The rescue and cleaning of three birds found covered with oil in the Coral Beach, Lucaya area last week has left residents questioning if the oily residue and tar-like substance discovered on beaches two weeks ago in Grand Bahama has had a more serious impact than first believed.

Director of Parks at the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) Ellsworth Weir said the three Rock Pigeons were located by Humane Society workers and taken to the Rand Nature Centre, which is under the umbrella of BNT and had an area where the birds could be cleaned and housed.

"We received them on Monday around 9:30 a.m. and they seemed alert," Weir said.

Following an initial wash, subsequent washings and feeding over three days, he said the animals look healthy despite their ordeal.

"When they will be able to fly again remains to be seen, but we will continue to monitor them."

Weir said in the event the birds are not able to, arrangements will be made to house them safely.

An ecologist expressed concern about the birds being able to survive after being heavily coated with oil.

"There are a number of things that can happen as a result of oil contamination," said Dr. Ancilleno Davis, assistant professor of environmental science at the University of The Bahamas North Campus.

"The direct impact to the birds is oil sticking to their feathers, getting on their bodies and because oil has natural toxins, if the birds ingested the oil."

A former BNT senior scientist and policy analyst, Davis explained that the oil could get in the eyes or beak of the bird, clogging the airway, causing the bird to experience breathing challenges and impacting their ability to fly.

"Flight is a big part of being a bird; having their feathers clean and dry for take-off, flying around to get their food and escaping predators. That cannot happen if their feathers are stuck together from the oil," he explained.

"When that happens, the birds are grounded, which results in other materials like sand, plastic and leaves sticking to their feathers."

Davis said that when the oil dries it forms tar which seals everything together.

"Once that happens, the bird is pretty much done for," he said.

Asked how long it takes for the oil to dry on a bird, Davis said it is hard to determine.

"There are other factors that have to be looked at - was the bird fully immersed, was it exposed to a lot of heat?

"So, it is hard to say exactly, but if a bird doesn't have human intervention within the day, it's very unlikely the bird will survive after being immersed in oil."

The three Rock Pigeons were rescued in time and their bodies cleaned.

Davis said the cleaning process depends on the condition of the bird but it usually takes multiple washes.

The process starts with a wash with vegetable oil to remove as much of the crude oil as possible. Then the bird is washed up to five times with Dawn dish washing liquid, using Q-tips, cotton balls, soft sponges, tooth brush and towels.

Delores Kellman of Grand Bahama Island Birders (GBIB), one of the groups

that volunteered to assist with the cleaning, said the process was easier than expected.

"We set up two containers of warm water, which should be at 106-degrees," Kellman explained.

"Using all of the material/tools for the process, we worked the Dawn into the feathers, avoiding their eyes and beak. All of the birds' feathers were matted and had sand trapped in them.

"So, it was just a matter of trying to wash the oil, sand and other small particles out of their feathers."

Asked about the importance of GBIB participating in the cleaning project, Kellman said, "People travel world-wide to do birdwatching and Grand Bahama is a favorite place.

"It is ecotourism and is a big support for the economy. Additionally, birds pollinate plants, control pests, spread seeds, reduce weeds, keep the environment clean, and they also tell you if something is going wrong with the environment from their behavior. So, it was important for us to be a part of this exercise."

The volunteers who helped clean the birds were also worried about how much of the ecosystem may be impacted.

"Some may think it's not a big deal, but we don't know the far reaching effects of the oil spill," Kellman said.

"You may go to the beach and yes, you may end up with some tar at the bottom of your feet. It's annoying, but a lot of times people are not aware of the ecosystems that are affected.

"The wild life in the ocean, you have land birds and sea birds. So, some of it we don't see and it's just destructive to the environment."

Director of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) Dr. Rhianna Neely-Murphy said the beach areas continue to be monitored.

Up to Thursday, she said, no other impacted areas or animals had been reported.

"With respect to the birds covered with oil, we have reports of three birds from Coral Beach area being taken for removal of residue," Neely-Murphy said.

"No other reports have been received."

When questioned on Wednesday about investigations into the source of the oil, Minister for Grand Bahama Ginger Moxey told media in New Providence that samples of the residue found on local beaches were sent to the United States for testing.

"Clean-up, monitoring and investigations are underway to determine where the oil came from," Moxey said.

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