Oil-covered birds are being washed up at an 'alarming rate', charity warns

Monday, 23 March 2020 - Environment

Seabirds covered in oil are being washed up on the island’s beaches at an alarming rate, a charity has warned.

The Manx Wild Bird Aid charity is currently dealing with some 17 guillemots that have been picked up.

The first cases were reported on Saturday lunchtime with distressed birds found on beaches along the east coast from the Point of Ayre to Port St Mary.

It is thought the oil spill originated near Anglesey, where there have been reports of oiled seabirds for a week or more.

David Cole, of Manx Wild Bird Aid, said he had reported the issue to the Coastguard.

Marine Operations have been notified and are in touch with the UK Coastguard. A spotter plane was expected to be sent up to investigate.

Mr Cole said: ’We picked up one bird from the Point of Ayre and one bird from Port St Mary but the epicentre seems to be around Laxey and Douglas.

’We treated more from the south on Sunday so the oil spill is obviously moving with the tide.

’On Saturday we just found the birds with no reports of oil on the beach but on Sunday people have reported finding tar on the beach.’

He added: ’It’s unusual that all the birds we have found have been guillemots.’

Some very small patches of what looked like heavy fuel oil were found on Port Soderick beach.

Mr Cole said there were two categories of bird - those that had been washed ashore that people have been able to pick up, and others which were obviously in distress but had gone back out to sea, preventing their recovery.

He said: ’The 17 are just the ones we have been able to pick up from the beach.’

Mr Cole, of Victoria Road, Castletown, admitted the birds’ chance of survival was ’not great’.

He explained the birds try to preen themselves and ingest the oil. They had to be hydrated and kept warm and fed before they were strong enough for the cleaning process to begin, which itself could be distressing for them.

Dog walkers are warned to be careful if they go on beaches.

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Rare seabird rescued from Sydney pub balcony

22/02/2020

An unusual seabird was recently rescued from a pub balcony in Cronulla, a suburb in the Australian city of Sydney.

The dark chocolate-brown bird transpired to be a Bulwer's Petrel, a very rare species in Australia that had never previously been officially recorded on land anywhere in the country.

The petrel, nicknamed 'Buggerlugs', was taken in to care and duly fattened up with a diet that included Southern Bluefin Tuna (at AUS $130 per kg), wombaroo (kangaroo milk), insectivore mix and sea water.

After a week or so, Buggerlugs' condition had improved considerably and he was deemed fit for release. Ornithologists decided that releasing Buggerlugs in the tropical waters off Darwin would give him the best chances.

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How One Man and His Dog Rowed More Than 700 Kākāpōs to Safety

In the late 19th century, Richard Henry laid a blueprint for modern conservation in New Zealand.

BY SABRINA IMBLERFEBRUARY 19, 2020

IN 1893, IN AUCKLAND, NEW Zealand, 48-year-old Richard Henry was going through a peculiar midlife crisis. It wasn’t for any of the usual reasons, such as a failed marriage (though he had one) or a failed career (though he had been chasing a dream job for several years), but rather it was over his obsession with flightless, moss-colored parrots called kākāpōs. Henry had observed the birds’ steep decline after mustelids, such as ferrets and stoats, were introduced to the country, and had spent much of the previous decade trying to convince scientists that the birds were in real danger of going extinct, write Susanne and John Hill in the biography, Richard Henry of Resolution Island. But Henry, who did not have traditional scientific training, went unheard by scientists. On October 3, a deeply depressed Henry attempted to shoot himself twice. The first shot missed and the second misfired, and Henry checked himself into the hospital, where doctors removed the bullet from his skull.

Several months later, Henry got that dream job: caretaker of Resolution Island, an 80-square-mile, uninhabited hunk of rock off southern New Zealand that he hoped to turn into a predator-free sanctuary for kākāpōs and other native birds. For the next 14 years, he toiled away alone on the island in pursuit of this revolutionary conservation idea. He rowed hundreds native birds from the mainland, across choppy waters, to keep them safe from the snapping jaws of furry little predators.

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Seabirds rescued after wild weather pushes them as far inland as NSW Central Tablelands

By Emma Siossian

Wild weather off Australia's east coast has pushed seabirds hundreds of kilometres inland, with some rescued at Canberra and on NSW's Southern and Central tablelands.

Key points:

A number of the seabirds were found exhausted and underweight; some have since died

It's hoped they will eventually be released back out to sea, certainly not until Cyclone Uesi has had its time impacting the east coast

There's also been another rare sighting of a Bulwer's petrel, which don't usually venture too far from the equator

Mick Roderick from Birdlife Australia said it was not unusual for rough weather to knock birds off course, but the latest weather system had resulted in some very rare sightings.

