Abstract
The pigeon guillemot flapped his
way into the air and flew inches
above the surface of the water near
Bligh Reef. He was small as shore
birds go - drab and awkward. He
wasn't really going anywhere but the
urge to mate and have chicks had
given him a vibrant energy. As he
moved along, he didn 't notice when
the translucent emerald water just
below changed to the viscous black
color of death . The small, reddish
orange webbed feet reached down
towards the surface, but instead of an
awkward splash the sound was more
like a rock striking very wet mud.
Immediately panic struck. The little
bird tried at full speed to push with
his feet and become airborne again ,
and gather enough wind beneath his
wings to pull clear of this lethal goo.
With his heart pounding he fell back.
He could no longer see, his eyes now
covered by this substance so tenacious
it would not blink away. His
chest heaved as he sucked in the fatal
gasses which caused the vessels of his
lungs and airsacs to burst, and finally
to cause the heart to stop beating .
With his death the little guillemot had
become one of the early statistics in
the largest oil spill in United States
history.