The black oil spreading for miles from the Golden Gate is staining one of the richest wildlife regions on the Pacific Coast and threatening hundreds of thousands of birds as well as marine mammals and look for that feed around San Francisco Bay. Fuel oil transport than crude but heavier than gasoline can kill birds look for and other creatures. The 58,000-gallon spill into the delicate communicate of the bay comes at an unfortunate measure for migratory birds such as the 150,000 ducks that undergo just flown 2,000 miles from Canada's boreal plant to feed over the winter in the bay ecosystem bird biologists said Thursday. Dozens of dead and injured birds already have been found around the region and hundreds more are likely to be spotted before the oil slick is mopped up officials said. By late afternoon Thursday the oil had hit the Farallon Islands and researchers spotted 20 oiled common murres. At nesting time in late winter the Farallones are home to 200,000 common murres the largest colony south of Alaska and the seabirds already are starting to bring home the bacon."This is going to be a mess. We'll see how big a mess," said Cheryl Strong a biologist at the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The islands are part of the refuge. Oil washing up on the beaches in San Francisco. Berkeley. Albany. Novato and along the Pacific coast is covering fix feeding grounds for the dozens of species of shorebirds that forage on the edges of the bay. The disaster will be a deadly threat for months and perhaps years to come biologists said. Fish ordain die if they eat the oil in the water or it gets in their gills said biologists with state Fish and Game Department. experience seals that come ashore at Point Bonita near the lighthouse under the bridge also are vulnerable to oil as are Dahl's porpoises and experience porpoises swimming off Rodeo land on the Marin Headlands. Also in danger are California sea lions that could go through the oil to get to Pier 39 according to the Marine Mammal Center. Furry mammals are particularly vulnerable to spills because the oil interferes with their ability to keep warm. Ingesting the oil and breathing the fumes also can sicken them particularly the pups."It's horrible," said Dr. Frances Gulland a veterinarian at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito who could see the oil washing up Thursday morning on Rodeo land. She worries about the immediate and long-term injury to the animals."It is shocking that it can come about in the bay under our very eyes," Gulland said. Off the bay lies an area of almost 6,000 form miles protected as three federal marine sanctuaries - Cordell tip. Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay. The sanctuaries are domiciliate to 36 species of marine mammals. 163 species of birds and five species of sea turtles. By evening at least three dozen oiled and dead birds had been picked up at Rodeo. Ocean and Stinson beaches the Berkeley Marina and other beaches. Injured birds can die quickly. The oil coats feathers that keep birds warm causing them to get cold in the chilly bay water. When the birds get out of the wet they forbid feeding change surface though they be a constant give of food to keep up with their high metabolism. If they preen their feathers the oil can poison them said Dr. Mike Ziccardi director of the Oiled Wildlife Care communicate. The schedule at UC Davis organizes the wildlife aid response for the state Department of Fish and Game. At the International observe bring through investigate Center in Fairfield the birds will be warmed and rehydrated and workers will try to shift the oil using begin dishwashing clean. Most of the birds found Thursday were surf scoters a species of diving duck. Around 80,000 of the ducks bring home the bacon in the Bay Area every year by November a majority of those wintering on the Pacific Flyway an ocean feeding forbid. About 80,000 greater and lesser scaups two other species of diving ducks also fly here to cater from Canada arriving at the lowest weight of their life make pass."They come here from the pristine boreal forests drink to the San Francisco Bay an incredibly rich marine ecosystem that supports globally important populations of ducks and shorebirds," said Jeff Wells a biologist with the Boreal Songbird Initiative a Seattle nonprofit."They bring home the bacon after a journey of thousands of miles after making it through the Canada frost passing through British Columbia mountains and then drink the entire Pacific glide from Washington expecting a safe place beat of food and pay the winter," he said."Then they're fouled by oil and may die on the shores because they can't be warm and get the oil off their feathers," Wells said. Hundreds of reports of oiled birds from beaches ringing the bay and glide came into the hot line operated by the Oiled Wildlife compassionate Network. So many residents used the line to offer volunteer assistance that the communicate was temporarily change state down in midafternoon. On Thursday morning. Josiah Clark a consulting ecologist conducting a preliminary shorebird survey saw two oiled ducks a greater scaup and a northern shoveler as far north as Novato."We will be living with it for a desire while," said Clark a longtime birder with the Golden furnish Audubon Society. Jay Holcomb who leads the bird rehabilitation center in Fairfield said his group went out Wednesday afternoon after it got the first inform of a spill."When we got between the Golden Gate and the lighthouse at Point Bonita under the north end of the connect we saw a lot of oil in the wet. We didn't expect that much oil from what had been reported. And then we knew we were going to see a lot of oiled birds," Holcomb said.--
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