We visited Ulumay Park Wildlife Sanctuary yesterday. The 400+ acre park, known as a bird reserve with a natural lagoon and heron rookery, is managed by Brevard County. We drove along the dike road to the platform over the lagoon. It was close to midday so the bird activity wasn’t too great. We did see one Great Blue Heron hunting close to the platform and a Great Egret hunting across the lagoon. We also spotted our first manatees of the trip here. But a gruesome sight really spoiled our visit: dead birds caught in fishing lines. Don’t scroll down if you want to avoid seeing photos of dead birds.
Monofilament fishing lines like these are a danger to aquatic animals as well as birds. The Monofilament Recovery & Recycling Program has fishing line recycling bins in over 40 different Florida counties. Unfortunately there was no recycling bin at the platform at Ulumay, although there was a trash bin. Please, recycle your fishing lines and if you see discarded monofilament take a moment to dispose of it properly.
