Accidents happen.
Brandt's Cormorants, Seal Rock, San Francisco
The first reports about the Cosco Busan's collision with the Bay Bridge weren't too worrisome. The bridge wasn't harmed; they said drivers wouldn't even have felt the impact, as it just hit some protective bumpers around the base of the tower. A fuel leak was reported, but it was small - only about 140 gallons. Unfortunately, that number turned out to be off by 57,860 gallons.
Follow me below the jump for updates, ways you can help, and photos of some of the birds and areas affected. ("Before" photos, I should add.)
Gulls and Black-footed Albatrosses, Farallones
With the initial, small spill report, it seemed like it would be an extremely local problem and a quick cleanup. It was soon found to larger by an order of magnitude, and the slick has been affecting birds throughout the bay, along the coast outside the Gate as far north as Pt. Reyes, and has also reached the Farallone Islands, one of the richest areas for sea life on the west coast.
South Farallone Islands
The timing of this spill couldn't be worse for most of the affected birds. They breed in the far north, then winter in the Bay Area. Most have just arrived, and have used up much of their energy reserves on migration. In a few more months, they'll have rebuilt the reserves enough to have a better margin of safety, but right now, they're running on empty.
Sanderlings (left) and Black-bellied Plover (right) some of the shorebirds affected.
Oil spills don't just affect birds, of course - the whole web of marine life suffers. Birds and marine mammals are fortunate, in that they come on to land or to the ocean's surface where they can be rescued more easily. Long after the most visible signs of the spill have dispersed, the oil and its residues will be affecting life below the surface where the food chain begins.
Greater and Lesser Scaup (left) and Western Grebe (right)
Oil harms birds in two major ways: First, it mats their feathers and destroys their natural waterproofing and insulation so they can no longer stay warm in the water. Second, as they try to preen the gunk from their feathers, they ingest the oil, which shuts down their digestive systems - they suffer from dehydration and starvation (something that happens quickly in creatures with such high metabolisms). If rescuers can get to the birds quickly, they can begin rehydrating, feeding and cleaning them before the damage is irreversible.
If you see oiled wildlife, don't try to rescue them on your own. For one thing, the bunker oil involved in this spill is nasty stuff, and you don't want to get it on you. More imporantly, unless you've been trained in proper techniques, you're more likely to spook the animal back into the surf, where they'll be cold, wet and hard to capture.
What you should do is report the location where you've found the bird or animal to the Oiled Wildlife Hotline (877) 823-6926. Only use this number to report wildlife - there are other numbers to volunteer to help. If you see any immediate threats to the animal, you might be able to address those; there have been several reports of dogs chasing oiled birds back into the surf, so a word to the clueless owners would be a help.
The Oiled Wildlife Care Network asked for birders to try and get to "places less travelled" where you know there to be birds. As they said "We got over 40 calls yesterday reporting one oiled surf scoter at Crissy Fields; one call reporting 40 oiled clapper rails in Anderson Marsh would really help sort out rescue triage. The sooner, the better. The faster we can get these birds stabilized and washed, the higher their chances of recovery and survival."
More from OWCN: "Don't approach or touch the birds but call 877-823-6926 and provide the location (be very specific, GPS coordinates are great), the species, number of birds seen, whether dead or alive, and percentage of oiling. Please leave your name and a contact phone number. We are inundated and most of my veterinary and administrative coworkers have left Davis; of the ones of us still here who are answering this number, I'm the only one who's likely to know what a clapper rail is, so please be patient if you get through to a live person.
Under no circumstances should people touch or approach an oiled animal unless they have HAZWOPER training and are properly equipped. If you see someone doing this, please remind them that this is toxic material."
One other thing I'll add: Oiled wildlife can be found away from the coast and the bay. Oiled birds may fly to inland lakes and reservoirs, even into local parks. Most will be only lightly oiled but are still at risk (when they preen, for example), so they should be reported.
To report ALIVE oiled wildlife:
Oiled Wildlife Reporting Hotline - (877) 823-6926
To report oiled mammals: Marine Mammal Center: (415) 464-5170
Gulf of the Farallones Nat Marine Sanctuary (415) 987-0412
To VOLUNTEER
Note: The work involved in the rescue and cleanup will probably be going on for several months. Even if you don't have time this weekend, contact the organizations to get involved in ongoing activities.
Volunteer Hotline - (800) 228-4544 http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/...
To volunteer, you must be 18, and take their health and safety class in Fairfield. It is free, and is held at 4369 Cordelia Road in Fairfield. Come prepared to volunteer after the class, wear close-toed shoes, old jeans, and a t-shirt, and bring a change of clothes for when you are done.
BayKeeper http://www.baykeeper.org/
Donations: International Bird Rescue Research Center - they will be putting out a lot in the coming weeks http://www.ibrrc.org/
Bay Keeper (above) is another good organization
Oiled Wildlife Care Network has an email link on their main page (above)
Wildlife rescue groups may have a need for towels and rags in coming days, along with food and water for cleanup volunteers. As of this moment, there was no specific collection point but I'll update if I hear of one.
To report DEAD oiled wildlife or other info about the extent of the spill:
To Report an Oil Spill: Call 800-OILS-911
If you find dead wildlife and have a camera hand, take some photos to document the impact. From Audubon Canyon Ranch "Our contacts at NOAA and other agencies are working to gather any damage information people are seeing on the ground and get any info documented with photos and video. They are concerned about oyster and eelgrass impacts in addition to other fish and wildlife impacts. Please contact Natalie Cosentino-Manning at the NOAA Restoration Center if you have information or pictures - Natalie.c-manning@noaa.gov, please cc mlatta@savesfbay.org."
Please report dead mammals Calif. Academy of Science at (415) 289-7325
Residents can help authorities track the movement of the spill by calling the private cleanup company, O'Brien's Group of Southern California at (985) 781-0804.
General Spill Information
Golden Gate National Recreation Area incident info site: http://www.nps.gov/...
It will be updated regularly about what is going on and how to help.
And here's one that you might want to bookmark in general - this site is a digest of all of the California birding lists. http://www.sialia.com/...
And now for something completely different:
Two last things: Christmas Count season is nearly here, more on that in a few weeks. You don't have to be an ace birder to take part, although it helps to have some basic knowledge (like, you can tell a robin when you see one). If you're interested in taking part in the oldest citizen science study in our country, contact your local Audubon chapter or get more info (including local contacts) from http://www.audubon.org/...
For those in the Bay Area who'd like to help on a wonderful habitat restoration project, there will be a work party at Pier 94 in San Francisco on November 17 from 9:00 til noon. More info available at http://www.goldengateaudubon.org/...
(I checked with the coordinator and it's still on, despite the spill.)