Not much going on

It's been a quiet week here in Mississippi.  So quiet, that the powers that be are working on a plan to reduce the Wildlife Operations staff.  Initially we thought that we would be done here on Friday, but it seems we have been given another week to work.  After that, who knows.   Part of me would welcome the chance to get out of here for a while - there is little actual work to be done and the days seem to last forever.  I don't want to end my work with the oil spill, so hopefully another opportunity will present itself soon. 

I would love to get back to Louisiana and have the opportunity to work Wildlife Ops there.  It seems that Louisiana has been impacted the most, and there is still a lot of work left to do there.  I truly hope that the company I am working for can find a way for us to get involved there in the event that our current assignment ends.  I think we will know something by the end of next week; until then, I will just keep on plodding along. 

We have only had 2 calls in the last 2 weeks, so it's been incredibly slow.  We are hoping to finally get out on a boat tomorrow, which will allow us to survey a large stretch of marshy coastline that we have been unable to access.  It amazes me that it has taken us this long to secure a boat, but things in Mississippi are just not as organized as in Louisiana. 

I am getting tired, and frankly, a little bored.  It looks like I will not be getting my two days off this weekend that were scheduled, so I don't even know when I will be home next.  I imagine that the next time I leave, it will be more or less for good.  Nothing else exciting to report, so until next time...

Bye bye, Bonnie

The remnants of Bonnie are just offshore, and so far here it's a bit overcast, but no rain or storms.  I am very relieved that Bonnie fizzled out, for my sake as well as the Gulf's.  A stronger storm could have potentially caused some very serious issues for the marshes of Louisiana.  Let's hope Bonnie is the last visitor we get this summer.

We have been on stand-down since yesterday, so I've been relaxing in my hotel room and getting caught up on paperwork.  I imagine we will be back to work tomorrow, but I won't know for sure until tomorrow morning.  To be honest, I keep waiting for the axe to fall on this whole operation.  We take so few calls at night that I can't help thinking that someone is going to shut down night operations sometime soon.  But, so far so good - I still am employed and that's all I can ask for.  I've decided that in the event that we do get let go before my sabbatical is up, I will most definitely be looking for a similar position with a different firm;  I am enjoying the hell out of this work and don't want to go back to my desk job anytime soon!

A slow few days

It's been pretty slow since I got back to Mississippi.  My routine is pretty much the same every day - wake up for a conference call at 10:30 am, survey the beaches and marshes until sundown, and then wait for calls until midnight.  So far we have only had one call for a juvenile laughing gull with a dislocated leg.

I still get to see some interesting things though.  We have been visiting a certain beach area with a nearby Osprey nest with young.  Today however, when we stopped by, the babies had flown the nest and were nowhere to be found.  Ospreys are beautiful raptors which feed on fish and are amazingly large up close.

On Monday, we released 14 laughing gulls and one ring-billed gull which had been previously been oiled and were completely rehabilitated.  We released the birds onto a small beach island just west of Pascagoula.

 Other than that, it's been kind of boring around here, to be honest.  I will be keeping my eye on the tropical wave that is currently over Hispanola and will be heading home if they call for an evacuation.  We have good weather predicted for the next few days, so we may try to do some survey by boat if possible.  Nothing else to report for now, I'll update again in a day or so.

It's back to work I go....

I'm back in Mississippi as of 11:00 this morning and working my regular swing shift until midnight.  I had a great few days at home, mostly spent relaxing, eating good food, and consuming a few adult beverages.   Luckily, I will be home again in two short weeks for a weekend.

