SPCA looking into why sea birds covered in oil are washing up on Central Coast

UPDATE: 02/18/19 5:40 p.m. More than a dozen sea birds drenched in oil have washed up on Monterey County beaches over the past few days.

The Monterey County SPCA says what they first thought was from the recent storms stirring up natural oils in the ocean, could be from something else. “We are in communication with the oil wildlife care network and they are testing the oil to determine if it’s a natural seep or if it’s refine crude oil,” said Cory Utter, a Wildlife Rehabilitation Technician at the Monterey County SPCA.

Usually the SPCA will see 15 to 20 oil cases over the course of a year, but they’ve already hit that number in the past few days.

The birds that are washing up are, common murres, pacific loons and western greebs.

“We typically get a lot of birds washed up on the shore from the rough storms. They end up with a little bit of head trauma or their water-proofing isn’t great, so they’re hypothermic and hungry. With the most recent storm, we’ve been seeing a lot of oiled birds,” said Mary Billington, a Wildlife Rehabilitation Technician at the Monterey County SPCA.

The Monterey County SPCA said massive waves from the storm release natural oils from the Earth’s crust. When these birds dive for food, they return to the surface covered, and unable to fly, or even move.

“We go ahead and check their temperature. Once we realize that their temperature is stable, we offer fluid therapy and food,” said Billington.

For many common murres, the road to recovery is a long one. The oil is so damaging, it may be months before the birds are healthy, again.

The Monterey County SPCA wants everyone to look out for birds in trouble, when going to the beach.

“The longer the bird has been out there, the more severe all these things will be. As soon as they see it, the sooner it gets to us, the better chance it has all around,” said Billington.

If you see an injured or oiled bird along the coastline, call the Monterey County SPCA Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center at (831) 373-2631

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Several sea birds were found covered in oil near Asilomar State Beach, Saturday.

They are called “common murres” and they are being brought to the Monterey County SPCA, where wildlife experts are trying to understanding why this is happening.

“We typically get a lot of birds washed up on the shore from the rough storms. They end up with a little bit of head trauma or their water-proofing isn’t great, so they’re hypothermic and hungry. With the most recent storm, we’ve been seeing a lot of oiled birds,” said Mary Billington, a Wildlife Rehabilitation Technician at the Monterey County SPCA.

The Monterey County SPCA said massive waves from the storm release natural oils from the Earth’s crust. When these birds dive for food, they return to the surface covered, and unable to fly, or even move.

People are beginning to notice our oil soaked birds on the shoreline. 6 common murres were rescued in the past two days.

“We go ahead and check their temperature. Once we realize that their temperature is stable, we offer fluid therapy and food,” said Billington.

For many common murres, the road to recovery is a long one. The oil is so damanging, it may be months before the birds are healthy, again.

The Monterey County SPCA wants everyone to look out for birds in trouble, when going to the beach.

“The longer the bird has been out there, the more severe all these things will be. As soon as they see it, the sooner it gets to us, the better chance it has all around,” said Billington.

If you see an injured or oiled bird along the coastline, call the Monterey County SPCA Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center at (831) 373-2631