Plastic killing wildlife

Plastic rubbish is a major killer of wildlife. Photo copyright Craig Nash.

I headed out to my local patch this morning at Killard Nature Reserve.

I arrived at Ben Derg beach and there were a couple of Dunlin on the rocks and a couple of pairs of Ringed plover that both had young. There were also a few Oystercatchers on the shoreline making a racket and as I approached two flew off, but I noticed a dead bird and I was even more shocked to see the way that it had died. It had this plastic item jammed over its lower mandible. When I turned it over and felt its breast it was skeletal. It had died of starvation.

The moment the oystercatcher put its beak into this piece of rubbish, it had signed its death warrant. Photo copyright Craig Nash.

In fact the moment the oystercatcher put its beak into this piece of rubbish, it had signed its death warrant. I had great difficulty myself in removing it from the beak. Once it stuck it in the tiny hole on one side, the metal strips on the other side allowed it to push it on further but not to remove it.

I dread to think how long it took this bird to die.

Plastic rubbish & balloons
It is just so depressing to see the amount of plastic waste that washes up daily on the shoreline mainly I suspect from fishing boats. There was also another piece of litter on the reserve being two semi deflated balloons which were probably released at some party or charity function. Releasing balloons should be banned.

Our thanks to Craig Nash. Craig is a bird photographer and conservationist, click bird photography to see his blog. 

Read more about balloon releases and the danger that they create for our wildlife. Click Balloon release.