{"id":121173,"date":"2024-02-14T04:47:23","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T11:47:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=121173"},"modified":"2024-02-14T04:51:57","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T11:51:57","slug":"show-your-love-dont-let-balloons-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/02\/14\/show-your-love-dont-let-balloons-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Show Your Love – Don’t Let Balloons Go"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last Sunday I went to some local spots to look for birds. As I was driving, I saw four mylar balloons stuck in some shrubs near the Jordan River. My heart sank.<\/p>\n

\"FourFour balloons tangled in shrubs – Samsung cell phone photo<\/span><\/p>\n

I drove across a bridge to get to the other side of the river, parked, and made my way down the riverbank to retrieve the balloons.<\/p>\n

Balloons don’t belong in nature; they are a hazard for birds and wildlife.<\/p>\n

Once I was able to pull the strings attached to the balloons out of the shrubs, I took them and tucked them safely into my Jeep for proper disposal at home.<\/p>\n

I have seen these mylar balloons even when I have been way out in the wilderness, scores of miles away from the closest humans, stuck in trees, grasses, and shrubs. Floating on water and heading down stream.<\/p>\n

Sometimes I can’t get to the balloons to dispose of them safely.<\/p>\n

When that happens? It breaks my heart.<\/p>\n

Balloons can harm birds and wildlife in several ways.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Birds, turtles, and other animals often mistake balloons for food, which can lead to injury or death. When animals ingest balloons, it can block their digestive tracts, leading to starvation and death.<\/p>\n

Additionally, balloon strings can entangle animals, causing harm or even death. Balloons also contribute to environmental litter, posing a threat to various wildlife, including marine animals.<\/p>\n

The evidence from various sources<\/span><\/a> clearly indicates that the release of balloons poses a significant threat to wildlife. The ingestion and entanglement of balloons have been linked to the injury and death of birds, turtles, and other animals.<\/p>\n

These mylar balloons, which are made of a polyester film and\/or metal layer, do not break down easily or naturally. They are not biodegradable and can take hundreds of years to degrade. When they do degrade, they become microplastics, posing a significant threat to marine life and the environment.<\/p>\n

Even biodegradable balloons can be a danger to the environment and wildlife. While manufacturers claim that latex balloons are biodegradable and can degrade in the same amount of time as an oak leaf, the reality is different. Biodegradable balloons are made with latex and various other chemicals, which can take anywhere between six months and six years to start degrading.<\/p>\n

That translates to six months OR years in which time any birds and animals that find them are at risk of suffocation, starvation, and death.<\/p>\n

Balloons are not safe for wildlife or our environment.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Today is Valentine’s Day, please show your love without balloons and save lives.<\/p>\n

Life is good, WE can make it safer and better for wildlife.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

See more of my miscellaneous images in a gallery here<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last Sunday I went to some local spots to look for birds. As I was driving, I saw four mylar balloons stuck in some shrubs near the Jordan River. My heart sank.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":121170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2152,1254,10893,709,26],"tags":[14712,14713,14720,14714,13842,14592,10533,14715,14717,5556,14718,6607,14716,9708,8018,14719,373],"class_list":["post-121173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservation","category-environment-wildlife-ethics","category-miscellaneous","category-salt-lake-county-utah","category-utah","tag-balloon","tag-balloons","tag-bird-dangers","tag-danger","tag-dangerous","tag-entanglement","tag-hazard","tag-hazardous","tag-ingest","tag-jordan-river","tag-mylar-balloons","tag-shrubs","tag-strings","tag-tangled","tag-urban","tag-wildlife-dangers","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/balloons-mia-mcpherson-084450.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-vwp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53318,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2018\/08\/01\/blue-elderberry-native-food-source-for-birds-wildlife-and-people-too\/","url_meta":{"origin":121173,"position":0},"title":"Blue Elderberry – Native Food Source For Birds, Wildlife And People Too","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 1, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Another non-bird post this morning about Blue Elderberry shrubs which are a native food source for birds, wildlife and people too. I've photograph this particular Blue Elderberry up in a Wasatch Mountain canyon for several years.","rel":"","context":"In "Blue Elderberry"","block_context":{"text":"Blue Elderberry","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/trees-shrubs-and-flowers\/shrubs\/blue-elderberry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Clump of Blue Elderberry berries, Wasatch Mountains, Summit County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/blue-elderberry-berries-mia-mcpherson-9529.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/blue-elderberry-berries-mia-mcpherson-9529.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/blue-elderberry-berries-mia-mcpherson-9529.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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was climbing in the shrubs and foraging on unopened flower buds when its right eye caught my eyes.","rel":"","context":"In "Least Chipmunks"","block_context":{"text":"Least Chipmunks","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/least-chipmunks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Least Chipmunk's left eye showing a corneal problem, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/least-chipmunk-cataract-mia-mcpherson-1185.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/least-chipmunk-cataract-mia-mcpherson-1185.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/least-chipmunk-cataract-mia-mcpherson-1185.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/least-chipmunk-munching-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-1497.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/least-chipmunk-munching-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-1497.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/least-chipmunk-munching-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-1497.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/least-chipmunk-munching-serviceberry-mia-mcpherson-1497.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":93321,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/08\/16\/roundleaf-snowberry-berries\/","url_meta":{"origin":121173,"position":4},"title":"Roundleaf Snowberry Berries","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week while I was up in the Wasatch Mountains I had the opportunity to take photos of Roundleaf Snowberry berries in between photographing birds.","rel":"","context":"In "Morgan County"","block_context":{"text":"Morgan County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/morgan-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ripening Roundleaf Snowberry berries, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/roundleaf-snowberry-berries-in-summer-mia-mcpherson-4597.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/roundleaf-snowberry-berries-in-summer-mia-mcpherson-4597.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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