No oiled birds or marine mammals have been found on Whidbey Island after last week’s oil spill around Maury and Vashon islands.

“It’s still pretty far out,” wildlife biologist Matt Klope said of the spill in south Puget Sound.

Beach Watchers and Marine Mammal Stranding Network members have been alerted to watch for oiled, injured or dead birds and mammals during walks on beaches. Everyone who walks local beaches is asked to keep their eyes open for affected animals.

Orcas have not been seen in the spill area but sea lions, porpoises and dolphins have been in the area. Already dead seal pups and oiled birds have been found.

People might not see evidence of oil on an animal, WSU Island County Beach Watcher Sandy Dubpernell cautioned.

“They might have inhaled or ingested oil. We wouldn’t know if they were affected by oil until a necropsy was done,” she said.

Dubpernell said the Department of Fish and Wildlife wants to necropsy all dead animals to determine cause of death.

She said it might take time for some animals to be killed by the oil spill, and they could make their way to Whidbey Island before succumbing. “It could be weeks since we are so far away,” she said.

While at a previous job, Dot Irwin, Beach Watchers coordinator, gained experience cleaning ducks and other birds that got into oil.

“We scrubbed ducks for hours with Dawn and then blow-dried them,” she said.

Oil mats a bird’s feathers. If a bird can’t fluff it’s feathers, the bird can’t can’t stay warm be trapping body heat. Birds can succumb to hypothermia quickly Irwin said.

Dubpernell said injured animals would be sent to Port Defiance Zoo in Tacoma for cleaning and rehabilitation.

If an oil spill happened closer to Whidbey Island, Beach Watchers would be prepared, Irwin said. The WSU Cooperative Extension program trains volunteers in everything, including monitoring watersheds and groundwater, marine biology and marine mammal stranding, salmon and near-shore habitats, noxious weeds, agriculture, forestry, waste reduction, recycling, sustainable living, native plants and wildlife, intertidal beach monitoring, coastal geology and more.

“We have 14 years of data collected from 37 beaches,” she said.

“We know what’s here from animals to plant life. Jan Holmes and Mary Jo Adams who lead the monitoring and everyone on their teams know their beaches very well, down to the tiniest stone.”

South Whidbey Island experienced an oil spill in the mid-80s similar to the one that occurred this week in the south Sound. A passing ship dumped some 5,000 gallons of bunker oil, which spread from the Clinton ferry dock to Scatchet Head, soiling beaches and killing hundreds of seabirds.

Anyone who finds an injured or dead birds or marine mammals should call Island County Sheriff’s Office at 678-4422 or Island County Beach Watchers, 679-7391.