Rfalconcam Forum

http://php.democratandchronicle.com/blog/birds/?p=2918 (http://php.democratandchronicle.com/blog/birds/?p=2918)  Not so nice pics  :(

Now that oil from the massive leak in the Gulf of Mexico is washing ashore, the impact on birds and other wildlife is becoming more and more evident. Here are recent photos that the Associated Press has been moving on its wire service. The captions are those provided by AP. I include photos of birds that, as yet, have not been harmed, but are clearly in the path of the encroaching oil. Their very beauty further illustrates what we stand to lose when we are so negligent in our stewardship of the environment.

 :no: :crying:

Cattle egret looking really, REALLY upset. As am I.

More devastating pictures:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/caught_in_the_oil.html
 :crying:

 :crying: Well now that I've collected myself and put my heart back in my chest and out of my throat...
I just want to say this price is too high to pay for progress. I'll gladly go back to a simpler time and life to prevent this from ever happening again. Shame on all of us! :tickedoff:

And on doing something like this without a plan.  This is tragic beyond what words can say. It's bad enough the human loss of life but animals are defenseless victims to this

It just keeps getting worse and worse. I can't even watch anymore. The birds that are covered and struggling for life just breaks my heart. Yeah so now we have to wait until AUGUST for a "MAYBE" fix?? Lord help us! People here are still buying gas at BP...NOT ME...I tore my BP card up.

Sad sad situation.  :crying:

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/06/07/4475943-clean-the-birds-or-kill-them (http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/06/07/4475943-clean-the-birds-or-kill-them)

Horrible what's happening

 :(

 :hurt:  :crying:

Hi everyone. We are very busy here in Louisiana at the gulf oil spill, but doing well. We are washing the very oiled pelicans and other birds that you have seen on TV and most of them are doing very well. More on that aspect of our work later. I want to address a few issues that have come up in the media recently. First of all, let me say that this is the time during an oil spill that the skeptics come out. These “experts” are quoted and their opinions, no matter how ill researched or biased they are, become controversial and newsworthy. I spent much time during the Exxon Valdez oil spill, 21 years ago, and in every other oil spill since then addressing them and I now just consider this a part of the politics of an oil spill.

For those who are concerned about the survival rates of oiled birds, based on recent news coverage (or the outdated studies they cite), I’d like to address the topic head-on. I am writing from personal experience, as a veteran of more than 200 oil spills, and as a representative of one of the foremost oiled bird rescue and research organizations in the world. IBRRC and Tri-State Bird Rescue--who is leading the Gulf response effort--host a bi-annual conference on the Effects of Oil on Wildlife, and, as such, are well versed in the latest science. The “experts” that I am referring to rarely, if ever, attend this global forum for oiled wildlife professionals, nor do they attempt to learn about advancements and successes in oiled wildlife rehabilitation.

How well do birds survive in the wild when they have been oiled and rehabilitated?

Recent studies (a few of which are listed below) indicate that birds can be successfully rehabilitated and returned to the wild, where many survive for years and breed.

The papers cited by opponents of oiled bird rehabilitation—like Oregon’s biologist Brian Sharp’s infamous 1996 report "Post Release Survival of Oiled, Cleaned Seabirds in North America" Ibis. Vol. 138:222-228—tend to rely on anecdotal band returns (meaning there is no daily tracking method for individuals released and no control groups observed.) These surveys are misleading because they fail to consider some important variables: the protocols used to care for the birds in question, the experience of the organization caring for the oiled birds and basic things like how the bird’s health and water proofing were assessed prior to release.

Simply put, one would not lump together the survival rates of human patients receiving emergency trauma care between two hospitals like Mogadishu's Madina Hospital and New York's Bellevue Hospital. Yet surveys like Sharp's do just that, they lump together released birds treated at various centers, under different conditions, with different resources and experience levels.

Studies support oiled, properly treated sea birds

A growing number of studies using radio telemetry, satellite tracking and long-term breeding colony observations are more accurately illustrating the post oiling survival of sea birds:

Wolfaardt, A.C. and D.C. Nel. 2003, Breeding Productivity and Annual cycle of Rehabilitated African Penguin Following Oiling. Rehabilitation of oiled African Penguins: A Conservation Success Story.

