I’m always excited to find a bird’s nest. That such a thing can be constructed with only a beak and scrawny claws is a wonder. I know birds can’t run to the store for supplies so they use what they find. And this builder found a bunch of plastic trash in addition to the more traditional twigs, leaves and bits of moss. That forever trash is out there is depressing but I can’t fault the bird for using it.
We humans are not so blameless. We can make better choices when constructing our nests, but often don’t. The ubiquity of faux wood, stucco, slate, and stone has nearly put the originals out of business. Faux used to be the foe, but somewhere along the way, it became friend. Yes, it’s cheaper, but cheap often turns costly. Remember the Chinese proverb. “Buy the best and you only weep once.” If the Great Wall had been made on the cheap, it wouldn’t have been so great.
We’ve lost our way and dragged the birds along with us. Time to set a better example.
P.S. Debriding before adding to my collection was easy and didn’t seem to affect the integrity of the nest The plastic scraps were poorly integrated into the whole. Minus trash… a treasure.