"Even before the wild weather, we saw a lot of sooty terns close to the coast, which is unusual — there may be something going on with their food source," he said.

"But then the east coast low hit during the week and that has absolutely sent a lot of these seabirds off course.

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Hooded Merganser rescued from Ipswich cosmetics shop

30/01/2020

A drake Hooded Merganser has been escorted out of a high street shop in central Ipswich.

The exotic duck had to be removed from a cosmetics store on Tavern Street on Wednesday [28 January] by local security.

The yellow-ringed bird is well known in Suffolk, having arrived on the Blyth Estuary at Blythburgh in late October 2018, where it remained for several weeks before relocating to Ipswich in 2019. It has lingered around the town since then and has become a popular attraction, usually being seen either in Christchurch Park or along the River Orwell.

The Kiko Milano store contacted Ipswich Central at 09:30 to report that a 'pigeon' was loose in the shop and needed to be rescued.

Street rangers from Ipswich Central arrived at the scene shortly after, only to find that it was in fact the Hooded Merganser, which had made its way almost 1 km down the high street to the cosmetics chain's store and then somehow found its way inside.

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Owl clings to ambulance roof for trip to Bridgend A&E

2 December 2019

An owl flew into an ambulance heading to a hospital - then clung on to the blue lights until it arrived.

The bird was on the roof when the ambulance stopped at the A&E at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend at 04:00 GMT on Sunday.

Staff said the bird seemed a little stunned and had damage to its eye, but was otherwise unhurt.

Maes Glas vets agreed to look after the owl, which is now being cared for at the Gower Bird Sanctuary.

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Rare eagle sneaks into Iran and drains Siberian ornithologists’ funds by spamming costly text messages

25 Oct, 2019 08:13 / Updated 12 days ago

A Russian bird conservation group has discovered a sudden hole in their budget after one of the eagles they were tracking started bombarding them with hundreds of expensive text messages from Iran.

Roaming is one big headache when you travel a lot, and raptors can get burned by it just as easily as the bipeds that created mobile phones. Just ask the Russian Raptor Research and Conservation Network (RRRCN), an environmental group whose eagle tracking budget was surprisingly drained by one particularly sneaky bird of prey.

The network studies the migration routes of various birds, including the endangered steppe eagle. They do so by putting solar-powered GPS trackers on their subjects. The device records the coordinates of the birds and dumps the data via text messages through a regular mobile network when it’s available. The conservationists then check the routes against potential threats like high-voltage power lines or poison baits deployed for pest control and try to find ways to avoid them.

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Tiny penguin's clean bill of health after epic NZ-Australia swim

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

The bird was so underweight it had to be gradually reintroduced to food and the water

A tiny penguin that made the mammoth journey from New Zealand to Australia has been nursed back to health and released into the wild—in the hope it will find its own way home.

The emaciated Fiordland penguin was found struggling on rocks near Lorne, south of Melbourne, about 2,500km (1,500 miles) from its native habitat of New Zealand.

Melbourne Zoo head of veterinary services Michael Lynch said the bird was so underweight it had to be gradually reintroduced to food and the water over several weeks.

"Over time it began to put on weight again," he said.

"We then started to reintroduce it to water when it was strong enough to swim to help build up some muscle."

Fiordland penguins are known to swim large distances to forage for food, sometimes even spending so long in the ocean that they grow barnacles on their tails.

They are classified as a threatened species, with an estimated 5,000 left in the wild.

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Injured seagull photographed with arrow embedded in head in Elgin

A seagull has been photographed with an arrow embedded in its head in Elgin.

The injured bird is said to still be flying around, after it was spotted at the Moray town's Cooper Park on Tuesday.

It was photographed by Lesley Morrison, who told the BBC Scotland news website: "It was normal looking, until it turned around. Then it flew off."

The Scottish SPCA said the incident was "very concerning", and warned it was a criminal offence.

Keen nature photographer Mrs Morrison said: "I have always got the camera just in case.

"It was there for ages walking about, pecking away. Then I saw this sold-looking arrow - it was well-embedded.

"It seemed perfect if it did not have this in its head. It must have missed the important organs."

'Protected by law'

Scottish SPCA animal rescue officer Aimee Findlay, appealing for information about the incident, said: "We have received a report of a gull with an arrow through its head in Elgin. The gull is still able to fly so we haven't been able to contain it.

