I was called to the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida in Pensacola on 3 May 1997. They had received eight storm petrels that morning and wanted help in identifying and releasing the birds. In the early morning of that day, a strong cold front had passed through, with heavy thunderstorms, rain, and high winds. The birds had been brought to the sanctuary by a fisherman from Orange Beach (Baldwin County), Alabama. He said that the birds had landed on his boat. wet and exhausted. The exact position of the boat was not given. After a few hours at the sanctuary, they had become active. Upon examining the birds in hand, I took them to the shore of Bayou Grande in Pensacola, Florida. Six of the eight flew readily from my hand and headed toward the Gulf of Mexico. One bird flew, but was too weak to stay aloft. The last bird was too weak to fly at all. I returned the two birds to the sanctuary, but they died.