Newman, S.H., Golightly, R.T., H.R. Carter, E.N. Craig, and J.K. Mazet 2001, Post-Release Survival of Common Murres (Uria aalge) Following the Stuyvesant Oil Spill.

Golightly. R.T., S.H. Newman, E.N. Craig, H.R. Carter and J.K. Mazet. 2002, Survival and Behavior of Western Gulls Following Exposure to Oil and Rehabilitation.

Anderson, D.W., F. Gress, and D.M. Fry 1996, Survival and dispersal of oiled Brown Pelicans after rehabilitation and release.

rehabilitation process successfully returning to their wild condition. And in some cases (when birds are located and observed in breeding colonies) have been shown to breed successfully for many years following their oiling, rehabilitation and release. These studies show that a bird’s survival is often based on how a specific species can cope with the stress of the entire process from oiling to rehabilitation, and that their overall survivorship across species is far greater than Sharp’s assertions. As survivorship may be correlated to individual species it is irresponsible to draw conclusions of survivability from one species to another, rather, in depth studies must be conducted for each species considered if we are to begin to answer this question with any measure of reliability.

Pelicans handle stress better than most birds

In regards to pelicans specifically, IBRRC works year-round with brown pelicans at our two rescue centers in California, treating, on average, 500 injured, sick and oiled pelicans every year. Our release rate on these animals is 80% or higher for general rehabilitation. Pelicans, like penguins, can tolerate the stress of rehabilitation much better than birds like loons and murres for example. All of our birds (including pelicans) are federally tagged upon release. Sightings and band recoveries indicate that a high percentage of them survive. One recent example was a brown pelican, oiled and rehabilitated, during the American Trader spill in 1990 in Southern California. This bird was sighted still alive in Newport Beach earlier this year, 20 years on, and is considered one of the oldest brown pelicans ever recorded.

While this is just one bird it is a good example of the type of band returns we see from oiled and non-oiled pelicans. Of course it’s important to also remember that it is these individual birds that make up populations. At the ‘New Carissa’ oil spill in Oregon in 1999, the snowy plover population in Coos Bay was 30-45 birds. We captured 31 and rehabilitated all of them. They are an intensely studied bird and each one is considered valuable to the species. Studies of the birds showed that there was no difference in the mortality of these previously oiled birds to those never oiled.

 goodnews: :yes:

Donna-could you post a link to the original article?  A friend has some family in the area and is looking for a spot of uplifting news...thanks!

http://intbirdrescue.blogspot.com/2010/06/post-release-survival-of-oil-affected.html (http://intbirdrescue.blogspot.com/2010/06/post-release-survival-of-oil-affected.html)Here ya go Ei

Sorry Ei...here it is!  :silly:

http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2010/06/gulf-oil-spill-oil-covered-birds-bring-tragedy-home-marriott-president-says/96256/1 (http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2010/06/gulf-oil-spill-oil-covered-birds-bring-tragedy-home-marriott-president-says/96256/1) Here ya go Ei
[/quote]

I think it must be a different one...

I think it must be a different one...
[/quote]

Thanks again, Donna.  He told me more later in the day.  His mother-in-law lives on the bayou.  She wanted to volunteer to help the birds, but said she couldn't face caring for them knowing they would die anyway.  This is exactly the sort of factual information she needed.

Another BP spill!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AAa0gd7ClM

Thanks Shaky - a little levity was needed  :thumbsup:

 :clap: Was waiting for something like this to surface.

Good one, thanks, carla

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/one-birds-odyssey/ (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/one-birds-odyssey/)

Click on each # for info : Not an easy task

 :wow:   That's quite a process.  If BP doesn't go belly up after paying for this monstrous disaster I'll be very surprised.      :grumble:

I'm waiting for "the yes men", inventors of the survivaball, to come up with a solution. 

We can submit our own solutions to the Coast Guard, btw,  http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0610/060710rb1.htm.  My suggestion is to plug the spill with BP executives.  Shaky, you can submit directly to Larry.     

