Audubon volunteers aid young pelicans in recovery effort
Each day starts early for the Audubon volunteers, boat captains and Louisiana state biologists who are feeding and looking after dozens of young Brown Pelicans in Louisiana's remote Cameron Parish.
The pelicans are "oil-spill babies" – birds hatched during BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster and oiled as chicks by contact with their parents' oily bellies or with oily vegetation. Rescued by biologists and treated by bird rehabilitators, the chicks grew up in captivity and are now being returned to the wild. Rabbit Island, the release site, is clean and free of oil.
Many of the pelicans are old enough to fly already; others are still too young. But they all need helping hands and watchful eyes to give them the best chance of survival and success as they learn to fend for themselves.
And so, the boat leaves every day at dawn, loaded with fish, two Audubon volunteers, and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologists.
Audubon volunteer Christine "Tippy" Tippens describes what happens next:
"After the biologists did their count … we threw the fish ('pogies') around the perimeter of the island to the recently released birds. They will be weaned off of the provided fish as they re-acclimate. It was a wonderful feeling to see so many pelicans together in such a beautiful marsh, healthy and not blackened with oil."
As the birds mature, feeding will be reduced to encourage them to feed on their own, but monitoring of their health, safety and numbers will continue for quite some time, explains Audubon's Louisiana volunteer coordinator, Lexie Montgomery.
"This is such a meaningful opportunity for caring Audubon volunteers to witness and tangibly contribute to these birds' recovery," she says. "We are so grateful to these volunteers and to the many hundreds of others who've given of their time and resources over the last four months. As we look toward recovery – symbolized by these young pelicans – we rely people's continued commitment to make a difference."