I saw an article today regarding media access to the spill work sites.  I know a lot of people were very upset when the Coast Guard issued a mandatory 65-foot 'no media' buffer around all work sites and boomed areas, and I'm sure those same people are happy that the Coast Guard reversed the policy a few days ago.  I, however, am not so sure it's a good idea to give media no-limit access to all sites, and here's why.  When I was in Grand Isle, the media were EVERYWHERE - you couldn't throw a rock without hitting a boat or truck full of reporters.  Which is fine, in theory, and I know everyone wants full disclosure of what is going on.  Our wildlife rescue operation allowed media of all sorts (from HBO documentary crews to local news guys) to ride along on one of our boats on specified days, and while I never had media on my boat, I understand it happened regularly.  However, during our daily surveys, not one day went by when we didn't see a boat loaded with cameramen in a place they shouldn't have been.   The bird nesting islands are extremely sensitive places, and even biologists had very limited access to them.  The media, in pursuit of that perfect picture or film footage, would often cross the protective boom which surrounds the islands and sometimes even pull up ONTO the islands.  These rookeries house literally thousands or even tens of thousands of birds, including countless hatchlings.  The wake caused by the boats approaching the island, or even worse, people actually walking around on the islands, can cause irreparable damage to the nests and colonies.  I for on was glad to see the Coast Guard enforcing the buffer zone - most of the media boats we saw were not considerate at all of the sensitive nature of the islands.  I hope that in reversing this policy, common sense still prevails and the rookery islands remain protected.

Here in Mississippi, it's a totally different story.  I have yet to see the first camera crew or reporter on any of the beaches.  I'm sure they are out there somewhere, but the presence here is definitely less pronounced than in Louisiana, despite the fact that oil is continuing to show up on the shores here as well as in Alabama and Florida.   And now that the damaged well is "plugged" (for the time being), I can't help but think that the media spotlight will start to wander elsewhere and the long struggle that our coastal states face in remediating this disaster will drop off the front page.  After all, Lindsay Lohan is going to rehab and Mel Gibson is acting crazy - who doesn't want to read about that every day? 

Props to my husband (and to Mignon Faget)

So I got home today for my four days of R&R.  I'm not sure I've ever been so excited to walk in my back door.  I also am not sure my dogs have ever freaked out at seeing me quite as much as they did today.  It was a nice feeling.  :)

Since I don't have anything really work-related to write about, I thought I'd share a sweet story involving my husband and Mignon Faget (a jewelry designer from NOLA who happens to be a favorite of mine).  Our two-year wedding anniversary was this past weekend.  I initially wasn't scheduled for a day off until the end of July, but my husband ended up planning a last minute trip to come visit me so that we could actually spend our anniversary together.  So anyway, Mignon Faget has recently designed a Gulf Coast Collection of jewelry, with sales benefiting the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.  My husband decided that one of these pieces would make a most excellent anniversary present for me (he was spot on).  The problem was, they were back ordered for 4 weeks.  Not to be dissuaded, my husband sent an email to Mignon Faget customer service explaining the situation - that I was out of town working on the oil spill and he desperately wanted to have this gift in time to bring it to me on his visit for our anniversary; was there any way he could pay extra to get one shipped early?  Much to his surprise, the piece arrived at the house 2 days later, at no extra charge. 

My husband never ceases to amaze me in how thoughtful and romantic he can be.  He chose a beautiful piece of jewelry that I will always treasure, and will always remind me of this summer.  And big thanks to Mignon Faget for going above and beyond.  Here is a link to the collection:  Mignon Faget Gulf Coast Collection. 

A much-needed rest

My days off were rescheduled, and I will be coming home tomorrow!  I get four days off, so I will be able to spend some much-needed time to relax and be at home.  I will return to work on Saturday and start another 2-3 week rotation. 

On my agenda for this week - a manicure/pedicure; a few loads of laundry; time with my family, husband, and dogs; plenty of sleep; and drinks at George's (my favorite hangout).  I'll be back to work next weekend, so I'm going to make the most of my time at home!

A happy weekend

I am in a great mood this morning - my husband is coming to visit me for the weekend!  Big thanks to mom for keeping the dogs for him, and thanks to husband for making the drive!  I have been working since June 22nd, and it looks like I won't be getting a day off until July 20th.  Since I won't be able to go home for a while, I'm very happy to get to see my husband, even if it is just for a night.  Our wedding anniversary is tomorrow, and although I'll be working the night shift, we will at least be able to go out to lunch to celebrate.

