In the first few weeks of February 2014, following a series of storms with winds of up to 160 kilometers per hour, seabirds have been washing up on the beaches of France, the Channel Islands, and the UK.
The highest number reported has been in France where at least 5,000 birds, most of them Atlantic puffins, have died. Other species being seen include razorbills, guillemots, shags and some shorebirds. In the UK, birds are being recovered from the beaches of the southwest coast. On Jersey in the Channel Islands, volunteers were mobilised to walk the beaches where nearly 400 birds were counted as of 17 February. Similar numbers were reported on Guernsey.
Few birds have come ashore alive, and those that have are exhausted and often starving, having been unable to feed during the storms. Although some birds have been found with oil on them, the oil does not appear to be related to any recent spills. Rough seas may have churned up oil from wrecks or oil may have been lost from ships also struggling in the storms. There have been no reports of oil on beaches to date.
Update:
More than 21,000 dead seabirds were counted on the Atlantic coast of France during a co-ordinated survey on 22-23 February. 2,784 live birds were taken to veterinary facilities for rehabilitation. The counts were organised by the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO), a Birdlife International partner. More than half of the birds found were puffins, who continue to be the hardest hit. Smaller numbers of guillemots, razorbills and kittiwakes were also found.
Another survey is planned for the weekends of 1-2 and 8-9 March. In addition to gathering important scientific data, the surveyors will rescue any birds found alive, transferring them to veterinary and wildlife rehabilitation centers.
There are also early reports of birds being found on UK beaches coated with an oily substance which has not yet been identified.
Resources:
Tens of thousands of dead seabirds washed up in Bay of Biscay
Recent storms have killed at least 5000 seabirds on French Coast
Hundreds of seabirds washed ashore in South West
Jersey volunteers find hundreds of seabirds washed up
Seabirds found washed up on beaches