"We are very concerned for its wellbeing and are keen to treat it as soon as possible to prevent infection and further injury and suffering.

"In July, we investigated a report of a gull with an arrow through its body in Ross-shire.

"This is very concerning. We want to make it clear that gulls, like all birds, are protected by law and it is a criminal offence to deliberately injure or kill a gull."

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Scots woman visited twice daily by seagull she formed unusual friendship with 10 years ago

Maggie Burns-Bellingham, 71, was moved when she saw the injured bird hopping around her garden on one leg, back in 2012.

Arthur Vundla

Lynn Love

10:35, 21 AUG 2019

A widow told how she formed a friendship with a seagull nearly a decade ago - which visits her twice a day.

Maggie Burns-Bellingham, 71, was moved when she saw the injured bird hopping around her garden on one leg, back in 2012.

She named him Mr Seagull , and began hiding Nurofen inside bits of chicken from M&S to nurse him back to health.

But the brazen seagull hung around after he recovered - and for the past seven years, he has visited twice a day.

Maggie said: "When Mr Seagull first came, he kept trying to walk using one leg.

"I felt sorry for him and I just wanted to help.

"I ended up giving him pieces of chicken and hid painkillers inside them, and I did that for a couple of months.

"He would arrive in the morning and come back at teatime.

"He then went away at the end of June and came back in March - that must be their mating season.

"He came back the following year and both legs were on the ground."

Stunned Maggie, who owned a bridal shop before retiring, told her friends - who refused to believe her.

She added: "No one could believe it was him but it was. 

"It felt so nice to see him at his best.

"I would have not normally fed a seagull but he was special.

"He also needed help."

Since her husband Frank died 12 years ago, from Alzheimer's disease, Maggie has lived alone in a cottage in Perth .

She believes Frank would be proud of her friendship with Mr Seagull.

Read on

Kea heroically rescued from West Coast crevasse

Tom Kitchin 20:00, Aug 19 2019


A glacier guiding crew saved a kea from death after it was stuck in an icy crevasse on the West Coast for three days.

The rescuers tried to use ropes, ladders and ice to save the native bird, but it took a backpack to bring it to safety.

Fox Glacier Guiding senior guide Kelsey Porter said her colleagues heard a kea squawking near a popular feature on the glacier on August 6.

"[They] tried to do a rescue that first day they saw it, but time was a bit limited 'cause they had to fly [a helicopter] off the glacier," she said.

"One of the guides lowered down into the crevasse and tried to reach for it, but the crevasse was too narrow for him to fit."

The crevasse was about seven metres deep and about 30 centimetres wide.

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Plea to trace golden eagle spotted flying in north-east with leg caught in trap

by Annette Cameron

13/08/2019, 4:10 pm

A tourist raised concerns for the eagle's welfare after spotting it flying in Crathie, Deeside on Thursday

An appeal has been launched to help find a golden eagle spotted in the north-east with a trap on its leg.

Officers are looking to trace the raptor, which was seen flying in Crathie on Thursday.

Police have launched an investigation with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) after a tourist raised concerns for the eagle’s welfare.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact either Police Scotland or the RSPB.

Officers have released an image of the bird which shows the trap attached to its legs.

Sergeant Kim Wood said: “We would encourage anyone who has information which could help to locate this eagle to contact police on 101 or another relevant authority as soon as possible.”

The Cairngorms is the most likely place in the north-east for people to spot golden eagles in the wild.

The mountain range has been declared as an area of European importance for the bird of prey.

The bird has protected status under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and is classified as an amber-list species under the Birds of Conservation Concern review.

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Rescuing the Rookery: Fergus Falls birders work to save the city's unique attraction

NEWS - Rescuing the Rookery 

By Veronica Marshall | 

Posted: Mon 6:42 PM, Jul 15, 2019  | 

Updated: Mon 7:07 PM, Jul 15, 2019

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (Valley News Live) - For Wayne Perala - birding is a labor of love that has lasted for years.

"I've been birding non-stop probably for six years, but I think most people know I bird almost in all of my free time. So I work and bird and that's what I do," the avid birder says. "It's the most rewarding hobby I've ever picked up. It's so fulfilling – you're not taking anything from the environment, all you're doing is observing. And it's the chase of finding a lot of birds and photographing birds and finding rare birds – it's extremely satisfying."

Perala visits Fergus Falls' bird sanctuary at Adams Park often - and his passion is matched by others all over the country.

