Hundreds of dead and injured birds have been washed up on a Weymouth beach, after recent stormy weather.
More than 200 birds have been found on Chesil beach over the last two weeks, said Dorset Wildlife Trust employee Sally Wellbourn.
While birds are often found on the beach in the winter, recent storms have escalated the problem,said Marc Smith from The Fine Foundation Chesil Beach Centre .
“The death of these birds is an even bigger blow after the huge loss during the PIB [polyisobutene] incident last year, where over 1000 seabirds were found dead on the South Coast, covered in a deadly sticky glue substance.
“It is sad to find more dead birds along Chesil Beach, but an inevitable consequence of the storms and high tides.”
Treacherous weather, however, is not the only danger these coastal birds face. Members of the Dorset community have been finding birds up and down the coast tangled in nets, fishing line and pieces of plastic.
Sally Wellbourn says litter on Chesil Beach is injuring birds.
Litter on Chesil beach injures birds from The Breaker on Vimeo.
Manager of Chesil Beach Centre, Emily Brown, said that a lot of the damage caused to these birds is man-made and can be avoided.
“All people need to do is to be taking their litter home with them. Not leaving angling waste on the beach, not leaving anything at all.”
If you find dead or injured animals on the beach please contact Chesil Beach Centre on 01305 206191, or phone the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.
