Photos of an island paradise reveal plastic threat for bird population

Poking out of the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand is a crooked, crescent-shaped volcanic remnant called Lord Howe Island. The rocky isle, which is 10 kilometres long and 2 kilometres across at its widest, is blanketed in a lush, pristine forest and boasts a sandy, coral-rich lagoon.

“It’s paradise,” says Neal Haddaway, a photographer who went there to document the work of ocean research group Adrift. “The sounds of birds are everywhere, there’s beautiful corals, golden sands.” Among the bird calls is that of the flesh-footed shearwater (Ardenna carneipes), roughly 22,000 of which breed on the island.

But life there is far from idyllic, and newly hatched shearwater chicks, such as the one pictured above, are under threat from mounting levels of marine plastic pollution. Adult shearwaters often confuse plastic debris in the sea for food and end up giving it to their young. In fact, Adrift researchers have found that chicks are ingesting increasing amounts of plastic every year. One of the team, shown below, is sorting out the chunks of plastic found in the stomach of just a single bird.

As a result, these chicks are increasingly underdeveloped, and dozens die from starvation or plastic-related illnesses annually.

“The island may be magical,” says Haddaway. “But it’s filled with frustration and grief.”

To protect this population of flesh-footed shearwaters, which locals affectionately dub mutton birds (see above) after their purported taste, there needs to be tougher legislation against plastic pollution, he says.