The stuff dangling off the osprey’s talon is trash that some human left. The bird is getting around fine now and hopefully the string will break off before the bird becomes entangled. Don’t litter, pickup what you can and for god’s sake don’t release balloons.

This article is 5 years old and the situation hasn’t improved.

More Plastic in the World Means More Plastic in Osprey Nests – National Audubon Society

Human waste routinely finds its way into birds’ nests, and it is especially common with Ospreys. The birds use a huge variety of materials to build their nests, including sticks, bark, sod, grass, vines and algae. Plastic items mimic the appearance of many of these natural building supplies, and Osprey find plastic trash mixed in with their natural nesting materials in beach wrack lines, making it hard for them to distinguish what’s what, Wurst says. “While Osprey see plastic as a useful resource for them to build their nests from, they don’t see the potential danger.”

By 2012, Wurst realized the problem was worsening, so he began removing the trash and collecting it to raise awareness of the issue. Wurst’s Osprey nest-trash collection includes all kinds of plastic items, including unusual finds such as plastic shovels, flags, and polyester hats. But he believes the most dangerous and deadly items are the most common ones he finds in nests: plastic ribbon from balloons and monofilament fishing line. “Trash like monofilament, ribbon, and string can easily entangle a foot, leg, or wing of an adult or young Osprey,” he says. In addition, “single use plastic bags or other plastic sheeting can choke or smother them.”

From James River Parks.

Tomorrow (Wednesday, 3/29) Norfolk Southern is going to be doing repair work on the Reedy Creek Crossing. They will start at 9:30 AM and work should continue for a few hours. This will limit your access to Reedy Creek, and there may be periods of zero access.

From TBT Gallo

Love tattoos? Love free tacos?

We’re celebrating our 2 year anniversary with a block party @true_tattoo_rva where if you get a TBT or Taco related flash piece you’ll get free tacos from us for life

We’ll drop the flash sheet on Tuesday (3/14)

Just show us your dope ink when you purchase two tacos, and we’ll give you the third one for free

On Tuesday, March 14th, we’ll start booking slots, and we’ll have walk-ins the day of the event. Call @true_tattoo_rva to book appointments

We’ll be on-site slinging tacos and vibes with our amigos @capsoulbrewing pouring up suds.

We’ll have raffles and prizes available from our amigos as well!