You heard me right, the Beached Bird Surveys at Strathan, Talmine and Armadale Bay turned up nothing..not a thing...zero! Four hours of scouring the beach, looking for the slightest sign of any species and we didn’t get a single bird. Although to tell you the truth we are absolutely over the moon that we didn’t find anything.
Why on earth would the RSPB be happy NOT to find any birds?!? – Well...read on...
Pollution of the world's oceans and seas with mineral oil is the most significant observable causes of death of large number of waterbird species and poses a serious threat to wintering seabird populations. Not only major oil spills affect seabird mortality; chronic oil pollution is a major seabird mortality factor.
The annual National Beached Bird Survey, first started in 1971, has existed in its current format since 1991. The survey is co-ordinated by the RSPB, with the Shetland Oil Terminal Environmental Advisory Group co-ordinating efforts in Shetland. Over 600 volunteer surveyors walk stretches of coastline around the UK during the last weekend in February and record the number of beachcast corpses of birds and their state of oiling.
The results of the annual survey are used in conjunction with those from other European countries and aim to contribute to international monitoring efforts to document trends in chronic marine oil pollution and to promote adequate methods of controlling illegal oil discharge to help reduce seabird mortality.
So not finding any beachcast corpses of birds on the beaches that we were surveying was a very good result. Of course we did see a lovely selection of LIVE seabirds. These included several great northern divers, two razorbills, a black guillemot, beautiful group of ringed plover, a great black-backed gull, many herring gull, and a shag. A good day out on the beach, and an interesting change of scene for our volunteers.
Beach at Strathan near the Kyle of Tongue
More beautiful beach at Strathan
Our volunteers enjoying a spot of birding at Talmine
View back along the beach at Talmine
Will - Armadale Bay, after checking out the tideline at the east end of the beach