Man
No, there are no shots of people let alone a man. Rather, these are some specific instances of how mankind can be thoughtless and endanger birds in the wild. I truly hope this stays the smallest of all my galleries on this website. (I highly recommend clicking on any image to view it larger)
Domestic Ducks
I initially thought I had stumbled upon a rare duck when I spotted this white duck swimming with the largest mallard I’d ever seen in Chatfield State Reservoir of all places. Upon research I found out the white duck is called a Crested Duck while the other one is called a Rouen Mallard. Both are raised specifically for domestic purposes such as a “kiddie pond”. I talked to the park ranger about this and he said they had been trying to capture them so they could relocate them to a refuge as domestic ducks are not equipped to avoid predators in the wild. Sadly, they were likely dumped off by someone who no longer was interested in them anymore. I went back and found them again the next day and told the ranger who immediately got someone to capture them and take them to safety.
Carelessness
Left (below on mobile) - This female wood duck was merrily carrying a plastic tube that appears to be from a toy or other man-used object. It tried to swallow it which would have been disastrous. Fortunately, it couldn’t and gave up and discarded it.
Right (below on mobile) - You will need to expand this image of a Cormorant by clicking on it to see what is going on here. There is fishing line wrapped around the Cormorant’s wing that looks like it could impede its flight. Although the Cormorant appeared to fly normally I took this photo in late December, long after Cormorants here have migrated for the winter.
Right (below on mobile) - It was only after I got home that I discovered this Redhead Duck had its bill tangled up in what appears to be fishing line.
Left (below on mobile) - Here is an image of a magpie flying away from a picnic bench where someone had carelessly left chicken wings on the table. This might be harmless but I only hope there are no bones left in the wings. Besides, birds should not be eating “human food” for a variety of reasons.