But there were also gannets and a fulmar. Isabelle Allemeersch: “We just like gannets because they winter off our coast. We occasionally get them. Northern fulmars also arrive a number of times every year. A puffin is rather exceptional, on average every five years. They don’t always wash up on the beach, they come from all over the country. That’s right. The puffin was brought in by our colleagues from Brussels, who found it in Wemmel. That in itself is not entirely exceptional. It often happens when there is a heavy storm that the seabirds are blown a long way inland by the strong wind.”
The birds were taken to the bird sanctuary in Ostend, and after a recovery period they released them again. In recent years, birds that wash ashore during this period have been much less smeared with oil. A good sign.