ASTORIA, Ore. - Coast Guard members from Air Station Sacramento, Calif., load sick birds onto an HC-130 plane for transport to Sacramento.

The federally protected birds were rescued by the Wildlife Center of the North Coast in Astoria, Ore., after becoming affected by the red tide phenomenon in the area.

Coast Guard video by Petty Officer Shawn Eggert.

ASTORIA, Ore. — Flight crewmembers from Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento, Calif., and specialists from the International Bird Rescue Research Center load pallets full of birdcages onto a C-130 Hercules aircraft, Monday, Oct. 26, 2009.

The cages are being used to transport approximately 200 to 300 rescued migratory birds from the Pacific Northwest where they were affected by a red tide that bloomed along the coast of Washington and Oregon.

The birds will be transported back to Sacramento, turned over to the International Bird Rescue and transported to a state-of-the-art oiled wildlife facility in the San Francisco Bay Area to be washed and rehabilitated.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kelly Parker.

ASTORIA, Ore. — Flight crewmembers from Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento, Calif., and specialists from the International Bird Rescue Research Center load pallets full of birdcages onto a C-130 Hercules aircraft, Monday, Oct. 26, 2009.

The cages are being used to transport approximately 200 to 300 rescued migratory birds from the Pacific Northwest where they were affected by a red tide that bloomed along the coast of Washington and Oregon.

The birds will be transported back to Sacramento, turned over to the International Bird Rescue and transported to a state-of-the-art oiled wildlife facility in the San Francisco Bay Area to be washed and rehabilitated.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kelly Parker.

ASTORIA, Ore. — Flight crewmembers from Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento, Calif., and specialists from the International Bird Rescue Research Center load pallets full of birdcages onto a C-130 Hercules aircraft, Monday, Oct. 26, 2009.

The cages are being used to transport approximately 200 to 300 rescued migratory birds from the Pacific Northwest where they were affected by a red tide that bloomed along the coast of Washington and Oregon.

The birds will be transported back to Sacramento, turned over to the International Bird Rescue and transported to a state-of-the-art oiled wildlife facility in the San Francisco Bay Area to be washed and rehabilitated.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kelly Parker.

ASTORIA, Ore. — Flight crewmembers from Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento, Calif., and specialists from the International Bird Rescue Research Center load pallets full of birdcages onto a C-130 Hercules aircraft, Monday, Oct. 26, 2009.

The cages are being used to transport approximately 200 to 300 rescued migratory birds from the Pacific Northwest where they were affected by a red tide that bloomed along the coast of Washington and Oregon.

The birds will be transported back to Sacramento, turned over to the International Bird Rescue and transported to a state-of-the-art oiled wildlife facility in the San Francisco Bay Area to be washed and rehabilitated.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kelly Parker.

ASTORIA, Ore. – A Coast Guard HC-130 from Air Station Sacramento, Calif., flew to Astoria, Ore. Monday, to pick up approximately 200 to 300 rescued migratory birds and transport them back to Sacramento.

The birds, which are federally protected, were rescued by the Wildlife Center of the North Coast in Astoria, Ore.  The request for the transport came from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife after the center that was tending to the birds was overwhelmed by the number of animals it was receiving. The birds are being affected by a red tide phenomenon in the area that is impacting their ability to survive in the aquatic environment.

The HC-130 left Sacramento at about 9 a.m. to fly to Astoria with three seabird specialists from the International Bird Rescue Research Center. The birds will be transported to a state-of-the-art oiled wildlife facility in the San Francisco Bay Area to be washed and rehabilitated.

For more information about bird rescues, contact the Paul Kelway, Regional Program Manager - Southern California International Bird Rescue Research Center at (310) 691-9558 or www.ibrrc.org

For information about the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife go to http://wdfw.wa.gov/