Ruddy Turnstone Among Beach Debris

Ruddy Turnstone Among Beach Debris  – This Ruddy Turnstone was among the beach debris looking for bugs and other morsels to eat.  Close examination of the components of the beach debris exposes a real problem many of the beaches around fishing waters experience.  Much of the debris comes from lost or abandoned fishing gear such as lines and nets.  Plastics from myriad sources slowly break down into tiny fragments which inadvertently become part of the food chain for many sea animals and birds that feed on sea animals.  Plastics are not digestible and eventually lead to the death of the animals that ingest them.  This situation is not sustainable.  More action is necessary to control the use of plastics and other manmade materials that are a detriment to wildlife and eventually the survival of life on the planet as we know it.  This photo was made on New Years Day 2016 at Goose Island State Park in Texas.