"From the state of Minnesota – the western side of the state is viewed as we get all of the good birds. So there's a lot of trips where people come from the cities out to this side of the state in order to catch a glimpse of some of the rare birds found out here," he says. "We bring busloads of people down here to view the birds up close. It's always a popular destination."

And it isn't just the birders who benefit.

"This rookery draws visitors in from all over – bird watchers and tourists come here to see them. It's an asset to our city," says Molly Stoddard, the Instructional Systems Specialist at U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Prairie Wetlands Learning Center. "I'm just glad this rookery is here. It's so different, it's so unique. And it's a great opportunity for people to watch wildlife."

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Antarctic fulmars return home after rescue effort

JULY 12 2019 - 3:52PM

Jesinta Burton

Two southern fulmars have been given a second chance at life after being found more than 5,000 kilometres from their home in Antarctica and nursed back to health by volunteers from the state's Seabird Rescue group.

The pair were released in Albany earlier this week after one was discovered in a retirement village in Australind and another was found on the canals in Halls Head in June.

Though the seabirds were among five to be found, they were the only ones to survive.

Western Australian Seabird Rescue spokesperson Fiona O'Sullivan said the birds' recovery had been a month-long process, having been exhausted, weak and underweight when they came into care.

"These fulmars, their minimum weight is typically around 700 grams," Ms O'Sullivan said.

"A couple of the fulmars that have come in have only weighed about 430 grams, which is a lot less than what they need to be.

"They came into care, thanks to a very experienced carer in Baldivis. 

"Initially, we only feed them fluids to rehydrate them and then we gradually reintroduce foods to help building up their strength.

"I transported the birds to our experienced carer in Albany and she continued their care until they were both released."

Southern fulmars typically breed in colonies on the Antarctic Peninsula, moving north during the winter months away from the pack ice.

Ms O'Sullivan said it was very unusual to see the birds in WA, and even more unusual for the rescue group to have two in its care at the same time.

"They're birds that live out on the ocean and they're from Antarctica, so we very rarely see them," she said. 

Read on

'Bright orange' bird was covered in curry or turmeric

1 July 2019

A "bright orange" bird that was rescued by concerned members of the public turned out to be a seagull covered in curry or turmeric.

The herring gull was spotted on the A41 and taken to Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire.

Hospital staff said the bird "had somehow gotten himself covered in curry or turmeric".

The bird - named Vinny after a vindaloo curry - was scrubbed clean by staff and is said to be "looking much better".

The wildlife hospital said it was "one of the strangest casualty circumstances" it had seen in a while.

Tiggywinkles staff said on Facebook: "He had somehow gotten himself covered it curry or turmeric!

"It was all over his feathers, preventing him from flying properly.

"We have no idea how he got into this predicament but thankfully, apart from the vibrant colour and pungent smell, he was healthy."

It is hoped Vinny will be released from the hospital "very soon".

Source

Rare bird's life saved after eagle-eyed staff spot it being mobbed by crows

Peregrine falcon fledgling rescued in Huddersfield town centre

By

Robert Sutcliffe

16:40, 18 JUN 2019

A fledgling Peregrine Falcon is lucky to be alive after it was found being attacked by crows in Huddersfield town centre.

The bird was found in a Northumberland Street car park today (Mon) by a member of staff being mobbed by crows.

Roger Underwood, director of insurance brokers, Eastwood & Partners Ltd, said: "These are very rare birds which have only recently started to nest in town centres.

"We have had it rescued and arranged for it to be rehabilitated."

The falcon may be the same one which Grahame Andrews, of Bosuns Brewery, Huddersfield, discovered recently.

A wildlife enthusiast, he said: "I spotted it being fed at an old mill by its parents. It was making a right racket, you've never heard a noise quite like it.

"I hope they breed successfully and come back next year."

Peregrines are renowned for their incredible speed making the species the fastest bird in the world and capable of reaching 200mph when they dive onto their hapless prey.

However, there are only 1,500 pairs in the UK and their numbers reached a low point in the 1960s due to human persecution and the impact of pesticides in the food chain.

However, since those dark days improved legislation and protection has helped the birds to recover and they are now seen occasionally in many urban areas.

Sadly, they are still persecuted with birds being illegally killed to prevent predation on game birds and racing pigeons.

In addition their eggs and chicks are taken for collections and falconry.

They feed on medium-sized birds, such as pigeons and small ducks.

