Sanctuary helps 30 birds in a week
KNOWN for skimming close to the waves, shearwater birds flying by the coast seem to have gone too close to the water.
Over 30 shearwaters were rescued between Burleigh and Kingscliff in the past week.
The birds were found by members of the public and brought to Currumbin Wildlife Hospital to recuperate.
Currumbin Wildlife Hospital veterinary Camille Alexander said the shearwaters were washed up because of exhaustion and the heavy weather conditions.
"A lot of these are young adults that are not quite strong enough to make the journey," Ms Alexander said.
"The weak ones are the ones caught up in bad weather," she said.
Ms Alexander said the birds were flying north back to spend winter in the Pacific Islands after having been south between October and December in Tasmania, southern NSW or New Zealand for breeding.
For people finding and rescuing birds, Ms Alexander said they should be brought to the Wildlife Hospital to be looked after.
"It would be great if they could bring it in straight away or keep in it in a quiet dark place before bringing them in the morning," Ms Alexander said.
The hospital expects quite a few more shearwaters to be found in the next couple of weeks.
After a few days of rest, rehydration and fish handfeeding from the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, the rescued birds will be freed to make the rest of their journey.
