Birding is one of the most popular hobbies for all ages. I find it enjoyable and extremely relaxing. It doesn’t matter where I go on Okinawa, I seem to find beautiful animals and trash. The animals have been forced to live with our single use waste. Below are some of my documentation photographs of animals surrounded by our waste.
Plastic Okinawa © Shawn Miller
Birding Okinawa © Shawn Miller
Birding Okinawa © Shawn Miller
Birding Okinawa © Shawn Miller
You can see how a bird could accidentally confuse single use plastic for actual fish. Now days, majority of marine birds have some form of plastic inside their stomachs.
Plastic pollution © Shawn Miller
This Gull arrived on Okinawa February 2016 with oil residue on its feathers. It spent most of the day bathing in the salt water trying to shake of the oil.
Birding © Shawn Miller
Plastic bag © Shawn Miller
Crab trash @Shawn Miller
Jungle crow and plastic
Even the endangered Okinawa rail (Gallirallus okinawae) has to deal with our waste.
Okinawa rail (Gallirallus okinawae) © Shawn Miller
Roadside streams are a great place to photograph waterbirds. This may look like a small waterfall but it’s actually a huge piece of plastic, beautiful isn’t it?
Plastic waterfalls © Shawn Miller
This post is not to make people sad, guilty or lose hope, It is to bring awareness to the ongoing trash problem in our oceans and on our shorelines. We all have the ability to make a difference by reducing the amount of single-use items we use daily.
The truth hurts © Shawn Miller
Learn more about making a difference, TEDx talk | Adapting to or Changing Environment by Shawn M Miller
My Mission: To Protect and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands for Future Generations. – If you would like to join my journey, check out my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/MakeTheSwitch4Nature
Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.