Wildlife affected by oil spill expected to grow in coming days

The cleanup of an oil spill from an offshore barge that caught fire has already begun on Mustang Island as biologists warn at least two threatened bird species are in harm's way.

As of Tuesday, no oiled birds had been captured on area beaches but   oiled sanderlings, a small white shorebird, have been spotted. 

About 2,500 barrels of oil/water mix from the damaged barge, which was offshore of San Jose Island last week began washing ashore on Mustang Island Sunday, according to Jace Tunnell, director of the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, headquartered at the Marine Science Institute.

The spill coincides with the southern migrations of many birds through the Coastal Bend, including the threatened red knot and piping plover. So far, mostly  oiled sanderlings, another small white shorebird, have been spotted.

"Nearly 100 percent of the red knots and piping plovers that are here are on the beach right now," said David Newstead, director of Bird Conservation for the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program. 

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Tunnell and Newstead said they spotted several oiled birds Sunday and they expect more to come. Staff and volunteers at the Animal Rehabilitation Keep at the marine science institute are qualified to clean oiled wildlife and are standing by, Tunnell said.

Meanwhile, crews are assessing oil washing up on the beaches of Mustang Island and north Padre Island, said Lt. Jennae Steinmiller, a public affairs officer with the U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading a unified effort to manage the spill.

Included in the 120 people involved in the effort on land, are two wildlife teams and a vessel patrolling nearshore waters, Steinmiller said. Aerial observations show a light oil sheen on the surface of the gulf along Mustang Island, but no major concentrations of oil, she said.

Park officials at Padre Island National Seashore on Tuesday reported a five-mile stretch of scattered oil along the beach, but very few oiled birds were seen, said Patrick Gamman, chief of interpretation and education at the seashore.

"It's a soft, sticky substance only about five to 15 centimeters in diameter," Gamman said. "It's only from mile marker 4.8 to mile marker 10. So far I don't think this will affect visitors to the park."

David Sikes (@davidoutdoors) | Twitter