50 birds dead after landing on tailings ponds

EDMONTON Imperial Oil says 50 birds have died after landing on tailings ponds in northern Alberta.

Company spokesperson Jon Harding said in an email Tuesday that since April 26 there have been several days with more than 100 birds, primarily eared grebes and shorebirds, that have landed in the tailings area at the Kearl oilsands site. While most have landed in open waters, about 60 birds have landed in tailings ponds, of which 50 have died after being collected, Harding said.

“Partially oiled birds were taken to a rehabilitation centre in Edmonton, where they will be cleaned and assessed, and the successful cases will be released in the coming days,” he said.

“We very much regret this situation and are making every effort to protect the birds and learn from these increased landings. Our personnel, with expert third-party support, continue to actively monitor the situation and are taking all prudent steps to safely encourage

the birds to avoid and move off landing areas.”

To deter birds from landing, Harding said the company uses 360-degree radar detection, noise cannons, lasers, scarecrows and effigies, and long-range acoustical devices. He said the systems are regularly maintained and operated throughout the annual bird migration and breeding season.

Harding said the assumption is the birds were exhausted and had to land at the site despite the deterrents because most bodies of water in the area are still frozen. He said the landings were most likely influenced by near-freezing precipitation as well.

The company is providing regular updates to regulatory bodies, he said.

Syncrude was found guilty and fined $3 million in 2010 after 1,606 ducks died from landing in a tailings pond at the company’s Aurora site in 2008.

The Kearl site is 70 kilometres north of Fort Mcmurray.

We very much regret this situation and are making every effort to protect the birds and learn from these increased landings.