Some find them sick
Credit: Jeff Wells
Some people find them sick, others disheartening, but dumps seem to be a fixture of human existence and the hoards of wildlife that they often attract make them places to watch some fascinating animals up close and personal. Dumps or landfills, as we like to call them nowadays in that sanitized euphemistic way, are one of the most visible signs of our societies excesses. Somehow it is nice to know that at least some creatures are using all that waste to their own advantage.
Recycling station next to the dump
Credit: Jeff Wells
I’ve been to the dump a few times in the last several weeks because that’s also where you have to go in this area if you want to recycle. I wish that more of the Boreal that is contained in all the junk mail, catalogs, paper, and wood products would be diverted from landfills. It is a great feeling when I take all my paper, cardboard, cans, glass, etc., to the recycling station. And then I get to go watch the bird show! Sometimes there are 15+ Bald Eagles, thousands of gulls of up to five species, crows, ravens, and last week even a flock of Wild Turkeys.
Before you check out these videos of birds at the dump you may want to read this great op-ed.
Pirate Eagles:
Even Turkeys at the Dump:
Gulls and Eagles and Crows:
March 4th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I live in Philadelphia, and a landfill about an hour away in NJ is one of the best birding locales for gulls. It’s an intense place, to see thousands of gulls swarming over the trash – really makes you ponder deeply about human behavior and the sheer scope of our global impact. A couple weeks ago I picked up a couple lifers there – Iceland and Lesser Black-backed. Thanks for the blog – interesting and informative. I’m hoping to make it up to the Boreal Forest sometime soon.