Thousands of birds die in two oil spills

11/04/2007 00:00:00 Severe storms in the Black Sea cause massive oil spill
November 2007. Thousands of birds and fish have been killed by oil spilling from a stricken tanker in the northern Black Sea. At least 30,000 birds have died, and thousands more are covered in oil and face death in the coming days. The main species reported to be affected are Great Cormorant, Common Coot, Great Crested Grebe and Black-necked Grebe. So far, 50km of Russian coastline is affected by the oil spills. Two Important Bird Areas (IBAs), nearby, the Kiziltash Bay and the Tamanski and Dinskiy Bays, are under threat. Both are designated primarily for migrating and wintering birds. Up to 50,000 migratory waterfowl and other birds are known to use the sites during migration. Among these are Dalmatian Pelican, listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and White-tailed Eagle.

Severe storms
On November 10th, a heavy storm brought severe damage to vessels in the Kerch Strait between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. One vessel broke in two, leaking at least 2,000 tonnes of oil into the Black Sea. At least three more vessels that sank carried potentially hazardous sulphur. Twelve ships in total were reported to have been affected by the storms, killing at least six sailors.

Due to the weather circumstances which are still difficult at the moment, information about the current situation in the area is sparse. BirdLife’s network representatives are therefore relying on local sources to receive updates. Weather services have announced more storms which make it impossible to undertake large-scale rescue operations at sea or to start cleaning oil-covered birds. San Francisco oil spill kills hundreds of birds

UC Davis wildlife experts are leading the rescue of oiled birds in San Francisco after a container ship spilled nearly 60,000 gallons of heavy bunker fuel oil into the bay.
There were 21 seabirds being treated, all of them surf scoters, according to UC Davis veterinarian Michael Ziccardi, director of the California Oiled Wildlife Care Network.

Jonna Mazet, a UC Davis veterinarian and international authority on the rescue and treatment of oiled wildlife, has said in the past that for every oiled seabird that is found washed ashore, an estimated 10 to 100 birds died at sea.

The UC Davis rescue team is working in a custom-built recovery and rehabilitation trailer. There, they assess the health status of oiled birds that are being brought in from beaches and the bay waters.
Then the birds are put in boxes and driven to the San Francisco Bay Oiled Wildlife Care and Education Center in Cordelia (just outside Fairfield), where they will receive the world's most advanced veterinary care for oiled wildlife.