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Cadw accused of shooting dozens of pigeons at Caerphilly Castle

Carol Gravener, who runs Caerphilly Bird Rescue with her husband, claims seven of her rescue birds were killed

Bronte Howard

20:24, 15 MAY 2019

UPDATED20:36, 15 MAY 2019

The organisation which looks after some of Wales' most historic buildings has been accused of shooting dozens of pigeons at Caerphilly Castle.

Cadw, which is the Welsh Government's historic environment service, has been accused of shooting the birds, including rescue pigeons, at Caerphilly Castle on Tuesday.

The culling is alleged to have happened at around 6pm in the castle grounds and has led to widespread anger on social media.

Cadw said it is investigating the allegations but has not commented further.

A spokesperson said: "We take this matter very seriously and are investigating.”

Carol Gravener, who runs Caerphilly Bird Rescue with her husband Ray, believes that seven of her rescue pigeons were among the 60 birds she claims were killed at the castle.

She said: "This has upset me a lot and I'm very angry that whoever did this thinks it's acceptable.

"Seven of my pigeons didn't come home last night.

"They live at the centre until they're well enough to take off on their own. Sometimes they go out and don't come back but normally they will be back in by the evening, especially when it's nesting season.

"Two of the pigeons have nests here and now their chicks don't have a parent. I'm going to have to incubate the eggs and raise them myself.

Read on

Helicopter pilot comes to aid of disorientated mottled petrels at Aoraki/Mt Cook

Matthew Littlewood13:49, May 15 2019

An unusual air rescue played out in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park this week after an eagle-eyed pilot spotted something out of place during a scenic flight over the park.

Inflite helicopter pilot Craig Clark was flying with passengers on a routine scenic trip when they stopped to take in the views from the Tasman Glacier.

"We landed on the Tasman Glacier and I noticed something just out of reach. It started flapping, so I figured it must be a bird," Clark said.

JEMMA WELCH/DOC

The mottled petrels were safely boxed up for delivery to the DOC Twizel office after being rescued from the Tasman Glacier.

Clark was right - he had seen a bird - two in fact - and they were a long way from where they should have been - so he swung into action.

"I picked it up and put it in my jacket pocket. It didn't bite back or anything. And then I noticed another one and put that in my other pocket."

DOC biodiversity ranger Jemma Welch believes the reflection of the snow would have made the glacier look like an ocean and the birds would have got quite a shock when landing. Tourists flocked to see large chunks of the glacier carving off in January.

With the birds safely tucked away, Clark flew back to base and placed the birds in a box to be delivered to the Department of Conservation office at Aoraki/Mt Cook.

The pair of mottled petrels were then taken to Twizel where birds from the national park are taken for care.

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Goose loses leg to fishing line

06/05/2019

A Canada Goose suffered for possibly weeks and ended up losing a leg because of improperly discarded fishing litter, the RSPCA has revealed.

The organisation was contacted by a concerned member of the public who saw the goose on a lake near to Ryders Hayes Lane, Walsall, staggering and struggling to stand. When RSPCA animal collection officer (ACO) Cara Gibbon arrived to catch the goose, she was shocked to see that it was missing his right leg, with the bone protruding through.

Its left leg, which was also tangled in fishing line, was completely dead as a result of the blood supply being cut off. Very sadly, after being assessed by a vet, the goose had to be euthanised to end its suffering. ACO Gibbon said: "The leg that he did have was red hot at the top, above the fishing line, and stone cold beneath the line. 

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Record number of shearwater birds taken into care after getting lost on journey north

ABC Radio Hobart 

By Georgie Burgess

Posted Fri at 5:37am

The short-tailed shearwater can fly from remote Tasmanian waters to the Arctic Circle in a matter of weeks, but at the moment it's having trouble navigating its way out of Hobart.

A record number of shearwaters (Tasmanian mutton birds) have been taken into care after becoming disorientated and stranded around the city.

They can fly more than a million kilometres over their lifetime; every year juvenile birds leave their island burrows to fly north, and many become lost after taking a wrong turn.

Members of the public have reported seeing them dead on the busy Tasman Bridge or stranded on roads and footpaths around Hobart.

The nearest colonies are on islands around Storm Bay, so the birds shouldn't be seen outside these areas.

Birdlife Tasmania's Eric Woehler said they should be heading north-east on their journey to the Northern Hemisphere.

"We've seen an unexpected and novel event occurring this autumn, with young short-tailed shearwaters heading inland rather than heading out to sea and north to the Pacific," he said.

The birds spend the Australian winter in the western Pacific near Japan and Russia, as well as Alaska, before returning for the breeding season.

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