As reported earlier, the 2014 winter storm season has been extremely devastating to seabirds in France and the UK, with impacts in Spain as well. Initial reports mentioned oiled birds and birds covered in a sticky substance.
Oil and other substances found on some birds
According to the latest information from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), 170 birds (including both live and dead animals) were reported with oil on them in the Southwest of England. This is only 6% of the total birds reported for that area, which includes Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and the Isles of Scilly. A number of the birds were reported as smelling very strongly of oil indicating that fresh oil is involved in at least some cases. Despite the small numbers, given the magnitude of the wreck, the additional impact from oil exposure is of concern, as most birds recovered are reported as being significantly underweight from being unable to forage in the rough conditions.
In Cornwall, 14 birds found in late February had a sticky substance on their feathers. The UK Environment Agency analysed samples of unidentified white material found on one affected shoreline and reported the product to be a 'rancid edible oil'. A similar substance was found on several other beaches but no definite connection has been made between that substance and the affected birds, as the substance has not been found on the beaches where the birds were collected.
Affected birds are species often impacted by oil
While oil is not the primary issue in this seabird wreck, the species affected are also some of those often impacted by oil spills. The combination of warming ocean temperatures resulting in declining sand eel (a primary prey species for many seabirds) and two years of intense winter storms (there was a smaller seabird wreck in 2013) has put recent population recoveries at risk. Long-term impact on breeding colonies on the UK coast will be monitored closely, as many of the birds recovered during this wreck have been breeding age adults.
Total birds by country as of 10 March 2014
Spain 231
France 24,781 of which 2,784 were rescued alive and taken into care
UK 4,500
(England, Scotland and Wales)
Totals for most heavily impacted species
Puffins 15,770
Guillemots 8,700
Razorbills 2,270
Auk sp. 1,320 (these are most likely also guillemots and razorbills)
Kittiwakes 440
These numbers are considered conservative minimums based on actual birds counted. It is assumed that other birds have died at sea or have come ashore in inaccessible areas. The peak of the wreck appears to have been in mid- to late February.
In France, fishermen have reported “carpets of dead birds floating at sea”, according to the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO), which has conducted a number of surveys along the Atlantic coast of France between mid-February and mid-March. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is encouraging anyone who finds a dead seabird to check for rings and report any found to their Euring site as the ring data give information on age and origin of the birds found.
People wishing to help, in addition to reporting impacted seabirds, are urged to support the work of the RSPB, the LPO and the BTO in their ongoing efforts to conserve seabird populations.
Resources:
Storms bring large numbers of seabirds ashore in Europe: some are oiled
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
The Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux
The British Trust for Ornithology