That Darn Plastic!

Original Post from 3/29/2016

​A few weeks ago while leaving a local school after giving a series of educational programs, I noticed a bird in the parking lot that seemed to be having some difficulties getting off of the ground. Being the curious person that I am, I put my stuff down and headed over to see what the birds’ problem was. At first glance the bird, I believe to be a type of sparrow, looked to have a plastic mesh tangled amongst its legs and feet. As I tried to untangle the bird I quickly realized that the mesh was also wrapped around the birds’ neck. I set the bird back down and headed into the school to get a pair of scissor. With scissors in hand the bird let me hold it as I attempted to cut off the plastic mesh. I was able to remove the mesh from around the birds’ neck and one of its legs before it flew off.  As the bird flew away it seemed to be flying struggle free.
The plastic green mesh that the bird was entangled in looked to be a soft landscaping mesh. After doing some research I came to the conclusion that the bird was tangled in what is called plastic bird netting.  According to JinKe Plastic Netting Factory (http://www.plasticnetting.org/products/plasticbirdnetting.html) this type of netting is used to keep small mammals, birds and butterflies away from crops.
With spring quickly approaching I wanted to take this time to remind us that we all need to think about the things that we are putting on/in our yards. Plastic such as the plastic mesh that the bird was entangled in could have great negative impacts on the environment.  Animals can ingest plastics which could then lead to digestive issues or the animal could become trapped or entangled in the plastic. Fertilizers and pesticides can also have great negative impacts on the environment. If you plan on applying pesticides or fertilizers to your yard please read and follow the directions on the label. Pesticides and fertilizers applied incorrectly to yards or fields can possess negative impacts to our environment and local watershed.
-Sara