In June of 2023 masses of Brown Skua began washing up on the shores of Ecuador near Ayampe. These birds typically spend their lives in the lower latitudes and prefer the cost of Antarctica. What ever forces have occurred in the Southern oceans  have driven populations as far north as Ecuador. As El Nino begins to take hold they are not the only ones being forced out of there homes and as climate change continues to intensify they will not be the last. Â
The Brown Skua has been known to travel and are not currently considered endangered. Yet after the die off we are witnessing here the species could  become endangered or extinct in a single season.  Their population was estimated between 39,000 to 42,000 individuals- In Ayampe I am seeing 20 dead birds per kilometer of beach- Ecuador has 2,237 KM of coast line. I am sure it is not the case, yet if these casualties were constant across the full coastline the entire estimated species would be whipped out.Â
Birds are our eyes, through them we see. Â
