Oil Spill Alert: Help Protect Florida’s Birds and Beaches
We can all brief a sigh of relief that it appears the Deepwater Horizon oil gusher has been tapped. But the Gulf is still awash in oil and it is arriving on Florida’s Gulf Coast beaches in tar balls and sheen, and has been picked up in the loop current. Get updated information on trainings, and ways you can help in coordinated efforts to safeguard Florida’s coastal birds and sensitive habitats.
You can take action in many ways:
Volunteer to help Audubon's efforts to protect Florida's birds, beaches and other coastal areas.
Add your name, address, telephone and email address to Audubon’s rescuevolunteer registry. Oil is making landfall on on Florida’s beaches, and Audubon is recruiting beach monitors, bird stewards and wildlife observers for clean up crews. We also act as a clearinghouse, connecting local members of the volunteer registry with oiled wildlife response leaders for your area’s beaches.
Contribute to our special fund to rescue oiled wildlife, should it become necessary, and underwrite advocacy to Protect Florida’s Beaches and our coastal birds and wildlife. Your money will be used exclusively to fund wildlife rescue and treatment and to tell national and state decision makers that Florida’s coast is too important to put it at risk from dirty and dangerous oil drilling.
Some Birds At Risk:
Brown Pelican
Brown Pelican - The state bird of Louisiana nests on barrier islands and
feeds near shore. Their breeding season has just begun and many pairs
are already incubating eggs. Removed from the U.S. Endangered Species
list only late last year, Brown Pelicans remain vulnerable to storms,
habitat loss, disturbance and other pressures. Their relatively low
reproductive rate means any disruption to their breeding cycle could
have serious effects on the population.
Beach-nesting terns and gulls (Caspian Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern,
Least Tern, Laughing Gull, Black Skimmer) - These birds nest and roost
in groups on barrier islands and beaches. Some species have begun
nesting or building pair bonds in preparation for nesting. They feed on
fish and other marine life. Roosting and nesting on the sand and
plunging into the water to fish, they are extremely vulnerable to oil on
the water’s surface or washing ashore.
Beach-nesting shorebirds (American Oystercatcher, Wilson’s Plover, Snowy
Plover) - These birds nest on the ground on barrier islands and beaches. They
feed on small invertebrates along the beach or – in the case of
oystercatchers – on oysters. They are at risk if oil comes ashore or
affects their food sources.
Reddish Egret – Populations of these large, strictly coastal egrets have
dwindled due to habitat loss and disturbance. As specialized residents
of coastal environments, they have nowhere else to go if their feeding
and nesting grounds are fouled by oil.
Large wading birds (Roseate Spoonbill, Ibises, Herons, Egrets) - Many
herons, egrets and other species feed in marshes and along the coast.
and nest in large colonies called rookeries. They are vulnerable if oil
comes ashore in these areas. Florida’s central Gulf Coast region hosts
continentally and globally significant populations of many of these
birds.
Marsh birds – (Clapper Rail, Black Rail, Seaside Sparrow, Marsh-Dwelling
Songbirds) – Many of these birds are extremely secretive, hindering
understanding of their population dynamics. Recovery efforts would be
difficult or impossible if oil accumulates in the coastal salt marshes
where they live.
Ocean-dwelling birds - Birds that spend a significant portion of their
lives at sea, including the Magnificent Frigatebird, may be affected by
oiled waters. Contact with oil could lead to ingestion or damage to
feathers. Oil also threatens their food supplies. These birds are
difficult to monitor, and potential impacts are difficult to quantify.
Migratory shorebirds (plovers, sandpipers and relatives) - These birds’
travels span the western hemisphere. But many species are currently en
route from wintering grounds in South America to breeding grounds in
boreal forests and arctic tundra. They congregate in great numbers on
beaches and barrier islands to rest and refuel during their long
journeys.
Migratory songbirds (warblers, orioles, buntings, flycatchers, swallows,
and others) - Many of our most colorful and familiar summer songbirds
fly nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico twice each year as they migrate
between their breeding and wintering grounds. The biggest push of spring
migrants moves across the gulf during a two-week period from late April
to early May. The journey across 500 miles of open water strains their
endurance to its limits. They depend on clear skies and healthy habitats
on both sides of the Gulf in order to survive the journey.
Read more about the spill and its environmental impact at the 
Your time and money can make the difference. 
