ASTORIA, Ore. -- A massive rescue effort is under way to save birds caught up in a toxic algae bloom that's proven fatal to thousands of birds off the coast.

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News South Sound Bureau Chief Richard Thompson on Friday logged from than 280 miles from Olympia to Long Beach and into Oregon to show what's happening.

VIDEO BACKSTORY: Hundreds Of Birds Sickened In Washington Treated In Oregon

"I've lived here for 60 years, and I've never seen birds like this. It's sad," said Herb McClintock, a rescue volunteer.

McClintock has spent days rescuing birds near his home in Long Beach and bringing them to a wildlife facility near Astoria.

Thousands of these seabirds have already died because an algae bloom off the coast produced a detergent that is deadly for the birds.

"The soap is dissolving the waterproofing on the birds, and if birds on the ocean aren't waterproof, they can't survive," said Sue Staples of the the Wildlife Center.

The seabirds washing ashore are bathed to get the toxic detergent off of them. Then they are fed some fish -- with a little help swallowing -- all to improve their odds of survival.

With every bird helped, volunteers head back out to the beach to rescue more.

"I hate to see it i lay awake at night thinking how many birds am i gonna get tomorrow how many are going to be dead," said McClintock.

And even though the rescue efforts and volunteer efforts have been amazing, the facility is overwhelmed right now. About 100 birds are going to be loaded up to be brought to a rescue facility in the Lynnwood area.

The algae bloom poses no threat to humans.

The Wildlife Center has treated well over 500 birds so far, most of them rescued from the Washington Coast.

There center was so overwhelmed on Friday that it asked that no more birds be rescued for now. It is shipping the birds out to other treatment facilities, including the one in Lynnwood.

Once they make more room the rescuers can continue rescuing birds as soon as Saturday.