Since 2013, researchers in the United Kingdom have noticed something odd on the tiny, uninhabited island of Mullion, off the south coast of Cornwall.
An abundance of multi-colored rubber bands are found all over the island, sometimes entangled in fishing net and hooks. Researchers have been mystified since humans are not allowed on the 1-mile long island. But, it turns out, seabirds go where they want.
One of the places the seabirds want to go is farms around Cornwall where growers raise and cut flowers, tying them together with colorful bands. For decades, the birds have been evidently mistaking the bands for food.
Once abundant, gulls have been in steep decline, mainly due to fishing waste and changes in fish populations. The worst problem is fishing line, nets, and hooks in the water that snare animals of all sorts.