Higher number of birds beached in Jersey this winter

Friday, 7 June 2024 11:40

More than 120 birds have been beached in Jersey this winter, including eight puffins.

This number is higher than normal and is partly due to the increasing number and intensity of storms the island experienced, including Storm Ciaran.

The Great Storm of 2023 that hit in November meant birds could not fish for food for periods, tiring them out as they fought strong winds and waves.

Other causes include 'seabird wrecks', where multiple birds wash up on the shores dead due to storms, surf or other issues at sea, and oil spills.

Bird of the Edge also reports that with climate change, the frequency and intensity of the storms are increasing making it harder for seabirds to survive.

In total, there were 124 birds beached from November 2023 to February 2024 including:

30 cormorants and European shags,
19 storm petrels, 6 gulls, 29 guillemots,
11 razorbills,
8 puffins,
And 6 gannets.

Credit: Romano Da Costa

Other casualties in smaller numbers included a variety of waders, grebes and divers.

Some birds were still alive when found and were taken to the JSPCA for extra care.

Many of the seabirds are native to Jersey, however, the storm petrels, guillemots and puffins travel from breeding grounds across Europe to spend winter in the Atlantic Ocean.

This means those beached in Jersey may not have been local birds and were washed up by the current, after dying hundreds of miles away.