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JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
A U.S. Coast Guard HC-144 transport plane arrives at the Aransas County Airport with a load of 38 brown pelicans and one Foster's tern on Sunday, June 20, 2010. The birds were rescued from Louisiana after they were affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, cleaned and held for eight to 10 days in order for their feathers to regain their natural water repellency. The birds were released in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge's San Antonio Bay on Sunday. -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
U.S. Fish and Wildlife employees watch as the plane arrives with the birds. It was a long morning for the pelicans, which, along with a single tern, made two long road trips and the two-hour flight in dog carriers. -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
U.S. Coast Guardsman Stephen Perusin carries a kennel with a Foster's tern after the plane arrives at the Aransas County Airport. The kennels behind Perusin contain pelicans. For now, an array of state and federal agencies plan to coordinate more transfers to Aransas and other sites in Texas — with BP footing the bill. The air transport alone involved two pilots, two Coast Guard personnel and one representative each from the National Park Service, U.S. Geographical Survey and U.S. Fish & Wildlife. -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
U.S. Fish and Wildlife employees Carey Strobel (left) and Vicki Muller unload one of several brown pelicans to be released. Aransas is already home to brown pelicans and is one of 10 sites in Texas being considered for relocations of what biologists call the "pelican oil spill." -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
A brown pelican peers out of a kennel as it waits to be unloaded off the plane. Pelicans so far dominate the list of birds collected in the past two months in Alabama, Florida and Louisiana, which as of Friday numbered 665 alive and 212 dead. -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials load brown pelicans into five different vehicles at the Aransas County Airport for release at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials carry crates with brown pelicans as they arrive at San Antonio Bay in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials carry the brown pelicans into the water for their release at San Antonio Bay. -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
Brown pelicans fly out of their kennel as they are released. "They're Texas birds right now," said Dan Alonso, project leader for the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Complex and host for the largest release to date of birds rehabilitated from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the first release in Texas. -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius releases brown pelicans in San Antonio Bay. "I think they've got really good chances now," said Tom Melius, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife biologist overseeing the transfer. "The best thing for these birds is to get them back on their natural water as soon as possible. They know how to catch fish and feed. They know how to make a living for themselves." -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
Brown pelicans are taken into San Antonio Bay for their release. Within minutes, the birds had begun disappearing into the refuge, heartening biologists who feared the birds might be too weak from either ingested oil or the rehabilitation itself to take to new surroundings. -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
A Foster's tern waits in a kennel to be released at San Antonio Bay in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
A Foster's tern is released at San Antonio Bay in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Nancy Brown said all the birds had been banded, which made the release "an opportunity to get some good science." -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
Brown pelicans fly off after their release at San Antonio Bay in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Aransas is already home to brown pelicans and is one of 10 sites in Texas being considered for relocations of what biologists call the "pelican oil spill." -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
A brown pelican flies off after its release at San Antonio Bay in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. "If we just took them out 20 miles from where they were caught, put them back where in the water, they'd go back to where they were caught," said Tom Melius, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife biologist overseeing the transfer. "Over here, hopefully they'll take time to preen, to restore their body conditions through natural feeding — if it doesn't discourage them from going back, we hope it takes a long time." -
JERRY LARA/glara@express-news.net
Spectators gather to watch as U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials release 38 brown pelicans and one Foster's tern in San Antonio Bay at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
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