The Nation - News from June 5, 1989

Wildlife officials in Alaska are confronting new problems related to the Exxon Valdez oil spill in March. Recently, it has been discovered that some bald eagles have abandoned their nests, sometimes with oil-blotched eggs containing dead embryos, said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials. Theories on why the birds are deserting their nests include the possibility that eagles scavenging on fouled shorelines may be getting their feathers soiled and spreading oil to their eggs, where it penetrates porous shells and kills unborn chicks. Or eagles may be frightened by cleanup crews working near their nests, experts said. Meanwhile, mother seals and pups are being coated with oil at rookeries. Even so, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Coast Guard warned against capturing seal pups because they are better off with their mothers in the wild.