Warning as birds 'drop out of sky' onto Aussie beach

It's not the first time shearwaters have been spotted dead or injured on beaches in Australia. But this time is different, Aussies have been warned.

Inset: Dead shearwater bird on sand. Main: Belongil Beach, Byron Bay.
Aussies are being warned not to touch or attempt to rescue any dead or injured birds on beaches. Source: Australian Seabird & Turtle Rescue Inc/Google Images

Aussies are being warned to steer clear of any birds found dead or injured on Aussie beaches at this time of year because while they should be rescued, they can pose a serious threat if handled incorrectly.

The message comes after a handful of shearwater birds were spotted lying lifeless on the sand at Belongil Beach in Byron Bay this week. And while the seabirds washing up along the state’s coastline is nothing new for this time of year, this time is a little different.

Shearwaters are known to migrate from the northern hemisphere to Australia to breed along the coastline. But due to the gargantuan journey, often from Alaska and also northern Asia, many birds die of exhaustion, Steve Whalen, General Manager at Australian Seabird and Turtle Rescue explained to Yahoo News.

"It's not unusual to see them on the beaches in a very poor way, and that's when we tend to rescue them," he said. "Every year we get lots of calls for rescues of these birds. They are exhausted, and emaciated, and so they literally just drop out of the sky."

This year, however, the problem is worse with the threat of avian influenza, or bird flu, which is currently rampant across Asia, North America and Europe where these birds have migrated from. It's a different strain from the one impacting the Australian egg supply currently and is yet to be detected in Australia.

"Given these birds are coming from that direction, we just wanted to make sure that people were aware about the correct procedures in place, and not to touch them," he said. "We want people to be safe".

"If you see Shearwaters, please do not handle them, or let pets near them," he warned.

Left: Dead shearwater bird on Belongil beach, Byron Bay. Right: Shearwater bird after being rescued from Belongil beach, Byron Bay.
Several shearwaters were found washed up dead or injured at a beach in Byron Bay this week. Source: Australian Seabird & Turtle Rescue Inc

While there have been reports of some vets turning down treating birds because of the virus, Whalen said the volunteers at Seabird Rescue are still "quite happy" to help — but they do take extra precautions.

"We've consulted with experts in the field, people who are familiar with avian influenza, who've given us protective guidelines. We also work with a wildlife vet that is prepared to take on that risk to deal with birds [based on their advice]," he explained.

Dead shearwater birds on Sydney beach.
It's not uncommon to find dead or dying shearwaters on the beach at this time of year (pictured in Sydney last year). Source: WIRES

He said it's "very difficult to establish" if a bird is infected just by looking at it, so testing is often required. Which is why he's urging Aussies not to touch them, and instead call them for help. Luckily, no birds have tested positive so far.

In the past, it has been suggested that the problem is getting worse each year, with more and more sightings occurring annually. Last year, dozens of short-tailed shearwaters washed up on Bondi Beach while in Cronulla, southern Sydney, over 82 more were found the following day.

However, Whalen said he doesn't believe this to be the case and said numbers vary greatly each year. So far they've received reports of just a handful in the Byron area. Five at Belongil and reports of a couple here and there at surrounding beaches.

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