Seabirds stuck after major East Coast storm pushes them deep inland

“I always tell people to stay around and wait at least 10 to 15 minutes. If they come back up on the beach then you know you have a problem, and you’re going to have to get them into rehab,” she said Tuesday.

She said they have treated about 80 birds suffering everything from exhaustion to broken legs, broken wings and head trauma.

“I find we’re seeing way more seabirds than we ever have before,” she said.

The storm lashed Atlantic Canada with strong onshore winds, rain, snow and storm surges, resulting in coastal damage and power outages.

Many of the birds were not able to overcome the extremely strong wind gusts, she said.

“Sometimes they smash into things as they’re being blown. So we have a few broken legs, a few broken wings, a couple dislocations and some head trauma,” she said.

She said while they’ve seen a lot of gulls, there have also been more unusual seabirds — everything from bluebills to dovekies, a long-tailed duck, and loons.

Swinimer said about 70 per cent of their patients have been returned to the ocean.

Many just needed a quick checkover by a veterinarian and some time to regain their strength but some of the birds did not recover, she said.

Despite the bitter cold temperatures of the past week and frigid windchills, Swinimer said the cold is not an issue for seabirds.

“It’s exhaustion, or lack of food or actual injuries that are going to cause the most problems. Cold is not so much the worry.”

— By Kevin Bissett in Fredericton

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Seabirds stuck after major East Coast storm pushes them deep inland

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