"Gulf Oil Spill: Birds in Barataria Bay Hit Hard"

"Members of a three-man team from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology traveled from Grand Isle, La., by boat to the outer islands of Barataria Bay to film the effects the oil is having on the bird population.

They arrived on East Grand Terre Island just as the sun was coming up and quickly spotted a first-year herring gull, whose white breast feathers had turned orange.
“It looked like he had come into contact with the oil while swimming and had then spread it around while trying to clean itself,” said Marc Dantzker, a biologist and documentary filmmaker.

In comparison to the images they had taken earlier of oil-drenched pelicans, the gull looked in pretty good shape. But often those lightly oiled birds are most at risk, because they are difficult to catch and treat."

Carolyn Cole reports for Greenspace in the Los Angeles Times June 6, 2010.

See Also:

"Coast Guard Sees Cleanup of Spill Lasting Until the Fall" (New York Times)

"Gulf Oil Spill: National Seashore Islands Hit by Oil" (Greenspace)

"Gulf Oil Spill: Wildlife Toll Grows as More Oil Washes Ashore" (Greenspace)

"Alabama's Coastline Still Unprotected From Gulf Oil Spill, Gov. Bob Riley Warns" (Mobile Register-Press)

"Tiny Tar Balls From Gulf Oil Spill Reported Farther East on Florida Coast" (AP)

"Gulf Oil Spill Threatens Turtle Protection Efforts" (Mobile Press-Register)