Audubon Oil Spill Response Team Update: Status of bird rescue efforts
I have heard many concerns and rumors about the field rescue of birds, and want to give some of my own perspective on it. I was out in Barataria Bay, which had received very heavy oiling a week previously, on Saturday, June 11. I went with a field rescue team from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
We went out to several islands and slowly circumnavigated each, searching through the visible birds with binoculars from outside the boom placed to protect the islands. We went to some small, grassy islands with nesting Forster’s Terns, Laughing Gulls, and Tricolored Herons. We also went to an island that is completely covered in mangroves, full of Brown Pelicans, Great Egrets, and a few Roseate Spoonbills, Reddish Egrets, and Black-crowned Night-Herons. And we visited Queen Bess Island, one of the most important Brown Pelican rookeries, also full of Laughing Gulls, Royal Terns, spoonbills, Great and Snowy Egrets, and Tricolored Herons. We visited several of the islands three times that day, and saw how conditions differ between low and high tide, and how much can change between visits.
My greatest source of concern for something that can be managed was the inappropriate management of boom. A layer of hard boom to keep oil out surrounded each island, and a layer of absorbent boom was supposed to be inside this protective ring. We did see absorbent boom – heavily oiled, piled up on shores, tangled in mangroves, and wave-tossed deep into marshes. We also saw garbage bags full of oiled boom on some of the shores.
Soiled boom piled up near nesting Brown Pelicans. Melanie Driscoll/Audubon
The soiled boom was acting as a convenient perch site for pelicans, gulls, terns, herons and egrets. It was a barrier between recently fledged birds and the land-water interface where they would begin to feed and bathe. It has, according to LDWF personnel, been oiled and on the islands for days to sometimes weeks. On these islands identified and prioritized as areas to be protected. They have reported this repeatedly to Joint Incident Command, to attempt to get contract workers to remove the oiled boom and replace it with clean boom. This is one source of oil that can be removed quickly and easily, with little disturbance to birds.
A Forster's Tern perches on soiled boom as another flies past oil-coated vegetation. Melanie Driscoll/Audubon
I saw fewer oiled birds than I expected based on reports, perhaps because many have been rescued in the past few days, and perhaps because visibility of birds changes over time. For example, at high tide, less habitat was visible, and the water was deeper where the islands met the water. Later, at low tide, foraging conditions may have been more optimal. Many more birds were foraging near the islands, and I saw more oiled birds, including Snowy Egrets, young Roseate Spoonbills, and a fairly heavily oiled Reddish Egret. Also, we circled Queen Bess Island on our first visit, and found a heavily oiled pelican only when we reached our initial starting point. Whether it moved to the edge of the island as we were going around, or somehow flew in, I will never know. But it was not there at 9:00 a.m., and was there and not very mobile at 9:30 a.m.
Brown Pelican covered with oil. Melanie Driscoll/Audubon
LDWF staff did rescue that pelican. One person had to walk on the island to gently herd the bird into the water, so that it would not escape into the interior of the island. As staff kept it away from the island, the boat captain carefully got the boat between the pelican and the land, so that it could be netted from the boat. One person quickly and expertly slid a net under the swimming bird, grabbed its bill to prevent it from biting, and lifted it into the boat.
A Brown Pelican is rescued and lifted into a boat. Melanie Driscoll/Audubon
The other person picked the bird up and put it in a crate, where it was well secured and shielded by a cloth cover to reduce its stress. We immediately took it to a dock, where it could be transported to a stabilization center. I was surprised, given how distressed the bird seemed, how mobile it still was. It was good to be able to catch it, but capture was not a certain outcome. And, in the process, many gulls and some pelicans and herons left their nests, exposing the eggs to heat and potentially to predators. In this disaster, all choices come with some risks.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist Michael Seymour participates in a pelican rescue -- which unavoidably disturbs dozens of nesting birds. Melanie Driscoll/Audubon
Later we tried to rescue 3 other heavily oiled pelicans. When a small boat called a pirogue was paddled over to shore where they were standing, wings held out as if to dry, preening continuously, they each took to labored flight and settled into the interior of the island. At what cost, their self-protective flight away from the threat of humans? At what cost to the colony would have come a more determined effort to capture them? Most other oiled adults were even more mobile, and thus, less likely to be caught.