Have a good weekend - I sure will be!

Long day....

We were fairly busy today.   We got up this morning and assisted in the release of two birds that have completed their rehabilitation.  We selected an appropriate location on the shores of Singing River Island and released an oystercatcher and a laughing gull.  The oystercatcher:

And the juvenile laughing gull:

It was a neat experience to see them fly away and go join the flocks of other birds that were down on the beach.

We had two calls tonight, which were not nearly as upbeat as our morning.  The first was a call for a deceased Great Blue Heron; he did not appear oiled, but was still brought in for testing to the intake center.  Great Blues are quite large and are amazing birds. 

Our second call was for an injured laughing gull - he had a broken wing.  Although his injuries were obviously not related to the oil spill, we still brought him to the intake center for veterinary care. 

Not much else to report, and I'm too exhausted to write about some of the things I mentioned yesterday.  One of these days I promise to sit down and address some of the things I've been reading in the media and my take on the situation - I just need some free time when I'm not sleeping or working!

Bird Count: 3

Yesterday was a fairly slow day.  We spent most of the afternoon surveying the beaches and marshes of eastern Mississippi.  We spotted a healthy green heron, which is a beautiful bird and one that isn't seen too often.  They are much smaller than most of the other heron species, and have amazingly colored plumage.

Tonight we received a call about an oiled bird along the Pascagoula beach.  We arrived to find a Royal Tern in pretty bad shape - it appeared he had previously been oiled and may have encountered some chemical dispersant.  Royal Terns are one of the largest tern species, and typically look like this:

This is the tern we rescued tonight:

I am not sure he will make it, but at least now he is in the good hands of the rehab folks.  We also found out tonight that our loon from a few days ago didn't make it, but the pigeon is doing well.  I actually got to help out in the rehab center for an hour or so tonight, bringing birds in from the aviary for exams.  All the birds I assisted with were laughing gulls (what most people just call sea gulls), and all seem to be doing very well.  They certainly put up a fight when I was trying to corner and catch them!  These are some of the laughing gulls that are located on a rocky outlet along the Pascagoula beach - there are usually 50 or so in this location and we check on them every day.  The dark-headed birds are the adults, and those with the mottled heads are juveniles that haven't reached their full plumage yet.

I have a few more things I want to write about, but I am fighting to keep my eyes open, so I'll leave the heavy stuff for tomorrow.  I want to address some of the news articles that I keep seeing and getting asked about - specifically, reports regarding the media ban from certain areas and other outrage topics that have been brought to my attention.  If you have any specific questions you would like me to address, please let me know and I'll do my best.  But, as I said, I'll work on that tomorrow.  Anything else I try to write tonight will likely be incoherent garble.

Good night!

Bird Count: 2

Yesterday was fairly uneventful.  We spent most of our shift surveying the beaches in Pascagoula along with the coasts of a few inland bays.  We did receive a call regarding an oiled Roseate Spoonbill, which is an amazing bird.  We got to the location and spotted the bird out in the marsh, but were unable to capture it.  The bird did look moderately oiled, but managed to get just enough wind under her wings to get out of our reach.  We checked back today, but she wasn't there.  Spoonbills are one of my favorite birds to spot because they so brightly colored and unusual looking.  Here is a roseate spoonbill (but not the one we tried to catch):

Today we headed out to Singing River Island, which mainly functions as a naval and coast guard base, but also has a fairly long stretch of natural beach.  

We were able to survey the entire beach by foot and saw some pretty interesting things.  All along the coast I spotted roughly 25-30 horseshoe crab carcasses and exoskeletons.  It was impossible to tell if they were oiled or perhaps died of natural causes, but either way, it was a sad sight.

We also saw lots of birds, which all looked clean and healthy.  One of the more interesting species we saw was the Least Tern.  One subspecies of this bird is listed as an endangered species in most gulf coast states.

We also saw a few small tarballs which were washing onto the shore.  They are orangish-brown and extremely sticky.

