A small flock of shorebirds contaminated with oil after touching down on a northern Alberta tailings pond is expected to be released back into the wild within a week. "The landings were most likely influenced by near-freezing precipitation, which historically has resulted in migrating birds landing on such areas due to exhaustion," he said. Deadly landingsThe incident recalls previous bird deaths at oilsands tailings ponds. In 2010, Syncrude was fined $3 million after more than 1,600 ducks died when they landed on a tailings pond in 2008. "Bird migration takes place each spring and the AER cannot speak to the incident's exact cause," reads the email.

Source: CBC News May 07, 2020 16:07 UTC