Information on all birds recovered from the beaches either dead or alive were carefully logged and collated by conservation and rescue organisations. However, for every bird found, many others died at sea and were never detected. The final toll indicated this to be one of the worst ever oil-related bird kills in North-West European waters.
Species affected:
A total in excess of 6,900 birds were found, recovered dead or rescued. More than 250 birds were stranded on the Irish coast. The Common Scoter (Melannita nigra) made up the largest proportion of the birds affected, with at least 4,700 recovered. In excess of 1,100 Guillemots (Uria aalge) were recovered. Other species included Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), Red-Throated Diver (Gavia stellata) and Razorbill (Alca torda), with more than 25 species affected in total.
As expected, the number of birds rescued live declined and the number of dead bodies rose steadily during the course of the incident.
University of Wales Swansea School of Biological Sciences Home Page
Authors: Peter Dyrynda, Rob Symberlist
Contributors: Derek Thomas, Paul Llewellyn, R.J. Haycock (CCW)
Contact: P.Dyrynda@swansea.ac.uk
Update: 22/1/98