Seabirds Victims of Mystery Oil Spill

More than 500 seabirds off the Southern California coast have been coated with oil from what authorities described Thursday as a “mystery spill.”

Many of the birds have drifted onto beaches between Santa Barbara and Venice, said Dana Michaels, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Game’s pollution division. None have been found dead.

Biologists have not yet pinpointed the source of the oil that mired the birds, most of them Western grebes and pelicans. Observers in airplanes have scanned the ocean for clues, and samples of oil from the birds’ feathers are being shipped to laboratories for analysis.

“We’re not ruling anything out at this point,” Michaels said.

The massive La Conchita mudslide may have contributed to a mile-long oily sheen spotted offshore afterward, she said. In addition, a nearby mudslide at Icebox Canyon broke a transmission line used by Vintage Oil, sending about 25 barrels of oil -- or 1,050 gallons -- downstream in a torrent of mud and debris.

The company shut down the pipeline as soon as its equipment detected a drop in pressure, Michaels said.

Other sources might include cars and trucks swept into flooding streams.

“There’s probably a real goulash of different kinds of oils out there,” Michaels said.

John Romero, a spokesman for the federal Minerals Management Service, said no leaks were reported from any of the offshore oil platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel.

Volunteers fanned out Thursday over beaches, picking up injured birds and taking them to the Oiled Bird Care and Education Center in San Pedro.

Officials warned the public not to approach the oiled birds, pointing out that grebes have particularly sharp beaks. They advised people who came across the birds to call (562) 342-7222.