Sometimes we are reminded just how vulnerable the natural world is and how at mercy of human actions it is at all times.

No one could have watched the BP Gulf of Mexico disaster without fearing for marine and bird life.

Just yesterday, we had one of those ‘oh no’ moments in our region too, with the news that about 500 litres of oil had leaked from a ship in the Thames Estuary. The oil soon spread and reached to Canvey Island and washed up on beaches. Still reeling with recent footage from America, my mind couldn’t help but fill with shocking images of oil coated birds, struggling to survive.

In the Thames in particular, many thousands of ducks, geese and wading birds use the Estuary as an important stop-over and refuelling point on their migration south from their Arctic breeding grounds. If they land in polluted areas and get oil on their feathers it can damage the waterproofing and insulation and at worst prevent them from flying. In the longer term, if oil gets into the estuary mud, it could poison much of the food the birds depend on to survive the winter.

Thankfully, the impacts of this spill appear to be minimal. As with any spill, we’ll be monitoring the wildlife closely and if you are concerned about any individual birds, then do contact a local welfare organisation such as the RSPCA.

It’s a fragile, fragile world.

 

Image Mike Richards, RSPB Images: An oiled guillemot - thankfully an archived image not from the recent Essex oil spill