Bird charity assessing Poole Harbour oil spill
Birds of Poole Harbour hopes their findings today aren't as drastic as it seemed
A full assessment of Poole Harbour is being carried out this afternoon to determine the full extent of last Sunday's oil leak.
Members of Birds of Poole Harbour will count the number of birds around Brownsea Island that are stained, discoloured, or distressed.
Prior to today’s trip, a spokesperson for Birds of Poole Harbour, said: “There aren’t birds washing up on shorelines but there have been photographs taken of birds with discoloration on them. So that's what we're going to be looking for.”
Paul Morton, spokesperson for the charity, noted that he found approximately 15 birds with “a form dark substance on their fronts” when he circled Brownsea Island on Tuesday but assured us that “no birds needed to be rescued.”
He called the situation “incredibly worrying” but added that “it’s still early days.”
This afternoon, the charity will map out the most affected areas and put together a report looking into the scale and potential impact of the incident.
Mr Morton said: “We’re going to look at what the scale of this is, is it something that's hugely concerning or actually is it something that hopefully may settle down over the next few weeks?
“We hope this survey shows it isn’t as drastic as it may seem.”
Poole Harbour is a ‘specially protected area,’ as recognised by the EU and it is home to internationally important numbers of wetland birds.
The oil spill couldn’t have come at a worse time as breeding season for birds is approaching and their nests sit along the shoreline.
Mr Morton said: “Where its happened is one of the most important feeding sites on the harbour for overwintering birds.”
Three weeks ago, Birds of Poole Harbour found that 5,500 birds were actually using the area to feed.
Mr Morton told us about the impact the oil spill could have on the wildlife: “If a bird comes into direct contact with the oil, it could impact the water resistance on their feathers and then the bird will constantly want to preen, then if they ingest the liquid that will make them very unwell.”