At home in an ashtray
Even our wild birds, it seems, don’t like being under the 24-7 surveillance of CCTV. Unlike most human beings living in Britain, however, a couple of Great Tits have proven themselves willing to take action, and have chosen fag butts over the cameras: they have chosen to nest in a cigarette bin outside Vane Farm’s visitor centre in Kinross, Scotland. The farm has several CCTV cameras on nests around the site beaming images straight into the coffee shop but staff are unable to view this one family because the box is sealed up and made of metal.
I jest, of course. It’s a true story but birds aren’t aware of how the no-wing giants are watched most everywhere they go, all of the time. Since the smoking ban was introduced—and it came in earlier in Scotland than England—many places have installed bins outside for smokers to dispose of their cigarette ends in the absence of ashtrays, and this is not the first time wild birds have seen the new bins as having been put in place for their use. They are perfect for raising nests of chicks: one small entrance, easily defended, and firmly fixed in place.
tags: birds, cigarettes, environment, Great Tits, hypocrisy, priorities, smoking ban, wildlife
