From the end of January through early March, many seabirds washed up on the shores of France, the UK, the Channel Islands and Spain. Most were in very poor body condition with the majority in France reported as weighing less than half their species' normal weight. Puffins and guillemots continue to be the species most affected.
Total reported casualties as of this update are 32,156 birds overall, however, that number is expected to increase by as much as 5,000 as new information from the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO) indicates that approximately 30,000 were birds affected in France and Spain alone. Those numbers included 18,500 puffins and 8,000 guillemots. As reported on Oiledwildlife.eu earlier, these losses are linked to severe weather in the Atlantic.
Off birds stranding in France, 15% were reported as having been oiled and the Centre for Documentation, Research and Experimentation on pollution (CEDRE) reports that the oil on all these birds has the same chemical signature. The source of the oil, which is under investigation, has yet to be determined. Less than 5% of the birds reported in the UK had evidence of oil or other pollution exposure.
Le Centre Vétérinaire de la Faune Sauvage et des Ecosystèmes (CVFSE) at Nantes Atlantic College of Veterinary Medicine, Food Science and Engineering (ONIRIS) admitted 1054 birds during the wreck. Of those 891 were dead on arrival, 46 had to be euthanized on intake and many did not survive the rehabilitation process, likely due to their advanced state of emaciation.
Information from the RSPB indicates this year will likely yield the highest number of birds found in the UK on their Beached Bird Surveys since 1996 and be the third highest total since surveys began in 1991. The RSPB also notes that 27 species have been recorded as storm-wreck affected including black-headed gull, black-throated diver, Brunnich’s guillemot, common gull, cormorant, fulmar, gannet, glaucous gull, great black-backed gull, great crested grebe, great northern diver, great skua, guillemot, herring gull, kittiwake, lesser black-backed gull, little auk, little gull, Manx shearwater, Mediterranean gull, oystercatcher, puffin, razorbill, red kite, shag, storm petrel and yellow legged-gull.
The British Trust for Ornithology has received more than 400 reports of ringed birds. Those numbers include more than 100 each for puffins, guillemots and razorbills. Reports have been received from France, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and England and results indicate that many of the puffins were from breeding sites in the UK and Ireland.