Sean Gardner

Brown pelicans gather on shore.

Sean Gardner

Paul Link scours the marshland off the Louisiana coast near Hopedale.

Sean Gardner

Surveying the shoreline

Sean Gardner

Two juvenile laughing gulls, believed to have been exposed to sheen oil. While not as noticeable as heavy crude, sheen oil also coats birds’ feathers, negating the uropygial gland's ability to waterproof feathers. This greatly reduces buoyancy and may cause drowning. These birds were captured and transported to the Fort Jackson Rehab Center in Buras, Louisiana.

Sean Gardner

Paul Link with a net used to capture oiled birds

Sean Gardner

Paul Link rescues an oiled juvenile laughing gull.

Sean Gardner

This oiled laughing gull was also taken to Fort Jackson for rehab.

Sean Gardner

Taking notes and marking coordinates

Sean Gardner

An oiled juvenile laughing gull hides in vegetation.

Sean Gardner

Getting in tight for a close look

Sean Gardner

A dead oiled juvenile laughing gull, found on an island off Breton and Chandeleur Sounds

Sean Gardner

Back on the boat between islands

Sean Gardner

Brown pelicans, with boom visible beneath

Sean Gardner

Brown pelicans in flight