Admirers of nature agree with the fact that the natural environment has been blessed by the addition of birds that occupy our skies, waterways, and oceans. Across the world, ornithology or birdwatching whether seen as a hobby or profession, is a huge phenomenon. It’s hard to tell exactly how many bird watchers there are across the world, but we know that birding, as it's also known, generates a huge amount of interest by millions of people.

Last year’s Global Big Birding Day saw a record 7111 different species recorded in ONE day, around the world. Some of the rarities seen are likely to have been classified as “threatened,” others “critically endangered” or even “regionally extinct”. The professionals will be using this information from the database created on the big day to map out details about the growth or decline in species numbers, and distribution over time. 

Birds share the earth with us humans and they can do nothing to influence the way the environment that they live in is treated. They simply must live with the pollution we cause, and this is slowly leading to a decrease in numbers of various bird species.

Our responsibility to the environment here at Rubbish Removal Chester is something we take seriously. We are not only a waste management company based right here in your community, but we are activists for a clean, healthy environment for us to live in. By keeping the environment clean, we are also doing it for the benefit of the birds we love, and whose lives depend on a natural environment that is not harmful to them. 

Solid Waste and Indiscriminate Rubbish Dumping

Fly tipping has been on the increase recently, where junk is hauled away and dumped illegally. Instead of ending up in a designated landfill site, where it is treated according to best practice, it ends up in places where rubbish and solid waste will have a massive, negative impact on the soil, water, animal and bird life.

• Scavenging raptors like kites and crows end up swallowing bits of junk that has been dumped illegally. This in turn limits their lifespans and lowers their breeding success. 
• While hunting waterfowl may be a popular pastime, it’s the lead shot that is left behind that’s a danger to birds, particularly waterfowl and other terrestrial birds mistaking the lead shot for food. Being highly toxic and taking ages to degrade, lead shot remains in the watercourses and soil for many years, posing a big threat to wetland species. 
• It's evident that over 40% of wetland birds mistake lead shot for some sort of gritty material that could aid digestion, and in fact does exactly the opposite. 
• Seabirds looking for food are known to digest floating plastic junk that has been washed or dumped into the ocean, thinking it’s food. This particularly applies to albatrosses, gannets, and petrels, who commonly are found with blocked intestines and gullets, interfering with their digestive patterns, and often causing death. 

Farming- the Effect of Pesticides on Birds

• As the farming industry strives to feed nations, more virgin areas are ploughed and crops treated with chemicals to control pests, the food of birds, while livestock owners are known to apply veterinary medicines that are harmful to birds such as vultures. Farm birds are rapidly losing their natural environments to lands that are sprayed with poisons and form the biggest percentage of endangered species on the red list in the UK. 
• Woodlands are also being carved up for forestry as the demand for paper and cellulose products increases. Sixteen birds in the UK are on the red list including the recently added Woodcock, Pied Flycatcher and Nightingale.
• The reduction of pesticide use can begin with all of us in our gardens. Think about when you last heard the song thrush. Numbers have declined by 50% in the last decade mainly due to pesticide use which while reduces the pests in the garden, have caused the loss in numbers of song thrushes.

The Dangers of Pollution for our Birds

Think of fishing lines, oil pollution in oceans, global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, plastic and other waste that are being dumped into the environment every hour of the day at increasing rates. Not only do these pollutants help increase mortality in our birds, but many of them reduce fertility too. The effect on food sources for birds is also being felt, and generally the absence of birds in an area is a sign of the state of the environment in that location. Common birds we know like the Shag, Kittiwake and Puffin and as many of four of the UK’s sea duck species are now on the Red List, which is a real worry to birders and nature lovers at large.

What Can we Do?

Being considerate in our actions and taking an interest in nature will help protect our birds. If we all contribute to litter reduction, and responsible trash disposal, we will start to see a difference. 

It all starts with education, especially with our children, and talking about it to others, making them aware of the plight our birds are facing. 

This starts by knowing birds, their habitats, and general habits. By being aware of the kind of pollution that affects our birds and which ones have an impact on them, we can help do something about the problem. Whether it’s stopping the use of pesticides in our gardens, helping clear a beach or wildlife area of litter, and being mindful of how we dump our trash, any small action can help. 

Rubbish Removal Chester are ahead of the game initiating litter reduction goals wherever we work. As a licensed waste removal company in Chester, we haul away junk in a responsible manner, recycling as far as possible. We haul away waste from your premises, wherever it is, at a time convenient to you. Our working hours include after hours and weekends. We can also help you with a same day junk removal service.

Please contact us at enquiries@rubbishremovalchester.co.uk 

Chester: 01244 953100

www.rubbishremovalchester.co.uk