![A male Rufous Hummingbird in profile perched on the tip of a budding branch.](https://media.audubon.org/image/engagement-cards/rufous_hummingbird_boebatyapa_1200x657.jpg?width=345&height=219&auto=webp&quality=10&fit=crop&enable=upscale&blur=100)
Gretna, LA
3:15pm
We went to Pass a Loutre on 5/21/10, just as the oil was beginning to enter the area. Here's what it looked like.
Pass a Loutre is a series of waterways through marsh containing abundant birdlife. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
The oil has already taken over part of the marsh. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
The sticky oil clings to everything around it. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
The coastline was ringed with oil as far as the eye could see. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
Some areas had been completely overrun with the oil. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
An oiled Brown Pelican. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
Much of the oil sat on top of the water, giving it a 3D effect. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
Justin Nobel collects oiled water. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
Absorbent boom saturated with oil. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
It is nearly impossible to remove oil from areas with cane. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
The movement of the water creates psychedelic shapes. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine
On our return, we passed a snowy egret in a still-pristine area of Pass a Loutre. Photo by Kim Hubbard/Audubon Magazine