EDINBURGH, Scotland, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The Scottish government reported that few birds were at risk from the North Sea oil spill despite the discovery of an oil-soaked bird this week.
Scottish marine surveillance work found very few birds in the area during its preliminary study of bird populations near the site of an oil spill in the North Sea last week.
The government said it surveyed four bird species in the area. Only one oiled bird was spotted in the North Sea earlier this week.
"The spill is considered unlikely to significantly impact the populations of any seabird species," Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has called on Royal Dutch Shell to offer more transparency about the oil spill after the first oiled bird was discovered, The Daily Telegraph newspaper in London reports.
Shell was criticized because it waited two days before issuing a public report about an Aug. 10 spill that dumped around 1,500 barrels of oil into the North Sea from its Gannet platform.
Shell in an update Friday said its divers had closed the leak, which was allowing about 42 gallons of oil day to spill into the water.
The energy company said the oil sheen on the surface measures about 1,600 feet by 1,600 feet at its widest point.
