Response team: On the ground in the gulf

The IBRRC Team arrived in Louisiana today. Our team is working in partnership with Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research. Our organizations have a long history of working together on oil spills.

Together, our team has begun setting up a rehabilitation facility in a warehouse in Fort Jackson, LA just north of Venice about 70 miles from New Orleans.

There has only been one oiled bird recovered so far, a young Northern Gannet, which is being treated at the Fort Jackson rescue center. The bird was covered in thick, black oil and found offshore.

Another center is being set-up in Theodore, Alabama and staff from Tri-State Bird Rescue and International Bird Rescue are there beginning to set things up.

There are existing oiled bird treatment trailers in the area that were funded by Clean Gulf and Chevron so these are also being set-up to assist with stabilization of animals if necessary.

As of right now our teams are very much focused on preparing these facilities.

There is still not a great need for volunteers at this time as there is only one bird in care. Remember, if you are interested in volunteering you must call the Volunteer hotline at 1 866-448-5816.

And a big thank you to our partner, Procter & Gamble Co, who is sending 50 cases of Dawn dishwashing liquid to both centers. Dawn has supported us for more than 20 years on efforts to save aquatic birds worldwide. Check out our Dawn Saves Wildlife website page for more info.

– Jay Holcomb, IBRRC Executive Director

Also see:

Times-Picayune: Updates on BP Deepwater Horizon drilling disaster

20 years later: Finding oil from Exxon Valdez

Time Magazine has a story worth reading on the 20th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The piece chronicles scientists studying the remnants of the 11 million gallon spill in the Prince William Sound:

...Here, on Death Marsh, Mandy Lindberg, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Alaska's Auke Bay, turns over a shovel of sand and broken rock to reveal a glistening pool of brackish oil. The crude can be chemically typed to the Exxon Valdez, and more oil can be found beneath the beach at Death Marsh and at a number of islands around the Sound. "I wouldn't have possibly believed the oil would last this long," says Lindberg. "Studying the spill has been a great learning experience, but if we had known in the years after the spill what we know now, we would have been looking for oil much earlier."

See more: Still Digging Up Exxon Valdez Oil, 20 Years Later

IBRRC report of spill response: Crude awakening

Santa Barbara spill update: 3 oiled birds in care

According to the California's Oiled Care Network (OWCN), three live oiled birds are now in care following the Sunday morning leak near a Santa Barbara Channel oil platform. (Photo above of Grebe: Erica Lander/IBRRC)

The birds are being treated at the Los Angeles Oiled Bird Care and Education Center in San Pedro. IBRRC co-manages this center as a member of OWCN. This is the OWCN’s largest oiled bird response facility in Southern California.

Greg Massey, OWCN Assistant Director, says:

"The birds are being given supportive care (food, fluids, and supplemental heat). We’ll monitor blood tests, body temperature and weight to determine when they are stable enough to be cleaned. This is a critical time for the birds as they begin to regain strength and fight the external and internal effects of oiling."

IBRRC has three staff members in the Santa Barbara area assisting in the search and collection of oiled animals. Our organization is a proud member of OWCN, which is statewide collective of wildlife care providers and regional facilities interested in working with oil-affected wildlife.

Meantime, most of the spilled oil near Platform A has been cleaned up. A total of 1,400 gallons of oil (34 barrels) has been mopped up. Officials raised the amount of oil spilled since the December 7, 2008 incident. At one time the amount was reportedly 1,100 gallons. (Note: The standard oil barrel is 42 US gallons)

Platform A was the site of the massive January 29, 1969 oil spill. For eleven days, 3 million gallons of crude spewed out of the well, as oil workers struggled to cap the rupture.

Any injured wildlife should be reported to 877-823-6926.

Also see the new OWCN blog and website for more info.

Cosco Busan spill: What birds species were affected

In all the rush of news from the Cosco Busan spill, we neglected to post this "Bird Injury Summary" from the spill. It was collected by the government agencies involved in the spill.

The report shows the number and species of birds collected live and dead and includes a chart showing the bird collection numbers by day during the November 2007 spill.

Facts:

• Highest number of affected species was the Surf Scoter at 766
• Next highest: Western Grebe at 404
• More than 200 birds were collected four days after the spill

Download the PDF here

Birds don't get a break this month

They say things come in threes and this month it's proving catastrophically true for oiled birds worldwide.

On the heels of the San Francisco Bay spill, this week a major spill hit the Black Sea area of Russia. Up to 30,000 birds are reported to be dead after an oil tanker leaked 560,000 gallons of oil into the sea. The tanker broke in half after encountering stormy seas. CNN Video Report

Two team members from our joint IBRRC/IFAW Emergency Response team are already on their way to help. See the IBRRC report

Closer to home, a spill of suspicious origins along Santa Cruz County beaches is causing concern. Dubbed the "Moss Landing Mystery Spill," this spill has left nearly 100 birds tainted with a clear oily substance of unknown origins.

IBRRC's San Pedro Bird Center was activated to handle the first wave of oiled birds. Since then the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center in Santa Cruz has also started treating birds. See IBRRC update

Oil spill coverage: SF Chronicle

The San Francisco Chronicle staff has done a remarkable job covering the SF Bay Spill.

I recommend checking out the online version of its printed paper. Remember those? They cost 50 cents and used to get ink smudges everywhere. Until they switched to soy based inks...but I digress.

Spill coverage