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As you have heard by now, on Wednesday morning, a cargo ship collided with part of the Bay Bridge and spilled 58,000 gallons of fuel oil into San Francisco Bay, wreaking havoc on the Bay's ecosystems, especially the birds.
Birds are particularly vulnerable during spills. It only takes a small amount of oil to compromise a bird's feather integrity and insulation, and to cause hypothermia and death. Also birds can ingest the oil as they clean it off their feathers, which then inhibits their ability to digest food.
On Thursday, Bird Observatory staff and volunteers were out on the salt ponds and levees conducting wintering shorebird counts. At that early point in the disaster, we saw no evidence of oiled birds.
But today, Friday, our biologists spotted oiled birds, primarily scaup and Surf scoter just south of Highway 92 (San Mateo Bridge) near Hayward. So while most of the stricken wildlife has so far been found around the central bay and coastal beaches, those oiled birds that can still fly are capable of moving into the south bay.
The Bird Observatory is working closely with U.S. Fish and Wildlife staff to rescue oiled birds, by conducting surveys both from land and by boat, and to transport them to rehabilitation specialists. Other partners include the lead agency, the Department of Fish and Game Oil Spill Prevention and Response, the Lindsay Wildlife Museum and International Bird Rescue in Vallejo.
Thank you for all the emails and phone calls we've received today, from members and the press, who are deeply concerned and want to know how best to help.
If you see oiled birds, please note the species, number and precise location. This data is important for us to be able to relocate the birds, and for the eventual assessment of the spill's damage.
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