Birds leave colorful souvenirs on Laysan

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Science Writer

A group of us walked around the rim of Laysan's super-salty lake, which is littered with bits of plastic, colorful butane lighters, kukui nuts, pieces of pumice and squid beaks.

All of it has gone through the guts of adult seabirds, which snap up the stuff at sea and then regurgitate it. Chicks can't do that, and sometimes die with their bellies full of plastic.