Plastic (not so) fantastic

I was going through some old photo's this morning and found this.

Gannet colonies are amazing things, and the gannets themselves quite resourceful! When building their nests they will collect any flotsam they see floating around near the colony. Originally this would be seaweed and twigs, but as the amount of pollution in our oceans increases gannets are bringing back bits of plastic and old fishing ropes to make their nests.

I shot this while helping the RSPB cut loose those chicks that become entwined in the ropes. At the end of the season the adults leave the chicks to fledge on their own, and if the RSPB didn't cut the chicks loose they would be left to starve.

More information on the RSPB's work can be found here

More information on plastic in the ocean can be found here