And what of the oiled chicks, some still in nests, some recently fledged? Most of the ones we could see were at the edge of the colony. Some were obviously being fed by adults, and were accepting the food, then resting between meals.
Brown Pelicans and chicks. The chicks in the lower left of the image are oiled. Melanie Driscoll/Audubon
They were quite intermixed – I saw several nests with one oiled and one clean pelican chick. Other nearby chicks of various ages were in various stages of oiling – some a light yellow, some with patches of oil, and some orange, brown, or even black with the sticky mess. But they also have protective defenses against threats. At the approach of a human, old enough chicks will jump from a nest and scramble through the stems of grasses, shrubs, and into the thicker interior of the island. Only the stems of all the vegetation are coated with oil. As the tide comes in, oil washes higher up onto the grasses and mangroves. There it stays, even when the water around the islands appears clean again. The self-protective escape of chicks would put many more clean young into the oil, the very threat from which we threatening humans are trying to rescue them. How many must be oiled before it is worth risking the rest of the young?
Oiled Royal Tern chicks (brown). Melanie Driscoll/Audubon
The habitats themselves are protective places, full of water in the land, fragile and inaccessible. The mangroves come right into the water on one island, acting as a barrier to human rescuers, shielding smaller and more agile birds. The marsh grasses are low, some gull nests are nearly in the water. Humans can tread on these islands, but must go slowly and carefully, and not too often for fear of damaging the eroding habitat. Even sloped beaches are now hazardous with oil that may be slick, may be sticky. The very features, both of birds and of their habitats, that normally protect them from threats, now put them more at risk by helping the birds evade their would-be rescuers.
Laughing Gulls stand in oiled-covered marsh grass. Melanie Driscoll/Audubon
I am sorry that I cannot right this wrong. These decisions are the decisions no one should have to make. Do we sacrifice individuals to help protect the health of the species? Do we abandon oiled young so that some unoiled young may have more days to grow up and hopefully fledge? Humans play this waiting game, often helpless observers, occasionally heroic rescuers, knowing that these are the decisions they cannot make well. We must all live with those decisions, those images burned into our minds. We must witness the suffering of the individuals, knowing that even the best decisions may not prevent more suffering of the species.
I want to tell you that we can fix it – the field rescue teams, the volunteer facilitators, the land transport teams, the vets, the vet techs, the paraprofessionals. I wish I could tell you that we can do this, and do it well. But we can only do it as well as humans can, without perfect insight, without an ability to change disaster or biology, without the advantage of foreknowledge or hindsight. The only way to fix this is to put the protections in place to ensure that it never happens again. And right now, for many of us, and for many birds, that is not enough.
Comments
Melanie, I want you to know
Melanie, I want you to know how much I appreciate what you have done, however I have to say some of what you wrote has really bothered me. When the three pelicans flew into the interior of the island you asked "at what cost to the colony would have come a more determined effort to capture them?" I would understand that if this was a different situation, but this colony is already doomed. You made the same comment about not disturbing the chicks in their nests - but it's only a matter of time until they are all covered in oil. I don't understand trying to protect an environment or keeping young in an environment that is a death trap. Instead could we not get a huge team of volunteers to go in and capture as many young and oiled birds as possible and hopefully scare away the rest. Trying not to disturb them and keeping them there is simply a death sentence.
oil spill
There are oiled birds on Ship Island, which is in the Mississippi Sound, south of Biloxi, Mississippi and there is no one in sight. Why? Everyone says," Oh you can't touch them, your not allowed." I have full intention of rescuing as many birds as I can. I live here and have tried to volunteer and have heard nothing. I have called my local wildlife rescue group and was informed they where also not being utilized. Lets see what happens when I take my boat to the island and rescue oiled wildlife. Arrest me that should make great news. Anyone want to help. I not going to sit and watch these animals die because BP says so!
I will help. I am in
I will help. I am in Florida but would be willing to come. I also have a boat. Who do I contact?
