The high point of my visit to my birth place in Germany in 2009 was a trip from Hamburg down the Elbe River to the diminutive island of
Helioland in the North Sea, 29 miles off the coast. The side facing the sea is a 200 feet high rock cliff, home to thousands of sea birds, mostly Northern Gannets, Common Murres and Black-legged Kittiwakes. It was a gorgeous day, bright sun, blue skies. I had only a few hours to photograph the birds, no way of avoiding the mid-day sun with its harsh lights and shadows. But losing myself in the moment, I was happy and kept firing away at the awe-inspiring assembly of nesting Northern Gannets.
Parental care: placing a feather
Macabre Discovery
Closely examining the photos after I got home, I discovered the tragic consequences of the Gannets' method of nest construction. The rocks were covered with tons of man-made indestructible trash: plastic lines and pieces of nets that the Gannets had dragged up for nest material in place of their customary sticks and seaweeds, and that ended up trapping many of them, leading to their slow and agonizing deaths.
The living and the dead: recently dead adult bird in the left upper corner and the skeletal remains of one near center right among apparently oblivious adults and chicks
Is this adult going to be able to free itself from the sling around its neck?
These juveniles didn't make it
Fortunately this appears to be the only known Northern Gannet colony in the North Atlantic suffering such calamity. The North Sea is a shallow shelf sea ideal for shrimping with drag nets over its bottom. Nets are lost or torn apart and remain floating in the water or washed up on the beach. Gannets are known to resort to beachcombing for their nest material. Or perhaps they grab it when the nets are pulled in for mending.
Scottish trawler
Trawl nets on Belgian boat
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Part of a trawl net head on top of the rock. How on earth did it get up there?
Until then I had been content archiving my photos on
my website; but now I had to write about it, hoping to bring this debacle to the public's attention. That's how I started my blog.
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Great post Hilke, how horrible these poor birds. I wonder if people can clean up the site. The dead being there must expose them to infection as well.
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DeleteThanks Dan. Back then I had written an email to the bird observatory on the island. Here is their reply:
Delete"entangling of adult and juvenile Gannets (as well as of other seabirds, mainly Guillemots) in the nest material consisting of remains of fishing gear is a problem known for long time. As far as I know there was no attempt to locate the source of pollution, but for me it appears to be obvious that the pieces of net brought to the Helgoland colony by Gannets originate from North Sea fisheries. As the red sandstone cliff is too soft for climbing, rescue of entangled seabirds is unfortunately not possible."
Magnifica entrada tanto en imagenes como en texto.Saludos
ReplyDeleteBeautiful images, Hilke, but so sad to see the consequences of their use of artificial nesting material.
ReplyDeleteTerrific environmental images Hilke, these have such an emotional impact on me. Something must be done about the way we humans are pollutions our oceans.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mia. "Tragedy of the commons" - nothing will be done because no one is responsible for the ocean. The novel "The Swarm" deals with how the ocean takes revenge on us - it makes you feel good while reading it, but it's just a fantasy.
DeleteBeautiful family images Hllke, sorry to hear/see what problems the netting caused for them.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Hilke. Also sad, but beautifully photographed and told. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWonderful images... and many thanks for highlighting the problems seabirds endure.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos of the Gannets - they are beautiful birds - but it is very disturbing to see how human trash becomes an environmental disaster with no-one able to fix it.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Too Bad about the senseless killing. Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.
ReplyDeleteGreat post on the Gannets. It is sad how they are dying.
ReplyDeleteWhat a tragic situation you have brought to light!
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful birds.
WAU - super nice post.
ReplyDeleteHanne Bente
The Northern Gannets are especially beautiful birds. I was so very touched when viewing your photographs of the tender interactions between the birds and then saddened to read about the senseless killing. Such a shame ...
ReplyDeleteJust amazing ;-)
ReplyDeleteCéline & Philippe
Very interesting, both pictures and the sad story!
ReplyDeleteGreeetings from Pia in Sweden
some very disturbing images indeed..... well done for bringing this to peoples attention
ReplyDeleteNice images and important story. I had a similar one a few months ago (http://theheronfiles.blogspot.com/2012/06/great-blue-heron.html). I thought I had captured several nice images of a Great Blue Heron catching a fish only to find out when I looked at the photos that the bird had a large fishing lure and not a live fish. Luckily, I don't think it was injured; just spent a lot of energy for no reward.
ReplyDeleteI`ve been scrolling down through your blog,beautiful,beautiful pictures & a wealth of knowledge,thank-you,phyllis
ReplyDeleteWhoosh, what beauties these images are, what a splendid array of shares and I enjoyed these so much. I love the look of this species and your captures unfolded a story of a day in their life...thank you~
ReplyDeleteHi there - this is a great post. We can all post images that we hope people will like. but now and them people post posts that are a call to arms - just like this one. I hope that something can be done - but I know how persistent these synthetic materials can be.
ReplyDeleteStewart M - Australia
Trash in the world's oceans is such an intractable problem as long as there are no penalties for flushing waste down into the ocean, no one to police the shipping and fishing industry. Lost nets, "ghost nets", go on fishing forever until torn up or washed on to the shore, albatross young die of starvation being fed plastic waste by their parents... What can we do? It's minuscule: If you happen to see plastic trash on the beach pick it up... don't buy drinks in plastic bottles, don't use plastic supermarket bags...
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