 :lol:   I like the BP executive idea!   :wave:

It could work....Hmm! It's unbelievable that no one can come up with and idea except Chrissy!  :2thumbsup:

Friday and Saturday nights, both Hannity and Huckabee had a bunch of people on with some pretty good ideas.  I'm listening, but I am not .......

Gulf spill response: Answers to frequent questions
From IBRRC's Jay Holcomb, who is at the center of the BP Gulf oiled bird response in Louisiana:

We are almost into July and have just taken in our 600th bird here in Louisiana at the Fort Jackson Bird Rehabilitation Center. The majority of those birds have come into the center in the last 2 weeks when a section of oil was carried to shore near Grand Isle, LA and impacted many brown pelicans and other smaller bird species. We currently have about 300 clean and beautiful brown pelicans outside in large cages getting ready for release. They are starting to be released today in groups and we will continue to release them twice a week until they are all gone. There are currently about 100 oiled pelicans in the building waiting to be washed and some smaller species of birds such as gulls and herons.

The heat here is very difficult to work in but everyone is doing well and moving the birds through the rehabilitation process. We have set up specific times for the media to come and film the birds and the work so that it limits the stress on people and animals. The media has been very cooperative with us.

I play a few roles here in Ft. Jackson and one is the External Affairs role that puts me in touch with the media and the world at large so I thought I would take this opportunity to answer some of the main questions that I am being asked daily.

    Question: Where the pelicans are going to be released?

    Answer: The pelicans are being flown to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. Will they come back to Louisiana? There is that possibility but the US Fish & Wildlife Service has determined that this is the best place to release them at this time. It is a long way from the spill so we are hoping that they stay in the area, at least for a while. The smaller inland birds are being released in the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area just north of Lafayette as they become ready.

    Q: How long is IBRRC and Tri-State Bird Rescue going to be in the Gulf of Mexico helping care for the birds?

    A: Well, as long as the oil is gushing from the earth and birds are at risk of getting oiled then we will be here.

    Q: Is BP supporting your efforts to care for the oiled birds?

    A: Yes, BP is the responsible party and is paying for all the costs associated with the care and rehabilitation of oiled birds. IBRRC and Tri-State Bird Rescue are hired to manage the rehabilitation program for the oiled birds from this spill so in actuality we are contractors for BP.

    Q: What will the success rate be for oiled brown pelicans?

    A: It's impossible to predict the future but these are very healthy and strong birds and have a good chance at surviving the rehabilitation process. The majority of these birds are handling the stress of oiling, washing and rehabilitation extremely well, as expected. Over 300 of them have been cleaned and are in outside aviaries at this time getting ready for release. Brown pelicans typically have a high survival rate in oil spills when they are captured early on and given the appropriate care, as has happened here to date. I expect the majority of them to make it but time will tell and we will report on these birds as we move through the spill.

    Q: How can people help or donate?

    A: Well, as I have said before, we currently have plenty of help and are not in need of volunteers. As well as the Tri-State and IBRRC response teams, wildlife paraprofessionals from the Gulf Coast States are supplementing our workforce. In Louisiana, this is being coordinated by LSART (Louisiana State Animal Response Team).

    Regarding donating to the cause, there are pelicans and thousands of other wild animals all over the country that need help and are cared for by wildlife rehabilitators. I urge everyone to locate their local wildlife rehabilitation organization and support them and their great work in helping our precious wildlife get a second chance at life. Check with your state department of Fish and Game and they can help you locate a worthy wildlife rehabilitation organization.

    Beware of the NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) that claim they are raising money to help either restore the gulf or set up mass volunteer networks for spill response. Everyone wants a piece of this pie and a number of these groups who have never done much about oil spill response in the past are now asking for money, holding fundraising events, telethons etc. and using many tactics including celebrity endorsement and the media. They are opportunistic and take advantage of every oil spill or big disaster and I strongly urge you just to be cautious. Before you donate ask how and where your money will be spent before you give.

