Housing solutions

A random fragment of pink plastic I picked up on the sea shore today  has been colonized at some stage in its marine immersion by Sea Mat which forms a lacy structure  composed of tiny compartments, each one originally occupied by a minute creature that feeds on particles floating in the water. This mesh-like accommodation is normally found on seaweed such as kelp but other kinds of smooth floating material can be colonised too and plastic often serves the purpose.

There's nothing  new in non-human species utilising our property whether  spiders in our houses or bats in our belfreys but did you read about the latest news of crows and magpies ripping off the spikes placed to deter birds from perching  on the roofs and ledges  and using them to construct their own nests? This has been observed in several parts of Northern Europe, and it seems that not only do the spikes make stout nesting material they also appear to be placed defensively to deter other birds from attacking the nests. 

When you start to think about the many ways in which our human species has waged war upon animals the irony of this development is not only breathtaking but chilling.

Read more:
BBC report *
Scientific paper

* Notice how the lead researcher's hair looks very much like... a bird's nest (minus the spikes.)