What training and experience is required to clean oil off birds?

There are a number of courses. Obviously, for the BP spill, they need licensed vets, who know birds, and which ones can be successfully washed, and those that can't be.

Individuals who have training in handling wild animals are needed, but the vets know better on proper procedure.

I've included some links that describe what is involved. Per the Louisianna response website:

"Individuals must be trained to rescue and care for the injured wildlife. Unauthorized individuals can, even with the best of intentions, harm irreparably the affected animals, some species of which are not accustomed to any kind of human interaction"