Ecomare

When a bird comes in contact with oil, it does not mean imminent death. However, the bird's plumage is no longer waterproof. The animal loses its warmth insulation and catches a cold. Its floating ability also diminishes; the bird can even drown. In addition, it is known that brooding eggs from a bird besmeared in oil have fewer chances of hatching. The kind of oil, the time of year and the place of the oil contamination determine the extent of the damage. Heavy ('thick') oil floats longer on the water surface than light oil, which evaporates more quickly or mixes more naturally in the water column. A heavy oil spill can therefore cause more damage to birds and other sea life. Most of the oil victims along the North Sea coasts are found in the winter.
The lower temperature, regular storms and little availability of food in the winter months already present hardships for the birds. More and more birds lightly covered in oil and totally emaciated have been washing ashore, especially in recent years. Oil is probably not the direct cause of death in these cases.
From sheer necessity, the winter with its often stormy wind and short days is the time of year in which there is the least control on illegal oil discharges by skippers. Every skipper that discharges oil on the North Sea knows that he probably will not be caught since proof is impossible to find when the control can only be continued after the storm abates.
Where the oil pollution occurs is also important. A small oil slick in an area rich in birds can cause many more victims than a large slick elsewhere. Between 1975 and 1985, the number of oil victims among the kittiwake, auk and guillemot increased remarkably. This was probably due to a change in the winter distribution of these species. They now spend the winter in the heavily polluted southern North Sea. Divers, grebes, gannets and common scoters are also regularly among the oil victims that wash ashore.
Seabird species that are often on the water surface are the most vulnerable. They can swim into an oil slick or end up in one after a deep dive. The guillemot is extremely sensitive for oil pollution. The animals are permanently at sea, with the exception of a short period in the summer when they brood their eggs on the steep cliffs. Guillemots spend most of the time swimming around and because they spend the winter in the heavily navigated North Sea, large numbers come in contact with oil annually. Guillemots and auks run an extra risk after brooding. The parent birds molt in that period, all flight feathers at one time, and are unable to fly. The chicks jump into the water before they are able to fly. Parents and juveniles can swim hundreds of kilometers over the sea before being able to fly (again). Escaping an approaching oil slick is impossible.

washing a guillemot in a bird washing machine
Every year, tens of thousands of oil victims wash up on the shore. This is usually only a small fraction of the total number of birds affected by oil; most of them never wash ashore. Those that are still alive can be brought to special bird rehabilitation centers, which have facilities and guidelines for caring for the oil birds. Ecomare is one such bird center and receives approximately 500 birds every year, especially during the wintertime. Other larger bird sanctuaries are in Middelburg, Rotterdam, Haarlem and Anjum.
If possible, these birds are washed with a special detergent. Afterwards, they must regain their strength and wait for their plumage to become water-tight again. After an average of two months, they can be released in the North Sea. Caring for birds is like mopping with the oil tap open. Of course, it is much more important to stop the oil pollution.