I've been wanting to help
I've been wanting to help out too and i've done so much research and no one actually does hands on work to help out! But if you ever figure anything out please let me know
If BP provides gas for Arco
If BP provides gas for Arco I think we should stop buying there, or for that matter stop buying any gas that we don't absolutely have to have. I am fortunate that the bus runs close to my house and I'm using transmit and walking alot more instead of driving. All this is driven by economics and the only way to end the unconscienable abuse of the environment for profit making entities is to drive them out of business. We helped them get greedy, now we, as citizens of a world that shares water, must demonstrate that we are heading in a different direction. I have been told that the dispersant that is being used at the well head is made by Exxon and isn't used in other countries because it is so detrimental to the environment. Exxon may be getting well off this disaster, time for that to change. My heart is breaking for birds and dolphins and other forms of life. Thanks for keeping me posted.
Inappropriate Management of Booms
The site at www.stoptheleak.org has been compiling all the
Daily Operations Reports from the official Deepwater Horizon Response site.
The containment boom effort seems to be at a standstill; so this blogger is correct that something is lacking in the containment boom deployment.
From what I understand a lot of the oily useless boom is not being replaced and the chart shows that the actual amount out there has decreased slightly.
Please see the chart on the middle right column of the web site www.stoptheleak.org; it covers containment boom deployed from 4/21 - present.
On another topic, do birds released on the other side of Florida or in other areas instinctively want to go back to their homes and end up oiled again?
Just looking to help Mother Earth!
It is a matter of politics and executives who do not want to pay out anymmore money. But I for instance, an individual who is looking to help our dying enviornment. Every little bit will help and I dont care about the risks, animals are dying daily and this needs to stop. I am proposing a movement of people who will not listen to the officals who tell us we cant give our time to help, Renegade Volunteers who will not back down to those fat cat's.
Why is BP Running this Show!!!!!
I'm shocked to hear from reading a blogger that BP is interfacing withe volunteers and running the wildlife cleanup??? How and why? Is this absolutely crazy and is if because they r paying for it so r controling it? Is that why the efforts f moving slowly? Does the general public know BP is in charge here! This is making me sick
I can't believe BP is still
I can't believe BP is still running the show either! They have proved beyond any shadow of doubt they are totally incapable. Our Coast Gaurd should be in charge of the coast and the Navy and Marines should be running the offshore clean-up. All those countries who offered help should have been and should be allowed to help forthwith. Any and all help should be accepted.
rehabbing wildlife in ny state
I never thought I'd see the day when my attention could be diverted from the Exxon Valdez disaster in the 80's and all the other UNnatural disasters since, but this qualifies as our armegeddon.
As a NY State licensed wildlife rehabber as well as federal MB, I , myself and my fellow rehabbers have noticed not so subtle changes in our yearly logs;
such as birth of many species out of season, animals being born well undersized with congenital anomolies, and the obvious sudden and tragic elimination of our Bats, Honey bees, Frogs, snakes, etc, .as we are inundated with juveniles from other species such as squirrels, migratory birds, bunnies.
Without continuing the list, I'd say we have a lifetime of work ahead of us as a species that is bound to last into many generations.
Please wake up lobbyists and start getting this organized
Wendy
Volunteering for Oil Spill Response
I, too, am very frustrated that I can't get anywhere with volunteering on the oil spill. I have many years as an ecologist, contaminated site remediation, am a certified Veterinary Technician, and have been working in wildlife rehabilitation for years. I am particularly experienced in avian species. Audubon hasn't asked for my help except money. I've volunteered with LA, MS, FL, and AL oil response teams and have been consistently refused. I have my 40-hr HAZWOPER, have a BA in chemistry, and an MS in environmental science. One would think I could be used SOMEWHERE! I've even offered to pay all of my own expenses. This is pathetic! Any leads would be appreciated!
Celeste Marsh, M.S. CVT
Grand Junction, CO
Experienced volunteer
Like Celeste, I too volunteered when the spill first happened 6 weeks agao and have heard very very little since. I, too, am a vet tech and have 20 years experience in wildlife rescue and have worked with IRBBC on California spills and cleaning birds. I have HazComm training and passed BP's mandatory training and have my rabies vaccinations. Why can't the coordinating organizations communicate with experienced para professionals??!
