Numbers of ‘oiled seabirds’ rises as source of pollution remains a mystery

The number of birds being found contaminated by oil on the east coast continues to increase, with the centre of the crisis now focusing on Wicklow beaches.

Mystery still surrounds the source of oil which began affecting birds on the Co Wexford coast this week. A number of environmental commentators have suggested the possibility of a tanker washing out tanks or emptying bilge in the Irish Sea.

On Friday the environmental charity Birdwatch Ireland said staff and volunteers had reported oiled birds being found in a number of locations from Wexford to Rockabill, east of Skerries Co Dublin. However the epicentre of the crisis is now focusing on Newcastle beach between Wicklow and Greystones.

Brian Burke, scientific officer with Birdwatch Ireland, said nine birds were found oiled at Killoughter near Newcastle. But he said the problem was widespread.

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“A lot of us are out there, people in different corners scrambling to do their best”.

The birds most affected appear to be guillemots and razorbills – which are of the guillemot family. Mr Burke said the birds found at Killoughter were likely to be from a colony based at Wicklow Head.

Unlike terns and gulls the guillemots and razorbills sit on the water and are particularly vulnerable to an approaching oil slick. Flying above the water the terns and gulls can see the slick from above and generally avoid it.

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Once a guillemot or razorbill becomes contaminated by even a small amount of oil it loses its ability to retain heat and suffers from hypothermia. On making it to land the birds preen themselves in a bid to get rid of the oil but then ingest it, making them sick as well as cold.

Mr Burke said this was particularly unfortunate for the Wicklow colony as it had suffered badly from bird flu in recent years. He said the birds can live 20 to 30 years and survive an occasional bad breeding season, but the loss of many adults would be difficult for the colony to withstand.

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KWR manager Dan Donoher said they returned to a number of locations again on Friday as the influx of oiled birds persists.

“Some birds are unfortunately found deceased or in weakened condition, while many others remain mobile, making containment challenging,” he said. “We’re encountering oiled birds in many inaccessible locations, including in the water, on slippery rocks, and on offshore islands like Dalkey Island in Dublin where at least 10 oiled guillemots were confirmed today.”

A number of agencies are involved in the search and rescue operation including local authorities in Wexford and Wicklow, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Coast Guard and environmental charities Birdwatch, Seal Rescue Ireland, Coastwatch and Kildare Wildlife Rescue, as well as the Oiled Wildbird Response Network.

The Coast Guard flew a helicopter along the east coast early this week, but was unable to spot a source of the oil. Stena Line ferries which operate on the Irish Sea between Dublin and Holyhead as well as Rosslare and Fishguard said their crews had not spotted an oil slick.

Environmental charities said the source of the oil was probably far out to sea, but noted there had been no reports of affected birds in Wales.

Mr Burke said it was not good enough for the State to rely on organisations such as the Oiled Wildlife Network to which Birdwatch and others are affiliated. “We had the same thing with bird flu. We are all out there but the there should be funding for this. Organisations like Kildare Wildlife Network are spending their own resources to rescue birds and each bird could take months of care.”

The National Parks and Wildlife Service said it was investigating alongside the Wexford County Council and other agencies.

Anyone with any information on the oil spill should contact Wexford County Council or the Coast Guard.

Kildare Wildlife Rescue asked members of the public to refrain from handling oiled birds and instead report all sightings promptly to info@kwr.ie. Reports should include photos or videos, a Google Map pin, and a contact phone number.

Investigations are set to continue over the weekend.