Shocking picture shows how pigeons make their nest out of cables
Pigeons use cable ties to build their nest in shocking photo showing the impact of rising plastic tide on the natural world
- Shocking image shows two birds nesting in their home made from plastic wires
- It was spotted inside a downpipe hopper in Poundbury near Dorchester, Dorset
- Poundbury is where Prince Charles has been building a model village since 1993
This shocking picture shows how pigeons have used cable ties to build their nest in a bleak reminder of the impact of plastic on the natural world.
Two pigeons were seen nesting among the black plastic strips, which they had weaved among twigs to make their home.
They were spotted inside a downpipe hopper of a building by a passer-by in Poundbury, Dorset.
Poundbury, near Dorchester, is where Prince Charles has been building a model village since 1993.
The Poundbury development is being constructed on Duchy of Cornwall land under the environmentalist principles of the prince.
This shocking picture shows how two pigeons have used cable ties to build their nest inside a downpipe hopper in Poundbury, Dorset
Poundbury, near Dorchester, is where Prince Charles has building a model village sine 1993. The development (pictured) is being constructed on Duchy of Cornwall land under the environmentalist principles of the prince
Pictures of the two pigeon chicks sitting next to an egg highlight the dangers of plastic for the environment, with the young birds at risk of choking on one or getting tangled up and suffocating.
Tony Whitehead, of the RSPB, said the pictures were concerning.
He said: ‘We hear and read a lot about plastic pollution in our oceans but there is also a lot of plastic waste lying around in all sorts of places as this picture shows.
‘This image highlights the access to bits of plastic in the environment.
‘Birds should be using natural materials like sticks, feathers and lichen to build their nests, not bits of plastic which could be ingested.
‘Birds will pick up whatever is at hand as this photo shows. We can cut down on the amount of plastic waste that we produce and take better care of disposing of it.’
Steve Trewhella, a Dorset-based environmentalist, said: ‘I have heard of gannets on Ramsay Island off Pembrokeshire using bits of fishing nets and rope to make their nests and volunteers have to go along and cut the chicks out of it otherwise they will die.
Pictures of the two pigeon chicks sitting next to an egg highlight the dangers of plastic for the environment, with the young birds at risk of choking on one or getting tangled up and suffocating
‘Birds are opportunistic and they will make a nest to of whatever they can find. They don’t see the hazards and dangers of picking up things like cable ties.
‘If a chick gets caught up in a twig they can easily get out of but a plastic cable tie, they can’t.
‘Pictures like this show we need to take better control of the mess we are making.
‘People in the farming and building industries are terrible for leaving stuff lying around and they should these things are picked uo and cleaned up afterwards. It’s just common sense.’
The heir to the throne is also a strong environmental campaigner and last November he gave an interview to Vanity Fair magazine warning about the rise of plastic pollution.
A spokesman for the Duchy of Cornwall and Clarence House, the official residence of Prince Charles, declined to comment on the matter.
Pictured: Prince Charles’s model village in Poundbury, near Dorchester, Dorset
The village prioritises pedestrians over vehicles and has been designed using environmentalist principles
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