Photos of Dying Birds Put New Focus on Oil Spill

(June 4) -- Week after week, information about the BP oil disaster has gushed from every media outlet. The 24/7 live video, interviews, official briefings, photos, maps, computer animations -- all accompanied by endless commentary in print, online and on the air -- were starting to turn into little more than background noise.

Then came Charlie Riedel's pictures of the birds.

On Thursday, the veteran Associated Press photographer captured images on a Louisiana beach that reawakened public outrage about the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico as no words could. His photos from East Grand Terre Island showing dead and dying seabirds covered in brown sludge are stunning, horrifying, heartbreaking and unforgettable. (Boston.com showcased eight of Riedel's most striking photos on its blog The Big Picture.)

In one especially haunting shot, a brown pelican flails at the water's edge. Its oil-soaked wings are outstretched. Its head is raised with one glazed eye staring into Riedel's camera lens and its beak agape, as if crying out for help -- or perhaps sounding an alarm.

"This is the real face of the oil spill," the blogger known as Bayou Child wrote in a post linked to the photos late Thursday night. "My sister Jeri and I will be cleaning birds tomorrow and Saturday; gonna try to write a blog post about it if I'm not too wrecked. Can't sleep, thinking about it. I will never forget these pictures."

Former USA Today photo editor Matt Mendelsohn was among many who were struck by Riedel's picture of a bird so heavily encased in oily goo that it looked like "some mutated prehistoric creature." In an AOL News op-ed today Mendelsohn predicted the image would be "the one that everyone will remember for decades to come."

Hullabaloo blogger Digby's reaction to the pictures included a reference to "A Clockwork Orange."

"Remember the scene where Alex was forced to watch violence with his eyes propped open? I'd think maybe all those people who gleefully chanted 'drill,baby,drill' as a tribal chant would benefit from a little of that aversion therapy."

Riedel's picture are indeed hard to look at, but they must be seen. The same goes for videos like this one from CNN that caught the attention of the AOL News Surge Desk.

CBS also aired scenes of a pelican waddling ashore dripping globs of oil and a smaller sludge-covered bird being knocked over by waves.

On Fox News on Thursday afternoon, correspondent Steve Harrigan reported from Grand Terre Island standing near a dying pelican. (Click here to watch video.)

"The brown pelican, of course, is the state bird of Louisiana. Up until a year ago it was on an endangered species list here. It's just recently been taken off that endangered species list. It may have to go back on," Harrigan noted. "If you're looking for a symbolic picture, the state symbol of Louisiana choking to death on oil from the BP spill, it would be harder to find a stronger one than that."

Anchorman Shepard Smith appeared stricken by the images in Harrigan's report and mentioned that many news crews have said BP has tried to make it hard for them to get pictures of the worst damage. Mother Jones reported Wednesday that the company "is apparently barring cleanup workers from sharing photos of dead animals that have washed ashore."

A BP spokesman told the New York Daily News the oil giant is not trying to hide the environmental damage from the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster. But it does want you to see different pictures of what's going on along the Gulf Coast. They're featured in a commercial BP started running Thursday. (Click here to watch video.)

The ad -- starring embattled CEO Tony Hayward -- includes photos of workers cleaning beaches and washing a bird.

"To those affected and your families, I am deeply sorry. The gulf is home for thousands of BP's employees and we all feel the impact. To all the volunteers and for the strong support of the government, thank you." Hayward says in the minute-long spot. "We know it is our responsibility to keep you informed. And do everything we can so this never happens again. We will get this done. We will make this right."

Ads in major newspapers including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and The Washington Post carry the same message.

The commercial is the work of a political consulting firm run by Democrat Steve McMahon and Republican Alex Castellanos, according to CNN. BP wouldn't say how much it cost, but one public relations firm estimated it was around $50 million.

That kind of money can pack a big punch. But in this case, a $50 million campaign is no match for the emotional impact of a few iconic pictures.