World Migratory Bird Day 2023
May 13th is World Migratory Bird Day! Our feathery friends are busy flying back from their winter beach homes to enjoy the local summer, but unfortunately, they will likely come across a lot of litter. Let’s welcome our birds back by cleaning up their environment and reducing our waste together!
As usual, the main culprit when it comes to pollution that harms birds is plastic in its many forms. Bits of plastic are colorful and shiny, irresistible to birds, and plastic bags can look like prey. In fact, according to birdrescue.org, a report by scientists studying Laysan Albatross chicks found that 40% of the chicks died before fledgling, their stomachs filled with plastic waste. (1) Plastic six pack rings can also get stuck around birds beaks, so be sure to cut those before tossing. Once in the water though, removal is hard, so sticking to reusables can avoid such waste entering the environment altogether.
Besides plastic, food waste and waste in general cause birds problems. (2) When food is left to rot, it attracts birds’ predators, illness-bearing insects like ticks, and bacteria. Garbage can also crowd birds and lead to less successful breeding, which will force them to try a new location and leave the environment, disrupting the ecosystem. Something you can do to help combat this is to pick up any trash near local bird environments or beaches as you see it (if safe to do so), or participate in a local clean up.
Especially harmful are waste from fishing or hunting and balloons. Discarded fishing weights and shot can seep lead into the water, and fishing hooks and wires get painfully tangled around birds’ beaks and limbs, potentially causing starvation. Similarly, balloons can both be ingested by birds or tangled around them, with deadly results. If you are planning a celebration, avoid balloons, especially any sort of balloon release, and opt for bubbles, confetti, doves, or other more environmentally friendly items.
Let’s be better hosts to our avian buddies and work together to reduce the waste in the environment. It will not only help the birds but everyone else, now and for years to come!
(1) https://www.birdrescue.org/our-work/research-and-innovation/how-plastics-affect-birds/