Bonnie Hale, M.A.
Palo Alto, CA
gulf coast volunteers
Email me and I'll get you in touch with our local volunteer coordinater - she's can give your more info regarding BP's acceptance (cough,choke, gag) of your credentials.
I'm not sure it will help,
I'm not sure it will help, but try this link: 'fw4ppc@fws.gov'
why is it so hard to volunteer
I have a background in zoo keeping and have worked on previous oil spills, cleaning birds on the Central Coast of CA . Recently I volunteered my services to the Gulf Coast, but I received a generic reply - is no one minding the store. I could provide excellent help! Frustrated.
gulf coast volunteers
Hey all - so glad to know so many folks want to help out down here - I'm in Louisiana. I am working at a wildlife rehab and have a bit of knowledge about getting on a crew to help down here. I know that you have to be trained and receive certification from BP - a sort of haz-mat training as well as have 3 months demonstratable exerience with the species you want to work with. The certification sessions are fairly on going and I can put you in touch with someone who does know the who, what, when & where. I do know that BP is "running the show" and will not let anyone help who hasn't been trained by them - no comment :)
How can I get on a crew for wildlife rescue and rehab?
I live in Pensacola Florida and have been photo journalizing along the coast since April. Volunteer efforts seem only too slow unless you work for BP. Please put me in touch with someone who does know the who, what, when & where please. I have the DeepWater Horizon basic 4hr course & VFOB training thru the BayKeeper & COAST offices in Mobile but really have been struggling to get the wildlife Rescue & Rehab training I want to be a part of. I am also trying to find the HAZMAT training that seems to be required however, I was hoping to get into a free program considering I'm from a threatened coastal area. Can you help me?
Thank you so much!
voluntering with animal cleanup
I would love to volunteer in August but have no previous experience. How could I help?
thanks again
Melanie, your efforts are greatly appreciated by those of us that love nature. you can only use your best judgement on these matters. you may make mistakes but you will learn from them what needs to be done. volunteers are standing by for instructions from those like yourself that are knowledgeable on what to do to save as many of these beautiful birds as possible. i hope you will let us know should you be prevented from helping in any way so we can try to put pressure on politicians to make it possible for the wildlife experts to save as many as possible. in the meantime i give money to the audoban society, and write letters to try to end offshore drilling. folks don't forget that shell intends to drill in the arctic next summer. that needs to be stopped.
I second all these messages
Thank you so much Melanie, Fantastic job your doing. Like everyone else..I really appreciate this snapshot of truth and find it unbearable but necessary every day. I am sharing this blog on social networks and doing my best to encourage everyone to join in the energy of saving and repair. We are with you. we hold the highest vision and we have acceptance to the limits of human interference. Gods will be done. That is all I can rest upon. Faith in God and nature. Let us all do our best..Including but not limited to...NOT DRIVING!
by the way i am ready and willing to come fly to your area and work my butt off. Could you please comment on how your physically holding up? Do you get nauseaus when out near the oil on boats..is the smell overpowering in the air?
Thank you!
My wife and I saw you (we think) at Tam Bao last night and hope you found some relief with your visit. I empathize with your position and applaud your efforts on our coast. I am glad there are people like you who are doing all you can to protect the wlidlife. It is an altruistic effort to be admired. Naysayers may lash out but this is due to fear, ignorance, and the helplessness they feel in trying to combat this tragic incident. We are signed up to volunteer and have taken part in an effort so far but understand the nature of the incident and we stand ready when the time comes up. Let peace guide your efforts.
Heartfelt Work
Melanie, thank you, thank you for your heartfelt account, keeping us informed, and mostly for just being present in the midst of this abomination.
Doing what you can to collect the truth, sharing what you see is always enough even in this ever-shifting nightmare. Hold fast, you are doing the deepest work that it will take for us to heal and say, "never again."
praise to those who help
A wonderful way to keep up firsthand with the efforts and sights. Many thanks and praise for your dedication. Bless the innocent animals and their habitats. Keep us informed and please continue to let us know what we all can do to help improve our environment so that future generations may enjoy the blessings.
