This friendly creature here is a coot (in Dutch, meerkoet). It is a waterbird commonly found on waterways throughout Belgium. Coots can be recognised by their white beak and the distinctive white shield on their forehead. Living on the canals of densely populated urban areas, they have adapted their way of life to what these human-shaped environments offer them.

Meerkoet?

Coot gather human waste from the water to build their nests.

Recent research shows that as much as 29.3% of the nesting material of urban coots consists of artificial materials (1,634 of the 5,579 items recorded). Some nests even contain more plastic than natural materials! (Hiemstra, Gravendeel, Schilthuizen: 2021)

How do we work together with this waterbird?

In early spring, we distribute nesting platforms along the local waterways. In touristy cities like Ghent, waterbirds generally lack safe nesting space. Often, just as they begin building their nests, the structures are washed away by the wake of passing boats or by harsh weather conditions.

Waterbirds, such as coots (Dutch: meerkoet), begin to get comfortable on the platforms — first as resting spots, and after a while, they often recognize them as safe nesting sites and begin building their nests. Alongside coots, other waterbirds (ducks, grebes) are also welcome to use the platforms according to their needs.

While building their nests, coots also gather increasing amounts of human litter from the canals, incorporating it alongside organic material. Besides various plastic packaging, materials such as ropes, cardboard, and drifting textiles also find their way into the emerging nests.

The human litter gathered by coots and removed from the waterways by us now has a chance to be recycled in a meaningful way.

Together, we take care of safe nesting and resting spots for local waterbirds, and coots support us in removing human litter from the canals.

After the breeding season, once the chicks have fledged and careful observation confirms that the waterbirds no longer use the platforms as nesting or resting sites, we carefully remove the human litter from the nests. This prevents it from washing back into the canals, breaking down into microplastics, and eventually being carried into our oceans.