Dying sea birds washing ashore in Bay Area due to effects of warming ocean

Visitors to Bay Area beaches are starting to see a disturbing sight: dead and dying seabirds. They're called murres, and wildlife rescuers are scrambling to try to save them as they fall victim to a rapidly warming ocean. (Credit: KPIX via CNN Newsource)

Visitors to Bay Area beaches are starting to see a disturbing sight: dead and dying seabirds. They’re called murres, and wildlife rescuers are scrambling to try to save them as they fall victim to a rapidly warming ocean.

At the International Bird Rescue hospital in Fairfield, they’ve received more than 100 in just the last few days.

“So, these are chicks from this year,” said Dr. Rebecca Duerr, pulling back the cover of an enclosure. “Right now, they’re sitting with some nice, warm, dry air, because they just went for a swim and they’re working on their waterproofing.”

Most of the murres brought to the centre are starving, some at half their normal body weight. When that happens, they lose the ability to regrow feathers, destroying the waterproofing that keeps them warm. Dr. Duerr, Director of Veterinary Science, said that often leads to organ failure and, eventually, death.

“So, some of them are definitely not making it,” she said. “But we do supportive care on the ones that we get, and we have a certain portion of them that will survive.”

The birds, which resemble tiny penguins, are starving because the water has warmed, increasing the metabolism of predator fish, making them hungrier. That puts them in competition with the murres who can dive to depths of 300 feet to hunt. The current pool of warm water along California is reminiscent of what scientists called “The Blob” back in 2014.

“Most heat waves come and go within a few weeks, maybe a few months. This one was different. It hung around for two years,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife researcher Heather Renner. “And over the course of those two years, it really changed the marine ecosystem in ways that we’re only now beginning to understand.”

An estimated four million birds died in Alaska alone, about half the state’s murre population. It was considered the largest die-off of any warm-blooded creature ever recorded. And because murres only lay one egg a year, the species has been slow to recover. Scientists say the birds found on the beach are only a tiny fraction of the actual death count. But those who can be treated and released actually do quite well.

So, the rescuers consider it a win each time they can release a murre back into the wild.

“These guys really are a window into what’s going on in the ocean. And we try to think of them that way,” said Dr. Duerr. “And, you know, getting those animals out there back to have a second chance in the wild is really what our work is all about.”

Currently, most of the centre’s birds have come from the Santa Cruz area, but the problem can be found along the entire West Coast. Dr. Duerr recommends that anyone finding a sick or lethargic bird on the beach, can gently wrap it in a towel or sweatshirt and take it immediately to a local wildlife hospital.

She said it may be its only chance for survival.

The International Bird Rescue says whenever they get a large influx of new patients, their food bill can skyrocket. They’re asking the public for help with this one.