The purpose of the Beached Bird Survey is to collect baseline information on the causes and rates of seabird mortality. This program relies on volunteers who conduct monthly beach walks, looking for seabird carcasses that have washed up onshore.

There are many causes of seabird mortality such as oil spills, habitat loss, entanglement in fishing gear (bycatch), predation and climate change. Coastal waterbirds are excellent indicators of marine ecosystem health and can serve as an early detection system for oil spill events and changes in ocean conditions. Information collected from Beached Bird surveys helps to understand local patterns in seabird mortality and identify which species are vulnerable to events including fisheries by-catch.

Ideal beaches to find beached birds are those composed of sand, gravel or small cobble, not too steep, and are depositional in nature meaning they naturally collect large amounts of seaweed and driftwood. Participants survey a designated beach route which can range in length from 500 m to 4 km. Surveys are conducted after a high tide and volunteers walk the wrack line (the line of seaweed deposited after the last high tide) looking for bird carcasses. Volunteers collect information about weather conditions, beach conditions (size of the wrack line, amount of driftwood) to help give us an idea of local deposition patterns. In addition, volunteers record whether any oil is observed on the beach which provides useful information about potential oiling events even when no birds or other oiled wildlife are found.

Other beached bird surveys also take place in other countries and in North America. In Canada, Bird Studies Canada coordinates Beached Bird surveys in Quebec jointly with the Regroupement QuébecOiseaux and in British Columbia. The COASST (Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team) program co-ordinates surveys in Washington State, Oregon, California and Alaska.

If you would like to participate in the survey, you will receive a survey kit consisting of instructions and datasheets, tags to identify beached birds, gloves to avoid contamination, a specialized Fieldguide published by COASST to aid in identification and a plastic ruler to measure features on the bird to aid in identification.

For more information on Beached Bird Surveys or to become involved please contact: BC Beached Bird Survey Program: BCPrograms@birdscanada.org, or toll-free 1-877-349-2473

Quebec Beached Bird Survey program: ACoughlan@birdscanada.org, Phone (418) 649-6062