Later in the evening, we received a call about an oiled bird along Bayou Casotte.  When we arrived, we were pretty surprised to find that the bird was a pigeon.  Pigeons are not known for swimming in water, so I'm not sure exactly how it got oiled; regardless, we collected it and brought it to the wildlife intake center in Gulfport.  The weather was really nasty, so it took us over an hour to drive 30 miles.  Here is our little rescued pigeon:

I finally got back to the hotel around 9:00, and am now on standby for more calls until midnight.  Staying awake this late is quite a challenge.  And in case I want to relax in a nice hot bath, this is what I have to look forward to:

Yes, that's really what the water looks like here.  Not very inviting, is it?

I am currently on day 13 of work with no time off.  It looks like I will be working straight through until July 17th, and hopefully by that time will be able to get a few days of R&R.  I'm finally starting to get a little tired, and would love to get home for a day or two to see my family (and sleep in my own bed!).  Otherwise, things are going smoothly and I am thoroughly enjoying my work down here. 

Bird Count: 1

It is 11:30 pm and I just returned from capturing my first bird.  Our team (which is myself and another biologist) got the call around 10:00 that a crew cleaning up tar balls on the beach had spotted an oiled bird.  We arrived on site and the foreman led us to the bird, which had been roped off to ensure the bird was visible to the workers and construction equipment. 

The bird was a moderately oiled loon who was very disoriented and did not struggle at all.  We brought him/her to the intake center in Gulfport where it will be under the care of a great veterinary staff.  I sure hope the little guy/gal is ok.  The bird was not covered in goop, but the feathers were matted and disheveled and showed signs of some oil staining.  Of course, my camera isn't working, so I wasn't able to get a picture. 

Common Loons are native to Canada and the northern US and migrates to the Gulf coast during the winter.  Typically, Loons look like this:

Our loon was likely a juvenile, or an adult still in winter plumage. Both look something like this:

Additional information on the loon from allaboutbirds.org.

Now I am going to bed!

Of all the places....

I was up at 5:00 this morning to finish packing and get on the road to Mobile, AL.  As of this morning, my plan was to drive to Mobile, get checked in and get my assignment, and head to an unknown destination in Florida.  After five hours in my very small car (and one pit stop in Mississippi), I arrived at HQ in Mobile at 11:30.  We met with the folks from the International Bird Rescue Center, who are down here assisting US Fish and Wildlife with bird rescue and recovery.  We, apparently, will be their night-time relief.  However, the location completely changed on us, and I am now in Mississippi.

I have a fairly long work history here - for about three years I traveled quite often to Pascagoula, MS to work at the Chevron Refinery.  When I quit that job a few years ago, I distinctly remember thinking, "man, I'm glad I'll never see that crappy town again" (no offense if you hail from Pascagoula, but I will offer my condolences).  Even the ride through MS this morning reminded me of all the wonderful things I had forgotten - a hellish memory lane filled with Hardees burgers, tap water the color of split-pea soup, and the trashiest Wal-Mart in history.  So imagine my surprise (and horror) when I was given my assignment - none other than Pascagoula, MS.  Oh you dumpy town, I have not missed you.

I did, however, manage to secure a hotel room in the nearby metropolis of Gautier (pronounced Go-shay), which I'm sure will have at least 2 more fast food restaurants, but lacks a Wal-Mart.  

We will be working the night relief shift and start in full swing tomorrow, so from noon to midnight each day we will be surveying our areas (ours is the eastern third of the Mississippi coast), rescuing birds, and responding to calls from dispatch.  Apparently the citizens around here are actually calling in dead or oiled wildlife in the middle of the night.  Go figure.

I realize I sound a little grumpy, and it's not intentional.  I am very excited to still be involved with this effort, and I think this region will be seeing a lot of oiled wildlife in the days to come.  The operations here are scaled way down from what I was involved with at Grand Isle, but I still have met a lot of great people today who are also glad to be down here helping.  So if I am coming off as a bit surly, trust me, it's just the fact that I have been awake for almost 16 hours and spent a good portion of that in a Pontiac Solstice.  