    Again, the real unsung and under-funded heroes who help wildlife around this country are the wildlife rehabilitation organizations who work 24/7 to care for our precious wildlife. They are hands on, on the front lines and the results of their efforts can be witnessed every time they release a rehabilitated animal back into the wild. My strong suggestion is that you support these organizations if you really want to help wildlife!

 :wave:   Thanks Donna! Boy they do good work on these birds.   :clap:

The magnificent brown pelican stood on the shore, wings wide open, displaying its 6-foot wing span. Every inch of the big bird's body was covered with thick brown sludge from BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The photograph of that bird ran in the Post-Gazette and many other newspapers. It was part of the endless array of horrifying images from this ecological disaster. We've seen the grieving relatives of 11 oil rig workers killed in the initial April 20 blast, out-of-work fishermen picking up tar balls from spoiled beaches, and the iconic "live!" footage of continuously gushing oil, many thousands of feet under the sea.

The fate of sea birds (including gulls, terns, cranes and herons) may not be the biggest tragedy. But for me, brown pelicans have become the "face" of the Gulf oil spill.

A total of 1,150 "oiled birds" had been collected by June 18 -- 885 of them dead, and 665 alive -- according to the National Audubon Society. Forty-two of the survivors have been released. More oiled birds are collected every day. They're washed with Dawn detergent, the de-greaser of choice for trained wildlife rehabilitators who clean up messes created by others.

"Wildlife do not perceive oil as a threat" and so they dive into oil-soaked water, said Dave Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation. "All pelicans know is that when they dive into the ocean for fish, they come out covered in oil."

Mr. Mizejewski has made several trips to the Gulf rehab centers to lend support and expertise. Oil hurts pelicans and other birds in a variety of ways, he said. They can get chemical burns to their skin, the structure of their feathers can be destroyed and fumes can cause respiratory problems. When soaked in oil, they can't fly, so they can't soar over the water and dive for the fish that they eat.

Birds constantly groom or "preen" their feathers. Swallowing the oil they preen from their feathers can kill them.

"The washing process is traumatic for the birds," Mr. Mizejewski said, and some may die of stress. "And after you wash and release them, what are they going to eat?"

The oil spill is damaging habitat and food sources in the Gulf of Mexico, along the shore and in the wetlands of Louisiana of other Gulf states.

What can animal lovers do to help brown pelicans and other oiled birds? Surprisingly, we can't directly help them, not with cash and not with hands-on help. BP is paying for wildlife rescue and clean-up, as well it should.

Leading the hands-on bird-washing is a Delaware-based organization, Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research, with an assist from a West Coast organization, International Bird Rescue Research Center. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services manages and oversees the rehab work.

Unauthorized people can't just show up and help. It's hazardous work, and special training and equipment are needed. Untrained volunteers also could damage the eggs and nests of birds and turtles.

Many animal and environmental groups are helping, including the National Audubon Society and National Wildlife Federation. Donations to any of these organizations will help brown pelicans and other Gulf coast wildlife. Both groups have worked in the Gulf for decades, and they say they'll be there after the headlines and reporters go away.

"Audubon is inspired by the 26,000 people who have contacted us to help" in the Gulf spill, said Delta Willis, senior communications manager.

Hundreds of Audubon volunteers have helped transfer oiled birds from boats to vehicles. They've prepared food for rescued birds. They've helped with government paperwork.

Volunteers with Audubon and NWF are being trained to do beach surveys to spot and report wildlife that needs help. Both groups are spending a lot of time dealing with media, and NWF has chartered boats to take reporters on tours. The Tri-State group did not return phone calls this week. Presumably its personnel is too busy taking care of brown pelicans and other wildlife, and that would be the best use of their time.

The Audubon and NWF have always spent a lot of time and effort lobbying for legislation that would help the environment. They'll continue to do so, with a special push for laws and policies that would avert future disasters like the BP spill.

And there's a way we can help without spending money: Contact your elected officials, especially U.S. representatives and senators, and tell them to support laws and regulations that would help the animals and the environment.

Do your homework. Check out websites to see what kind of legislation is being proposed. Here are some websites to get you started:

• www.tristatebird.org

• www.audubon.org

• www.nwf.org