NPWS

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) says that people should not be overly alarmed by the number of dead birds being found on south coast beaches at the moment explaining this as largely a 'natural event'.

The NPWS has been receiving numerous reports of dead birds being found on beaches on the South Coast.

NPWS Wildlife Management Officer, Geoff Ross, said that the vast majority of the birds are known as Shearwaters or Muttonbirds.

"This happens every year and people call our offices to report the deaths concerned that  something more sinister has occurred. Thousands of Shearwaters die at sea and in some years we see a lot on our beaches due to the prevailing winds and tides washing them ashore. In past years large die offs have occurred all along the east coast as far south as Tasmania

"Many of these birds have died from exhaustion. They migrate annually between nesting areas in the southern hemisphere and back to far flung locations in the northern hemisphere as far away as Alaska.  Many of these birds complete round trips of up to 15,000kms per year.  One Short-tailed Shearwater banded in Port Fairy in Victoria was found dead in Savoonga, Alaska three years later. This a distance of 11622 kms. This bird would have made the trip to Alaska each year for those three years.

"The birds we see now have died on the last leg of their journey heading south back to Australian shores.

"If they encounter severe weather or have trouble locating sufficient fish stocks along the way then they will struggle and some will succumb and eventually wash up on beaches.

"Four species of shearwater are found in NSW; Sooty, Short-Tailed, Wedge-Tailed and the  Fleshy-Footed Shearwater.  The Short tailed Shearwater is regarded as one of the most common species of bird in the world with the population believed to be in excess of 18 million.

"When the nesting season is over on the south coast they will fly north to South East Asia, to places such as Japan, the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia and even the Bearing Sea between Alaska and Siberia.

"Although for some people the sight of larger numbers of dead birds can be quite distressing they need to understand that this is a natural event.

"They are long-lived seabirds with individuals living up to 38 years old,  but the long journey can take it's toll and numbers of dead birds found on beaches can be well into the hundreds or as low as a dozen but it's an event that has been happening for millennia and it will continue to happen year after year

"There are a large number of banded birds within the population, these bands are placed on the birds by researchers.  Any one finding banded dead shearwaters or any other banded seabird should report the band to the local NPWS office or contact the Australian Bird and Bat Banding scheme in Canberra; http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/science/abbbs/index.html," Mr Ross said.