Oh, and my camera broke, so no more pictures until I replace it.

Farewell, Grand Isle

Well, we have officially been voted off the island.  The Houma command center made the decision to fill our spots with federal people, which leaves 14 of us without a job.  Luckily, the company I am contracting under has also been working in other states, and I am one of the lucky six who is heading out tomorrow for another assignment.  I will be arriving in Mobile, Alabama around noon tomorrow to get checked in and will start working with the International Bird Rescue Center immediately.  We will be responding to calls of oiled wildlife, but the catch is - I will be working the swing shift from 4 - midnight.  After 10+ days of being up at 4:30 am, it's going to be quite a change.  I am tentatively scheduled to be stationed somewhere in Florida, but will get more details tomorrow.

I am very sad to be leaving Grand Isle and the operations here.  We have become like a family, and it's painful to leave everyone, as well as this beautiful place, behind.  There is talk that we may be back in a month or so, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.  I started this adventure to help with my home state of Louisiana, but at this point I am willing to go where I am needed.  I had so much I wanted to photograph and share with everyone from Grand Isle, but the weather this week kept me mostly homebound.  If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend a trip to Grand Isle to do some fishing or relaxing on the beach (after the spill is over, of course).  There are some amazing people down here that would show you a great time.

I will most likely start my first swing shift tomorrow night, so I doubt I will be able to update the blog.  Hopefully by Monday I will be starting to adjust and can update everyone on what I will be doing in Florida.

Farewell, Grand Isle, it's been fun.

Another few off days

The bad weather from Hurricane Alex kept us beached for the last two days.  We are hoping to go back out tomorrow and get to survey the damage from the storms, but the weather may keep us in yet again.   So, nothing really exciting to report on that front.

On a side note, I finally caught a glimpse of the nasty political underbelly of this whole operation.  Currently, we are teamed with US Fish and Wildlife and Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries.  Today, USFWS decided that they wanted more of their own people down here, so they are attempting to push us out of the operation.  We will find out tomorrow if we will be staying on Grand Isle or demobilizing on Saturday.  My company has assured me that they have positions for us in other Gulf states, but I have to admit to being less than thrilled about having to leave for Alabama or Florida.  Fingers crossed, and hopefully we'll get good news tomorrow.

I want to bring attention to a certain Louisiana artist - Stacey Blanchard, who created the now-famous-in-Louisiana LSU Tiger Fleur De Lis design seen on virtually every car in Baton Rouge.  Stacey has created a beautiful design and is selling merchandise to benefit Louisiana families affected by the oil spill.  Her site can be found at http://curethecoast.org.  The artwork is breathtaking up close, and so far I have purchased the license plate and a decal for my car.  Here is a close-up of the design:

You really can't see the amazing detail in the artwork on this photo, but trust me, it's pretty damned awesome.

On another note, I wanted to take the opportunity to commend our wonderful boat captains working on the wildlife recovery effort.  All are locals who know these waters like the back of their hands, which is important in navigating these waters.  So many houses and other structures were sunk during Katrina - boating in the marshes is very dangerous, and I feel so lucky that we are in the hands of such experienced captains.  We get to hear their stories every day, and it is heartbreaking.  One captain is an 8th generation fisherman who has seen his livelihood flushed down the toilet.  Another is a charter captain who would typically be taking countless people out on fishing expeditions each summer, and has now lost that source of income.  Another tells the story of his neighbor who has thousands of acres of oyster leases in the affected areas, and is now sitting on 5 million sacks of oysters that he cannot harvest.  At $30 a sack, that adds up to $150 million dollars in lost revenue this year, not to mention the crew that he has had to lay off.  These guys are working on this effort to make ends meet, but also care so deeply about the resources we are trying to protect.  They know the islands, the waters, and can identify birds and other wildlife far easier than even the most seasoned biologists.  Having them as part of the team is invaluable, and I can only hope that they can find a way to make it through these rough times and come out on the other end with their lives intact.