Summer to autumn is all about change. For many regions around the world, daylight’s duration and leaves’ colors shift in the fall. But this time of year is also a significant migratory period for birds.
This season I had the opportunity to venture on a birding expedition while maneuvering a kayak on Lake Monroe in southern Indiana. Joining a small group of enthusiastic birders, I brought along my obLITTERating gear as well. The bulk of litter I collected wasn’t found in the water but along the shorelines.
“Trash, and especially plastic, can harm wildlife in two main ways: ingestion and entanglement.” (Source)
I’ve shared about plogging (picking up litter while jogging; you can find out more here) but I was recently introduced to a similar term, plirding… picking up trash while birding! (Find out more from Talkin’ Birds.)
Special thanks to Indigo Birding for the adventure and list of birds we got to observe, 24 different species! (see below)
Canada Goose 20
Wood Duck 3
Wild Turkey 3
Mourning Dove 1
Killdeer 30
Semipalmated Plover 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 16
Stilt Sandpiper 50 Conservative estimate
Pectoral Sandpiper 4
Ring-billed Gull 6
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Great Egret 30
Great Blue Heron 12
Bald Eagle 3
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2
American Crow 2
Carolina Wren 1
Gray Catbird 1
Red-winged Blackbird 40
Bay-breasted Warbler 10
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