Puffins: victims of storms Nils and Pedro
- L'école de la Glisse
- Feb 20
- 1 min read
Storms Nils and Pedro: Thousands of puffins dead on the Basque coast
Thousands of puffins stranded after storms Nils and Pedro.
The passage of storms Nils and Pedro along the Atlantic coast caused an unusual mass die-off on the Basque coast. Thousands of puffins were found dead or dying on the beaches of the Basque coast, Bidart, Biarritz, Anglet, and Hendaye. A tragic sight.
This spectacular phenomenon, although rare, is not unprecedented after extreme weather events in the Bay of Biscay.
Why do storms cause the death of puffins?
The Atlantic puffin spends the winter at sea. When storms last for several days:
1. Physical exhaustion
The birds can no longer dive properly to feed.
2. Drift south
Strong winds are pushing them away from their usual fishing grounds.
3. General weakening
A thin bird is less resistant to cold and waves.
A mobilization on the Basque coast
Municipal services and local wildlife protection associations collected the carcasses to prevent any health risks. Analyses may be carried out to determine if other factors (pollution, plastic, disease) contributed to the mortality.
The authorities remind people not to handle dead birds and to report any discovery to the relevant services, notably the Hegalaldia association in Ustaritz, THANK YOU to them.
Landslides and extensive storm damage in Erretegia
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