ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Heartbreaking photos from a nature photographer illustrate why it's so important to keep the beaches clean.
Judy Rogero captured devastating images of birds putting plastic in their beaks. Her photographs showed baby skimmers chewing on plastic toys and sunglasses, as well as a pelican trying to swallow a fish that is covered in plastic netting or fishing line.
"Some swallow what they find and die," Rogero wrote of the skimmers in a heartwrenching Facebook post.
Rogero captured her images in June at Lido Beach, St. Pete Beach and Fort De Soto.
"This is all the time. Birds carry around trash all the time," Rogero told 10News.
She says the plastic and paper wrappers beachgoers leave behind are a major issue. In recent years, as Florida's population has grown, Rogero says she's seen increasing amounts of litter. She's always tried to focus on photographing Florida's beauty, but the trash situation has become so serious that she has recently started sharing the disturbing photos on social media to draw attention to the problem.
"People just have no respect at all for anything except what's going on in their own lives at the moment," Rogero said by phone.
Recently, a Largo photographer captured an image of a bird feeding a cigarette to a chick in St. Pete.
As for a solution, Rogero hopes for better enforcement of litter laws or for heightened fines. She also wants more people to speak up when they see others littering.
"People need to start getting involved," Rogero said. "We have to be good stewards."
Bird photos show why you shouldn't pollute the beaches
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