Oiled gannets photographed by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agents and posted to Flickr.com
In what could prove to be the first such deaths caused by the oil slicks bearing down on the American Gulf Coast, Louisiana wildlife officials discovered a pair of lifeless, oil-covered birds on Wednesday near a wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi River.
On Wednesday afternoon, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries officers Ray Champagne and Aaron Hastingsto found the dead birds in the Grand Gosier islands, part of an archipelago of the so-called barrier islands 30 kilometres east of the Mississippi delta. It's around these small islands that the oil slick is concentrated.
The birds, both Northern Gannets that are common along the Louisiana coast, were covered in oil, though state officials stopped short of saying that was what killed them. They've been turned over to the federal Fish and Wildlife Service, which will determine their cause of death.
The discovery came the same day as the agency announced it was calling in help from out-of-state to treat birds affected by the spill.
Late Wednesday, an LDWF spokesman said they may have had two dead birds as well as two live ones. "We have received unconfirmed reports of two additional live and two dead oiled birds," Thomas Gresham wrote in an e-mail. It's unclear where the two live birds were Thursday, though a centre in Buras, Louisiana, has been set up to nurse oiled birds back to health.
Louisiana's wetlands and marshlands are home to a wide range of species of birds, which tend to nest on some of the outer islands that may be first hit by oil. Breton Island, for instance, is home to hundreds of pelicans and is the second-oldest wildlife refuge in the United States.
The discovery came as LDWF crews inspected another outer island that lies about 30 kilometres off the mainland in St. Bernard Parish, a municipality southeast of New Orleans. The island sits on the edge of the marsh, with another 30 kilometres of water separating it from oil slicks spotted among the barrier islands to the east..
Crews found the unnamed island filled with herons and other species, but free of oil.
"There's a good variety of birds here," said LDWF biologist Clarence Luquet, as his agency's boat nudged up against the muddy shore.
"This is the nurturing ground here, so we're trying to keep it [the oil]out, especially this time of year when the birds have eggs or young, and the fish larvae and shrimp larvae are early in their life cycle. It's when they're much more susceptible to smaller amounts of oil," Mr. Luquet said. "We're crossing our fingers and saying a few prayers, too, that they round it [the oil]up out there, and keep it from here."
To protect these areas, officials are trying to deploy as many inflatable barriers, or boom, as possible. On Wednesday, about 10,000 feet of boom was loaded onto fishing boats in St. Bernard, all destined for the outer islands. Some of it was absorbent, designed to collect oil that has already gathered around the barrier islands.
With booming efforts in full gear, Louisiana is moving now to prepare to deal with any wildlife affected by the slick. LDWF secretary Robert Barham announced Wednesday the state would temporarily allow out-of-state veterinarians to help with their treatment.
Mr. Barham's office has received offers of help from veterinarians in three other states, including Alaska, where the Exxon Valdez ran ashore in 1989.
Until Wednesday's find, the state had thus far received only two oily birds, recovering at the sanctuary in Buras. The facility was bustling with volunteers and LDWF staff Wednesday evening.
Messages left with the volunteers weren't returned. In an earlier interview, International Bird Rescue and Research Center director Jay Holcomb said time is of the essence when treating oily birds. "Typically, in a situation like this, it's hours to days," that they can survive with oil, he said, adding that the Valdez disaster was worse because birds immediately began landing in the slick. "The difference here, of course, is it [the oil]can come to shore."