Trouble is looming over Point Au Fer Island in southern Louisiana.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is casting a dark shadow across the Gulf of Mexico that grows a little larger with each passing day.
If the ocean currents change direction, the Louisiana Island will be in the direct line of fire and the birds nesting there will be hit hard.
This week biologists conducted a two-day bird census to determine how many migratory birds are now residing in Point Au Fer, according to a recent story in the LA Times. If the oil slick advances towards the island, these data will provide the starting point for quantifying the effects of the disaster on native animal populations.
The LA Times reported the results of the census,
“By the survey’s end Wednesday, team members had trudged across 30 miles of beaches and counted roughly 120 pairs of Wilson’s plovers, 500 pairs of least terns, 750 individual nighthawks and six pairs of American oystercatchers.”
Now, the researchers are waiting for the oily surge to arrive.
The American coastline along the gulf is speckled with areas designated by the Audubon as Important Bird Areas, including Atchafalaya Basin which encompasses Point Au Fer Island.
These delicate habitats demand our attention during this dark hour.
The black hand of tar has already grabbed hold of coastal estuaries east of the bird-filled island. And the reports of birds with oil-related deaths continues to soar -- the current count (as of the time of this writing) is 1,024.
Tags: Animals, Current Events, Oceans, Wild Birds, Wildlife Conservation
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