During my trip to Heligoland, I was already looking forward to the photo safari at Lummenfelsen. I knew that it was very possible to see gannets and guillemots there. I had a rare pleasure: my loved one was there too. So not just my camera, but also my wife. And she also had a camera with her. During our photo hunt we realized that we were seeing completely different things. And so it happens that this picture story is a co-production on!
While I arrived at the infamous Lummenfelsen – the only bird rock in Germany – immediately Hunting fever for flying subjects I fell for it, my love first looked around. While I was happy to have finally photographed a flying gannet with something in its beak, my loved one already had it fatal consequences of the nest building material I photographed. Dead gannets and guillemots!
We then did a little research: Northern gannets fish everything from the sea to build a nest. Among other things, they also use parts of fishing nets carelessly thrown into the sea. Some animals get caught in the nets and from that miserable. Other birds nest next to decaying members of their species. Sad. And unnecessary. The birds die on ours Civilization garbage.
We were still thinking about the hanging birds when we saw stones on the beach that had the words “No plastic in the sea“. Since I did a photo project on a garbage dump many years ago, I could immediately relate to this request. But it gets worse: plastic is one of the Main causes of death for gannets, guillemots and many other animals – Wikipedia knows more.
The problem is not new either: that ZDF almost exactly a year ago reported about it. There are also photographers who have discovered and taken up the problem elsewhere on our planet. Chris Jordan is thanks Chase jarvis probably the best known. He photographs it Stomach contents of dead albatrosses - in this Youtube Video he reports about his work.
Rarely do we Environmental pollution with a fatal outcome so close in sight. It is a good reason to visit Heligoland and look into this aspect of human activity. Check out what we're going through thoughtless actions can do. If we all less plastic that would be a good first step. Perhaps we should revive the age-old call to use jute instead of plastic.
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exactly the same spot with the dead gannets from July last year http://video.antville.org/stories/2070844/
Thanks for the document. I wrote that this is not a new problem. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to matter, otherwise things would change.
I know that too, with the different perception ;-). Ideal when it complements each other so well :-).
Jute instead of plastic bags? When plastic bags can still be had for a few cents or even for free? ….
I now always have a shopping basket with me and folding boxes and cloth bags in the car. I almost never buy plastic bags. When I go "shopping", I stuff all my clothes into one bag. Why do I need 5 bags for 5 T-shirts? But you shouldn't be annoyed that the majority of the population seems to enjoy walking around with colorfully printed plastic bags advertising individual shops/brands 😉
Yes, I don't understand that either. I try not to have any prints on my clothes. 🙂
In this case it's not even the plastic bags, but the fishing nets. We have to stop eating fish. (Like we need to stop eating animals and animal products for the most part.)
Apart from the sad story (which you are unfortunately all too right about)… excellent animal photos and I mean that seriously!
Thank you, Frank.
Oh man, picture 5 is just awesome...
However, I find the “living pictures” impressive.
Nevertheless, this blog entry simply makes me sad. I think that protecting the environment requires a certain intellectual maturity, a "natural" (sic) intelligence, so to speak. And more and more people are losing that.
I walk to the supermarket 500 meters away instead of starting my car, take the train if possible and use the car as rarely as possible, recycle and try to save resources. But let's be honest: sometimes you feel like you're just a tiny will-o'-the-wisp in a crowd of dull, dark wooden heads...
I love picture 4. These animals are far too beautiful to die so miserably. But that doesn't mean it's just a matter of appearance 😉
I don't even have a car myself. I separate my rubbish and never let rubbish just fall on the floor. Ok, I admit I occasionally walk around with plastic bags, but I only buy them when I have to and then continue to use them until they are worn out. I usually always have a cloth bag with me for spontaneous shopping.
I don't want to claim that I really live in an environmentally conscious way. These are all things that come naturally to me.
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[…] Of course, the North and Baltic Seas are also full of garbage. Anyone who has ever seen the gannets dying in bits of plastic net on Heligoland will never forget the sight. Here in the north, there's a project with fishermen who […]
[…] the North and Baltic Seas are also full of garbage. Anyone who has ever seen the gannets dying in bits of plastic net on Heligoland will never forget the sight. Here in the north, there's a project with fishermen who […]
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