This is Garelochhead. One of my regular patches. A place I love.
Beautiful isn't it?
The Gare Loch with its surrounding horseshoe of hills is what it's all about. Great birding down there by the water - Carrion crow, Common gull, Lesser black-backed gull, Magpie, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Starling, Hooded crow, Curlew, Eider duck, Goldeneye duck, Grey heron, Herring gull, Jackdaw, Mallard, Pied wagtail.
But zoom in and this is what you see:
They come in on the waves, floated to the head of the loch by west coast winds and the tide. It's not the fault of Garelochhead. The vast majority of these pieces aren't theirs. They're all of ours.
Garelochhead is just one little speck on one big world, this is happening across all of it.
Not a world I'll be proud to show my children.
What we can do:
- Sign the Clean Up Scotland pledge to show that you care and want to take action. Signing shows politicians and businesses that we demand change. - www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/pledge
- 2 Minute Beach Clean! - www.beachclean.net/why - remember to share your pics on social media.
- www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56229#.WLGsBDuLQ2w
- www.mcsuk.org/what_we_do/Clean+seas+and+beaches
- www.mcsuk.org/what_we_do.php/Clean+seas+and+beaches/Campaigns+and+policy
- www.oceanconservancy.org/healthy-ocean/clean-beaches-clean-water
- www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/24/microplastics-ban-in-cosmetics-save-oceans-mps-say-microbeads
- reduce use of plastics and lobby business and government to do the same.
Garelochhead, why I love it:
- www.landscapeartnaturebirds.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/garelochhead-sketching-submarine-48.html
- www.landscapeartnaturebirds.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/your-local-patch-scotland-by-rail-bit.html
- www.landscapeartnaturebirds.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/garelochhead-bto-bbs-bird-count-first.html
- www.landscapeartnaturebirds.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/scotland-by-rail-garelochhead-5.html
You are most welcome to use material from this post to help campaign for a protected planet.
Please share.
Leo du Feu, 2017
Hi Leo
ReplyDeleteYour photos were quite shocking, but I'm not surprised. The problem is world wide, and no amount of education would seem to help. I believe that the problem of waste disposal begins at home. Parents trying to get by in this rushed world improperly dispose of waste destined for landfill, an action witnessed and perpetuated by their children. I've watched teens on school break exiting a fast food restaurant throw their wastes to the ground in sight of a disposal bin. I once watched a father of two young children fill a bag with fast food containers, and plastic cutlery, then kick it under a parked car. When asked why he did this he said that there wasn't a garbage container nearby, although all he had to do was walk back into the fast food establishment to dispose of the trash. I could go on and on with examples, but what good. There breeds a certain mentality in society that is beyond change leaving the rest of us to clean up.
Best wishes as always,
Ernest Somers
I know, so so frustrating. I have stories to match. Thank you Ernest. Hope you are well over there. Most interesting wildlife encounter recently? I choose a tawny owl today, circled below and in front of me as I walked through a bluebell wood, Garelochhead, west coast Scotland. Totally unexpected as it was only 6pm, still full light.
ReplyDelete