It is Sophies Choice a
It is Sophies Choice a thousand times over, God be with you, we are all trying our best
I'm sure it is heartbreaking
I'm sure it is heartbreaking to see the suffer and not be able to get to them and help them. God bless
Brave
There is much that is brave and beautiful in what you are doing. May your spirit help to heal the birds as your hands work to protect them.
Difficult decisions
I think your message deals with the theme of our time which is the need to make difficult decisions and informed choices. As our culture becomes informed by sound bites and increasingly separated from nature it seems that only severe disasters might help create the change that is needed to save this fragile planet. Thank you for your message.
I agree with your position about disasters and choices
I really join you in this idea and theme about disasters and where it leads us...to examining and getting up close and personal on our choices. I have constantly felt guilt in this crisis..because i use and love so many things related to oil..I used to frequent the Arco station in Buellton cuz they had the cheapest gas...which for my beautiful car is my gateway to ultimate freedom. Could I live without being able to just drive away? then there are the myriads of ways oil in involved in all manner of our lives..from our CDs to our movies to the many plastics we buy and recycle and buy again. It truly is astounding what each of these disasters is pointing out to us about WHAT we ignore at our peril. What is worth the loss of a sensitive marsh or the disappearance of a sea turtle? I do not consider this some regrettable minor mistake..to be forgotten by next weeks soundbite disaster.
This is it folks this is it!
ARCO & BP cont.)
Arco is a major retail outlet for BP gasoline
Truth
The truth, though hard to bear, is such a relief. Thank you for this letter, which lays out the complexities of this tragedy with such intelligence and heart. I am grateful to know there is a place to go for ongoing updates about the status of bird rescue efforts. As others have said, I would be honored to be of help in any way shape or form in the days, months and years to come as we grapple with this catastrophe.
Your efforts and your words
Melanie, this was really well written. (((hug)))
Thank you Melanie and all of the rescuers doing their best to help the birds and being as careful as they can with and for them and their environment.
Blessings on and much love to Melanie and all of the rescuers, blessings on and much love to all of the creatures. We are sorry, we are trying, please forgive us, thank you for doing your best to survive.
All of the whales, dolphins, sharks, all of the creatures in all of the seas, I am so thankful for them all, I love them all, I love the seas. Blessings on the creatures, blessings on the seas. Thank you for everything you have given us, we are grateful. THANK YOU FOR HEALING YOURSELF
One answer that came to me..Psychic I think
Jodie...i have had a couple of little intuitions that came through like...The birds know we are trying to fix the mess...the birds know why they are being picked up..the animals see the booms and all the activity ( believe e there is more activity there than ever!)..they all sense and smell and instinctively know something is all fucked up. Perhaps somehow this entire incident has its own weird logic and unity..I know that sounds inane..but I believe the animals KNOW.
Update: Status of the birds
Melanie, thank you so much for your dedication and thoughtful reflections on this abomination. So many of us who have signed up to volunteer stand by at the ready to help in any way we can. I am speechless and enraged by this fouling of the environment, and the woefully inadequate response. When this oil hemorrhage finally ends, I will be waiting to help in the restoration--it will be a long slog.
I want to help too!
I am available to help for the month of July and would travel to the gulf to do that. Please let me know who to contact to volunteer for this effort. I am working on a place to stay in the Gulf Shores AL area.
Grateful for your efforts
Any news of the innocent and unsuspecting wildlife caught up in the oily mess is heartbreaking to hear, yet it's important that we stay aware and informed. It's hard to see the pictures, to hear accounts of soiled birds, but I appreciate it -- especially when delivered in thoughtful reports such as yours. Thank you for showing courage and determination in facing this tragedy in person and doing what you can.
Your work in the Gulf
Blessings, blessings, blessings to you all! The work you do for these totally innocent victims is recognized and appreciated by powers far beyond those of us mere humans.
thanks
thanks for being there to help and for posting this for those of us who can't help. the more the public knows about the status of clean-up, and what's not happening that should (like proper boom management), the easier it will be to hold those in charge accountable.