Gulf Coast Awaits Landfall of BP Oil Slick
May 2nd, 2010How Many Birds Must Die, This Time?
What will the great blue herons of West Beach in Gulf Shores do when the BP oil slick reaches shore?
Can you imagine surviving eating fish soaked in petroleum?
Hopefully they will have the sense to fly north a ways…
They don’t really mind sharing their fishing grounds with humans, but that little orange boom is not going to save Little Lagoon in Gulf Shores, Alabama, from encroachment by the oil spill…
Will it keep at least some of the sheen out of the lagoon? It depends on the amount and timing of the oil slick, the tides and the wind…
Are the people of Fairhope ready if the BP oil slick makes it’s way up Mobile Bay?
What will become of the pelicans of Dauphin Island, back from the brink of extinction from the chemical DDT?
Not sure what’s got this old girl stressed out. Is she worried about her nest? Or had she flown high and seen the coming oil slick? Who can read the mind of an ancient bird?
Comments
Powered by Facebook Comments
May 2nd, 2010 at 6:38 am
I was thirteen or fourteen before I ever saw the ocean. Our first family vacation was to Destin, long before it became a paradise for the rich. We stayed in a little block house just across from the only motel in Destin, now long gone. During that week I saw birds and ocean critters that I did not know existed and to a child seeing all of this for the first time I was mezmerized and dreamed of spending the rest of my life walking the pristene white sand and discovering shells and watching pelicans, herons and gulls.
My heart is sick today thinking all of the Gulf Coast will be covered in black glumpy tar like gook. I am heartsick over the loss of wildlife and their habitat. Why are we smart enough to drill at these depths but not smart enough to clean up the mess when something goes wrong? I fear the Gulf Coast will not recover for a very long time and maybe not in my lifetime. My grandchildren will not have the same opportunity to remember the beauty and abundance of dancing up and down the coast in search of treasures never seen before. Their memories will be of trying to wash oil from their feet, their exposure to wildlife will be limited and as they become adults this may be the norm. Shame on us and our addiction to oil.
May 2nd, 2010 at 10:50 am
I was on Dauphin Island about two weeks ago for the annual spring migration meeting of the Alabama Ornithological Society. Plovers and other birds are nesting on the west end of Dauphin Island now. It was an absolutely beautiful time of year to be there and as always seeing the birds, the water, enjoying the quiet of the west end was good for my soul.
Now this.
My heart and soul are definitely in great turmoil as I watch with everyone else this horrible threat getting closer and closer to that beautiful place and those wonderful birds and other sea creatures. How many more of these disasters will it take for us humans to learn we let it happen and only we can stop it from happening again?