International Bird Rescue

Based in Alameda, photographer Rick Lewis has spent years capturing the beauty and behavior of California’s birds. A few of his Elegant Tern photographs have been featured throughout International Bird Rescue’s 55th anniversary campaign, celebrating the species chosen as our anniversary bird.

Rick says it was watching a noisy flock of Elegant Terns take flight at Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary that left him, in his words, "transported."

“These ‘punk rockers’ add bedazzle to any landscape,” Rick told Bird Rescue.

Get to know the photographer behind these stunning images in our latest blog post.

Photographers in Focus: Rick Lewis - International Bird Rescue Our newest featured photographer is Rick Lewis from Alameda, CA. Several of his Elegant Tern photographs have been featured throughout International Bird Rescue's 55th anniversary campaign, celebrating the species chosen as our anniversary bird.

As we gather to celebrate with fireworks, it’s important to consider our feathered neighbors.

Upon hearing the loud boom of fireworks, birds will enter a state of panic and frantically fly off. Nesting birds will abandon their eggs to escape the noise. Since most fireworks occur at night, visibility is extremely limited, increasing the risk of a crash. Even in the aftermath of fireworks, birds can become permanently affected from the plastic debris left behind the night before.

If fireworks are an important part of your holiday, we recommend sticking to the shows put on by professionals and local governments, which tend to follow guidelines put forth by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among others, about animal safety.

📷 Nigel Howe