Oil Spill Continues To Lay Heavy On My Mind

The Sea Gull That Broke My Heart

This bird has become iconic of the disastrous Gulf Oil spill, AOL has an opinion why.

Editors note: Several readers asked about the fate of the bird in the photograph. We asked Matt to look into it, and here is his response: The birds, including our sad looking creature, are all being taken to the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Fort Jackson, La. The problem with tracking our particular bird, the one in the photo, is that it became "famous" after it had been taken to the center and attended to. (Meaning Charlie Riedel's photo didn't become an international sensation until the bird had already been cleaned. So no one would know which one it is or was.)

Here's what Jay Holcomb of the IBRRC wrote to me: "I honestly don't know. It was a laughing gull and we received quite a few that day. The problem is that they all got put together and by the time we got them much of the loose oil had been whipped off. A few of the gulls died in the last few days but most are alive. Just really not sure if it made it or not."

The IBRRC has a web site and readers can make donations to their ongoing efforts: http://www.ibrrc.org/index.html