earthstory: Guano Gwales The white patch on the island of Grassholm (Welsh: Ynys Gwales or Gwales) i
earthstory: Guano Gwales The white patch on the island of Grassholm (Welsh: Ynys Gwales or Gwales) is not snow, limestone, or any type of rock for that matter. In springtime, half the island is covered in gannets and their associated guano (also known as bird shit). About 12% (equivalent to 40,000 birds) of the world’s population of gannets live on Gwales; the other 78% can be found nearby on the islands of St. Kilda and Bass Rock off the coast of Scotland. A big problem for these birds nowadays are floating islands of plastic. Instead of seaweed, the gannets now use fishing nets and all sorts of plastic rubbish for nesting. Around 65 birds die annually from plastic entanglement. Keep reading -- source link