Day seven. I had another day at Fort Jackson planned, but had to stop and photograph the alligators on the way, so cool. Day seven went pretty much as the previous one did, with me helping out where ever I could and talking to the very positive and up beat team that were there (one person had taken a class with me in Palm Desert some 4 years ago!). I decided to leave by 6 PM and return to my lodgings, shower off the copious sweat, and go to the local marina restaurant for supper. I was able to talk...

Day six. Everyone was taking off except me. I had been invited to stay with a forensic psychiatrist who was volunteering at Fort Jackson, so I packed my gear and headed out to the rehab station. I spent the day working with Dr Erica Miller from Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research, admitting birds, sweeping floors, restocking coolers, and generally helping out where ever I could. I learned one heckuva lot! And sweated a lot! The team there is outstanding. Everyone made me feel so welcome and shared with me their trials and triumphs. I also so saw first hand how...

Day five. Up at 5am. I was given permission to go to Fort Jackson at 8am – a 2 hour drive away. I arrived and was allowed to sign in and get identification under the auspices of the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC). I then spent several hours meeting the teams and watching as they went about their jobs. The main intake is pelicans, primarily brown’s, but also the odd white one. The brown pelicans were far more benign than that white one, which launched itself at the side of its cage and snapped its beak every time someone...

Day four. Slept in till 6am. Still hot and humid. We spent this day out in the helicopter again, flying eastward into Alabama. This is where the reality finally hit me. Flying over Mobile Bay between the land and Dauphin Island you could see extensive oil slicks and sheen. Not so bad in itself until you really looked and saw dolphins swimming in it, it looks so benign from 2000 feet up. That was a very sobering sight. But again the enormity of what this region is facing was brought home to us. We landed for refueling and decided to...

Day three. Get up time 2:30am. Out of the hotel at 3am to get to the boat. Still hot and humid even at this time of the day. Today was spent out on the water looking at the problem from the water level into both the marshes and wetland areas, and the again, the enormity of the issue. In every direction there are oil rigs, and boats servicing these structures. In the distance you could see the oil tankers lined up and docking at the offshore centers. Under the water, by watching the sonar, you could see all of the...

Day two. The heat and humidity had not abated at all and we were up early in what was to become the pattern of long days, with early starts, late nights and little sleep. It was mainly all work. We spent the day in a helicopter surveying the Mississippi Delta region and extensive wetlands. Many attempts at booming were apparent, and many of the levees were closed by riprap. The main impression from this day is the enormity of the task at hand should oil get into this area. All of the areas we flew over were under the tidal...

Day one. It was an uneventful trip down to Louisiana, and my first time in New Orleans. The signs of Hurricane Katrina are still everywhere, from the new houses side by side with abandoned wrecks with holes in the roofs from people hacking their way to safer ground on top of their homes. It is hard to imagine that another blow of immense proportions is happening. Everyone on the team arrived on the Thursday and met at the Maison Dupuy in New Orleans for our first get-together that evening. It was rapidly apparent that Deb Parsons-Drake, Senior Director, HSUS Animal...

Departure June 9, 2010 What a nightmare! I have been watching the Gulf spill happen from a safe distance, horrified at the images shown in newspapers and TV, all from the comfort of my own home. That ends this Thursday. I have been asked by the Humane Society of the US (HSUS) to join a very special group to visit and offer insight and expert knowledge into the long term impacts this spill will have for the wildlife in this region. As a rehabber, I know the joy and heartbreak involved in caring for wildlife that has come off second...