In the past week, fishermen have reported witnessing hundreds of common migratory birds falling to their deaths.
“While we were fishing about 10 miles south of Portsmouth in England, we saw thousands of garden birds confused, landing on the sea, and most of them drowning,” one boat skipper shared with Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
“The species included goldcrests, robins, thrushes, and blackbirds. The sky was densely populated with garden birds. I estimate that I observed 500 birds perish, and that was just within our 300-yard area.
“On our way back, we saw only dead songbirds floating in the water: it was a distressing sight.”
Martin Harper, conservation director of the RSPB, remarked that the magnitude of the fatalities was alarming and might impact the population of the bird species.
Experts suggest that a mix of fog and strong winds contributed to the birds’ misfortune as they journeyed across the North Sea from Scandinavia.
