Destin refuge assists two oiled birds; county to lift swimming advisory (PHOTOS)

7 p.m. UPDATE: Tar balls that began washing up on the Okaloosa Island beach Wednesday morning, and were discovered there again this morning, had stopped arriving by mid-afternoon and the decision has been made to lift a swimming advisory.

Dr. Karen Chapman with the Okaloosa County Health Department and Tracey Vause, the chief of the county's beach safety division, made the call after walking the beach.

"They're lifting it. It's clean out there," said Okaloosa County Public Safety Director Dino Villani.

Meanwhile, two oiled northern gannets were found Thursday — one on Okaloosa Island and one at Navarre Beach.

One was found on Okaloosa Island around 2 p.m., according to the State Emergency Response Team. The bird was not badly oiled. The Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge held the bird until U.S. Fish and Wildlife came to take the bird for cleaning.

View a photo gallery of the oiled gannet at Navarre Beach »

A second northern gannet was rescued from the waters off Navarre Beach about 3 p.m. when a beachgoer saw it covered in oil 50 yards out in the water, struggling to fly.

Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge volunteer Deb Edwards responded, swimming out with a net to safely capture the bird. When Edwards could swim no deeper, Dennis McKeown, a local fisherman on the beach, paddled his kayak out to the bird and manuevered the bird into the kayak with Edwards' net.

"We need everybody to help out," McKeown said.

A layer of oil covered the bottom of his kayak and hands as he placed the gannet into a breathable plastic container provided by the refuge.

"I think its a tragedy man. It's slowly sinking in that I went out to help that bird," he added.

Edwards said the bird seemed pretty strong in the way it was fighting the kayaker, and speculated the bird would make a recovery.

The gannet was transported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to a washing station in Pensacola where it will be stabilized and washed.