Yesterday morning I woke up at 8am even though it was Sunday and we can stay in bed as long as we like on Sundays. I wandered up to the bridge to see who was on watch and offer them breakfast and I found Mike who was happy to put his order in for a full English breakfast, which Rien was offering down in the galley. Usually we make our own breakfast but today we could order whatever we wanted from a selection of pancakes or omelets etc. When I delivered Mike's plate he told me we had a guest and to go look out on the port side wing of the bridge. To my surprise there was a seabird sitting quietly on the deck. Apparently he's arrived in the very early hours and had been in the same place the entire time. It didn't move as I approached to get a closer look and I felt almost certain that it was sick or injured. I pulled out one of the bird identification books we had and sat down next to it while Mike and I pondered over what kind of seabird it was. We figured out it was a northern fulmar.
I asked Mike how possible it was to help it but he told me that when seabirds come on board like that it is unlikely that they will survive even if you feed them. However, I decided to try it anyway so I went down to the galley and got a tin of sardines.
When I offered a small piece to the bird it didn't seem to be interested at first so I moved it around under its beak and all of sudden it pecked at the fish and ate it. Immediately the bird rose up onto its feet and hobbled around on the deck. After eating some more fish it opened its wings and caught the breeze on its feathers as it headed towards the side of the deck, facing towards the ocean. It stopped for a moment but then pushed itself over the edge. I thought at that point it would fly off but it dropped down to the lower deck rather helplessly and landed under one of the life preserve rings so I raced down the steps towards it, thinking I might have help it over the side of the ship. I stood back a little hoping not
to frighten the poor thing and I whispered "go on then, go on" and at that moment it launched itself off over the side of the ship swooping towards to the water and gliding over it skillfully, across the waves right into the distance. A huge smile stretched across my face .... one thing I knew for sure.... it was going to survive another day at least.
That's pretty much how I feel about the environmental movement. Even if things still go from bad worse (and I hope that they don't), you can't say that all the dolphins and all the birds (and every living thing) we did save were not worth the effort. Every little thing we do for the environment helps something, somewhere, even if only for a short while.
You can start making a difference online by registering as a cyberactivist
-Lisa
(a cyberactivist since 2004)
Comments
Hey Lisa!
I started reading this weblog today and I am halfway through! I love your comments about the voyage, it must be spectacular where you are!
Thank You for saving that bird!
Posted by: Kieron Barnes at July 27, 2005 02:41 PM
Hey, well done Lisa,
The Northern Fulmar, or as we in Sweden say " the storm bird", looks like a gull, but is actually closely related to the albatross.
It's a common bird in the North Atlantic, and they often follow ships especially fishing boats.
Another story from the Atlantic.
15 Arctic owls were free passengers on a Swedish freighter , which departed from Canada with destination Rotterdam. All the birds arrived to Rotterdam and are now waiting for permission to be flown to Northern Sweden. Probably they had seeked for shelter onboard the freighter. They are classified as critically endangered.
Ann
Posted by: Ann Novek at July 27, 2005 10:51 AM
Ah Lisa, keep committing those random acts of hope, even when they say it's hopeless. You're the spirit of Greenpeace.
