Hundreds of seabirds continue to be washed up along the south coast of England covered in an unidentified sticky waxy substance. They are mostly guillemots, and have been discovered on beaches from Hampshire to Cornwall. Many have been found distressed but fortunately alive, but sadly this morning we have received reports that 20 dead birds were washed up on Chesil beach in Dorset.
We are currently working with other wildlife NGOs to assess the situation. Many of the birds are found in clusters – yesterday 100 birds were found on Chesil Beach, 60 at Brixham, 12 at Teignmouth, and many individuals have been reported from Sussex to Cornwall. We have also received many reports of distressed birds at sea. It is high tide at the moment, so we won’t know the full extent of the problem until the tide retreats.
We will continue to work with the authorities and other NGOs to understand the situation better, and how to help the affected birds. Anyone finding an affected bird should not try to catch it, but contact their local RSPCA officer.
The identity of the substance is still unknown – the Environment Agency and the Maritime and Coastguard Authority are urgently trying to identify the substance.
The scale, impact and source of this event remains unidentified at present – but it serves as a good reminder that we need an ecologically sound network of Marine Protected Areas to help our marine wildlife be resilient to such disasters.
Very sad to hear, it was only a few weeks ago Guillemots & Razorbills were moving off the Kent Coast by the thousands, I think the highest count was on the 9th January 18000 Razorbills & 12000 Guillemots and hundreds still passing through now.