learn how to care for injured birds at IBR’s Los Angeles center in San Pedro. Two courses of study and training will be offered: One focused on wildlife care and rehabilitation methods; and another on data analysis and clinical research.

IBR’s Los Angeles Center is a busy, bustling place. As of March 18, 2014, the center had 32 birds in various stages of help and healing including seven western gulls, six western grebes, five California gulls, three eared grebes, two common murres and one red-throated loon. (I couldn’t stop myself from singing that list to 12 Days of Christmas.)

If you or anyone you know living in San Pedro or Wilmington is interested in becoming an IBR intern, find out more details on the Harbor Community Academic Internship page of their website.

Be an intern, be a bird caretaker, be a good person.