Warden repeats bid to save birds battle to save birds in oil spill

A bird warden who worked in Shetland during the aftermath of the Braer oil spill is facing a second pollution nightmare.

Simon Smith, warden of the Skomer island reserve in Pembrokeshire has joined other experts monitoring beaches near the stranded Sea Empress.

Mr Smith moved to Skomer last year from the Noss National Nature Reserve, in Shetland. Both islands are rated important international wildlife sites.

In 1993 Noss and its 100,000 birds escaped pollution when the tanker Braer ran aground, shedding her 85,000-tonne cargo. But the pollution threat was eased because the ferocious weather dispersed the oil.

But yesterday Mr Smith was not sure the birds on Skomer would be so lucky. The wind was taking oil away from the island but the birds were out at sea waiting to come ashore for breeding.

Skomer's summer population of 250,000 birds included about 160,000 Manx shearwaters. Other birds included fulmars, puffins and guillemots.